Kelly LeBrock was one of the sexiest women in Hollywood in the '80s.

80s Babes Then and Now

But these days, she spends a lot of her time shoveling horse manure. And that's just the way she likes it.

In an interview with the British newspaper The Daily Mail, LeBrock, who rose to stardom in the movies "The Woman in Red" and "Weird Science," has spoken publicly for the first time in years about turning her back on stardom and leaving Hollywood for a ranch in Santa Barbara, California.

"I grow all my veggies and make my own cheese and yogurt," LeBrock said. "It's bloody exhausting!" said the American actress (who spent her childhood in England). "To work the land full time keeps me so fit that I haven't worked out in seven years. I clean the pool myself, muck out the pigs and the horses."

But she also has peace of mind, and her horse Kiwi to keep her company. "Sometimes I sleep three nights in a row outside with no tent, just under the stars," LeBrock said. "Just me and my horse. It brings me closer to the earth."

Born in New York and raised in London, 53-year-old LeBrock began modeling professionally when she was 15 years old. After becoming a top fashion model appearing regularly in Vogue and Harpers Bazaar, LeBrock fell into drugs and the party lifestyle.

"I didn't want to get hooked on heroin and die like some of my friends," LeBrock said. "I decided to change my lifestyle and quit modeling and go to the next obvious thing, movies."

LeBrock moved to California and met film producer Victor Drai. They married in 1984, and while the relationship only lasted two years, he did help her land the title role in "The Woman in Red," in which she played a sexy-but-mysterious lady who becomes an object of obsessive desire for Gene Wilder.

"It was a thrilling experience," LeBrock said, "Not only did it help me cut my teeth on movie making, but it also placed me at the movie’s center, which, I must say, overwhelmed me."

From left: Anthony Michael Hall, LeBrock, and Ilan Mitchell-Smith in 'Weird Science' (Photo: Everett)

LeBrock's status as a sex symbol was solidified when she played Lisa, the perfect woman designed by a pair of lustful teenage boys, in the comedy "Weird Science."

LeBrock's life took an unexpected turn when she met Steven Seagal, then an aspiring actor, during a publicity trip to Japan in 1987. The two fell in love and got married, though LeBrock would later learn Seagal hadn't fully finalized his divorces to his first two wives when she said "I do."

LeBrock and Seagal had three children, but they were said to have a stormy relationship, and while LeBrock has refused to comment on rumors that Seagal was an abusive husband, in a 2010 interview she said, "I was constantly raped and abused my whole life,” without naming culprits. The couple split up in 1996.

"I admit, I became a hermit," LeBrock told the Mail. "When I split with Steven, the divorce was very ugly, and details of the case were on the evening news. I didn't want my kids seeing it, so I simply got rid of the TV. I moved my kids out of L.A. so they could grow up with real people — the kids of gas pump attendants, plumbers, and real family people … I decided to swap my old life in Beverly Hills for a new one in the country, in Santa Barbara."

LeBrock says that the experience has been good for her and her kids, but she's hoping to get back into the acting game. She's made four movies since 2000, and has a fifth — a thriller called "Hidden Affairs" — slated for release this year. She also does volunteer work with Club Carson, a support group for children with terminal cancer. And she's working on an autobiography — a cautionary tale for young people making their way into the entertainment business.

"I see kids like Lindsay Lohan going off the rails because she has no one there for her," LeBrock said. "Lindsay reminds me of a 12-year-old, like a little girl stuck in a young woman's body, with all the drugs and alcohol."

Source: http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/kelly-lebrock-80s-sex-symbol-hiding-160937278.html

Marijuana Ruling Could Signal End of Prohibition on Pot

It's legal to light up in Colorado and Washington, and soon smoking pot could be legalized across the country following a decision Thursday by the federal government.
After Washington state and Colorado passed laws in November 2012 legalizing the consumption and sale of marijuana for adults over 18, lawmakers in both states waited to see whether the federal government would continue to prosecute pot crimes under federal statutes in their states.
Both Colorado and Washington have been working to set up regulatory systems in order to license and tax marijuana growers and retail sellers, but have been wary of whether federal prosecutors would come after them for doing so. They are the first states to legalize pot, and therefore to go through the process of trying to set up a regulatory system.
Consumption and sale of marijuana is still illegal in all other states, though some cities and towns have passed local laws decriminalizing it or making it a low priority for law enforcement officers. There are also movements in many states to legalize pot, including legalization bills introduced in Maine and Rhode Island, discussion of possible bills in states including Massachusetts and Vermont, and talk of ballot initiatives in California and Oregon.
But on Thursday, the Department of Justice announced that it would not prosecute marijuana crimes that were legal under state law, a move that could signal the end of the country's longtime prohibition on pot is nearing. "It certainly appears to be potentially the beginning of the end," said Paul Armantano, deputy director of the pot lobby group NORML.
The memo sent to states Thursday by the DOJ said that as long as states set up comprehensive regulations governing marijuana, there would be no need for the federal government to step in, a decision that will save the Justice Department from having to use its limited resources on prosecuting individuals for growing or smoking marijuana.
"This memo appears to be sending the message to states regarding marijuana prohibition that is a recognition that a majority of the public and in some states majority of lawmakers no longer want to continue down the road of illegal cannabis, and would rather experiment with different regulatory schemes of license and retail sale of cannabis," Armantano said.
Richard Collins, a law professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, said that the memo from the DOJ points out specifically that the federal government will only walk away from marijuana crimes in states where there is a solid regulatory system for the drug's growth and disemenation.
For other states to mimic the systems in Colorado and Washington, they will first have to get legalization laws on their ballots or in their state houses, which could post a challenge, he said.
While Colorado and Washington have not yet set up their regulatory systems, both states will likely sell licenses to farmers who want to grow marijuana as well as to manufacturing plants and retail sellers. The marijuana will also likely be taxed at each stage of its growth, processing, and sale.
"In both Colorado and Washington, legalization was done by citizens with no participation by elected representatives until they had to pass laws to comply with the initiative. In other initiative states I would expect such measures - I would expect a new one in California, for instance - and roughly half the states permit this and the rest don't.
"In the states that do have initiatives I expect efforts to get it on the ballot. The other half it will be much tougher. It's hard to get elected representatives to do this," Collins said.
Armantano is more optimistic about the spread of legalized pot. He compared the DOJ's announcement to the federal government's actions toward the end of alcohol prohibition in America a century ago, when states decided to stop following the federal ban on alcohol sales and the federal government said it would not step in and prosecute crimes.
"For first time we now have clear message from fed government saying they will not stand in way of states that wish to implement alternative regulatory schemes in lieu of federal prohibition," Armantano said.
He predicted that within the next one to three years, five or six other states may join Colorado and Washington in legalizing the drug, setting the stage for the rest of the country to follow.
Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation's largest police union, was disappointed with the Justice Department's decision, but said that he had already reached out to set up meetings to talk with leadership in the department and he was "open to discussion" about the benefits.
"I would tell you that certainly the overwhelming majority of law enforcement officers oppose legalization," he said, "but that is not to say that we're not willing to have a conversation about it. It is, from our perspective, a gateway drug and opinions to the contrary don't have the weight of fact behