The color gurus of Pantone have reached a unanimous decision. The color of 2008 is…

Blue iris (a.k.a. No. 18-3943)!

More than that, there have been rumblings that blue will step up to the eco-pedestal and replace green as the shade for the environmental movement.

Congratulations blue.

I had a chance to chat with Blue Iris and this is what he had to say about his new responsibilities as the color of 2008:

How does it feel to receive such an honor?

I am absolutely flattered. In 2005, my cousin Blue Turquoise had the honor of being the color of the year. I was in contention as well, but I was happy BT got it. And by the way, I really love your column and blog.

Thanks!

I try to keep up with it as much as possible. I was surprised that so many people commented on that blog post you did about Clay Aiken.

I know, that was really unexpected.

(laughs) I guess those “Claymates” are alive and well in America.

Well, what kind of responsibility do you feel that you have now that you have been chosen?

(ponders a moment) I really don’t know - I am still trying to get over the fact that I was chosen. (laughs) But in reality, I just want to take this title and serve the world - whether it be in fashion or otherwise.

They have also said that “blue will be the new green” - how do you feel about that?

Who said that?

They did.

Who’s they?

You know, the people who decide the fate of things in the world.

Oh. They decided it. (laughs)

Do you feel more pressured now that you have that eco-responsibility?

Not really. The whole “blue is the new green” thing doesn’t just apply to me. I think it could apply to all of my family.

So do you think it’s going to be a good year for all of your aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters and parents?

Absolutely. But Cerulean is having a tough time right now. She just got out of rehab and is trying to cope with things.

Did she hear about this great announcement?

I just emailed her on my Blackberry. She is ecstatic! Hopefully this will get her out of that rut.

Good for her. Do you mind if I ask why she was in rehab?

No, not at all. She just started hanging out with the wrong crowd after her 2000 reign as “Pantone’s Color of the Year.” She began drinking too much and I hate to say it, but she started to get into heroine. It’s something us blues aren’t proud of, but I’d rather people get it from the horse’s mouth rather than some gossip rag.

Have you started working with any designers?

I have had a lot of them call me, but I really can’t say their names.

I didn’t realize the fashion game was so top secret.

I just don’t want to say that I’ll be working with a certain designer and then not show up on the runway at fashion week. That would just make me a liar.

True - but can we expect to see you or any of your family members on the runway in February at New York Fashion Week?

(laughs) Maybe.

Do you think “The Smurfs” will make a comeback this year? I mean, it is the year of blue.

I sure hope so! (laughs) I was a big fan of that show back in the day.

Who was your favorite?

Smurfette.

Not Vanity?

He was cool, but sometimes he just got annoying. Do you think he was gay? I mean, not to say that there’s anything wrong with being gay, but it just seemed like he was.

No, if he was, he probably would’ve come out at the end of the series.

Yea, that is true. (laughs)

Well thanks for taking the time to chat with me.

No problem.

Good luck this year, I hope to see and hear great things from you.

I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

I am only a half-hearted Japanophile. Ok, maybe a 3/4 hearted. I think the style and philosophy of the Japanese culture is mesmerizing, intriguing and lights up with Hello Kitty charm.

I wasn’t really a fan of the anime cartoon Speed Racer, but when I saw the trailer for the upcoming Wachowski movie (they were the dudes who did the The Matrix), the Japanese receptors in my brain were on overload:

It looks fun, has that distinct Harajuku Pachinko machine style, pops with fantastical color and character, it looks like the perfect humanization of an anime cartoon and most of all, it has fast race cars and a monkey! And look at the cast: Emile, Susan, John, Matthew and Christina - even though none of the main characters are Japanese or Asian, it looks Japan-o-riffic!

Yes, I know that I have been talking this store up like it’s the best thing in the world. And if Barney’s New York was my boss, my nose would be brown. I pathetically worship this shopping facility and put myself in debt because of this store - and I don’t care.

There hasn’t been a store that has made this excited. I have made so many new friends since the store arrived in San Francisco this year: Phillip Lim, John Varvatos, Edun, A.P.C., Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Jack Spade, Band of Outsiders…the list goes on…and so does my credit card bill.

Thank you Barney’s, you have made my year - and you’re the only friend I can count on.

With so many female celebs going to jail, getting DUIs, showing their crotches, getting sloshed, making a mockery of Hollywood and giving tabloids gossip meat to feed on like vultures to rotting carcasses, we seldom see the real ladies of Hollywood.

Now I am sure these ladies are not perfect angels, but they know how to keep their stardom and personal lives separate while maintaining dignity. We see them for what their talent and nothing else. They are great role models of style and are far from that trash heap that many other female A-minus-listers hang around too often. They prove that you can be famous without being sleazy.

So this is dedicated to all the ladies of Hollywood who are genuinely ladies:

Jennifer Hudson, the girl of our dreams

Scarlett Johansson - the perfect example of a modern Hollywood starlet

Harvard graduate and she can act (not to mention gorgeous) - Natalie Portman is fabulous from all angles

Ali Larter is a “Hero” who knows how to keep her life, looks and talent in order

America Ferrera knows how to work the red carpet and the homegirl has an Emmy - and I don’t think she has ever shaved her head and had mental breakdown in public

Sassy, stylish and a Grammy winning singer - I heart Alicia Keys

Anne Hathaway has shown that you can be racy, funny and dramatic in her movies, yet still keep it together in the public eye - YOU GO GIRL!

Gorgeous! Glamorous! And she can act AND sing! Emmy Rossum stays under the tabloid radar and still remains on the A-list

I looked into my 2008 crystal ball and here is what I saw (in no particular order):

You like it how I work my spine
Got you feeling all hypnotized (hypnotized)
I gotta body like a CL5
Make a **** wanna test drive but I’m so on fire
Flyer than a pelican/find another chick better than/I don’t see her
Cause my swag is serious
Something heavy like a first day period

- from Janet Jackson’s new song Feedback from her upcoming album Discipline slated for release Feb. 26, 2008.

It didn’t really feel like Christmas to me until I went to visit my parents in Tyler (pronounced “tye-luh”), Texas. It’s a city about one hour east of Dallas.

It’s not a small hillbilly town, but it’s not a metropolis either. It’s more like a boutique city with a growing medical community. It’s quaint, it has THREE movie theaters, a Dairy Queen, it has one mall (soon to be two) and it’s the self-proclaimed “Rose Capital of the World”- but sorry mom and dad - I would never live there. But it is a great place to relax.

Nonetheless, my mom has the knack of decorating the house in full Yuletide glory - an ornate Christmas tree, more stockings hung by the chimney place than people who actually live in the house, Holiday chachkis strategically placed about the house, Santa-themed kitchen towels, glowing snowmen in the front yard, Christmas cards hung all over the walls and of course, the ever-popular nativity scene.

But the one my mom set up was special. My sister told me to look at it to see if there was something “different” about it:

I noticed that there was a fourth wise man playing a wooden flute whilst being accompanied by his little lamb friend:

Apparently there was a fourth wise man never mentioned in the story of baby Jesus. He brought him the gift of music via a wooden flute and a stylish little green hat.

My mom said that it matched the others and she just decided to throw him in the mix.

I named him Paul.

No, I’m not talking about a gown, a pant suit or an outlandish garment that ruled the red carpet. It was a distinct “take my photo” stance that the celebrities took that was the biggest trend on the crimson strip. Last year it was that “over-the-shoulder-look-at-my-back” look that ruled the red carpet, this year it was the ubiquitous “cross-my-legs-confidence” mannerism that was popular for A-listers.

This look was a very inventive way to stand on the red carpet. It was unique, interesting, captivating, confident and, supposedly, the crossing of the legs is supposed to flatter a woman’s figure.

By standing and crossing the legs, it projects an hour glass look. I don’t know exactly how, but it works. Need a dash of sass? Put your hands on your hips to invoke that “I rule the red carpet” flair.

Here are some ladies that best illustrated this red carpet trend:

What do you get when you combine the singer-songwriter maturity of Toby Lightman, the urban ethos of Alicia Keys, the R&B and soul of Jill Scott, the feminine strength of Erykah Badu and the smooth-as-caramel sound of Sade? You get Emily King.

Her album, East Side Story was released back in August, but I am just now getting into her sound now. That just shows that I need to get better at keeping my radar more attuned to what’s hot - but better late than never! East Side Story is available at Amazon.com for $11.99.

“The Kite Runner” is another bandwagon that took me a while to jump on. I think I like to wait until all the hoopla surrounding a pop culture phenomenon dies down until I actually follow through with it.

Nonetheless, I am currently obsessed with the book (not the movie) by the San Jose-based writer Khaled Hosseini. I recently picked it up and I have not been able to put it down. I think I have almost cried about three times and I am not even halfway done with it. And we all know that the amount of tears you shed over a book is a great way to tell whether a book is good or not. Apparently the movie is just as good - but I will finish the book first. Available for $8.99 at Amazon.com.

Thank you very much Miss South Carolina. You made my year more enjoyable than I could ever dream of.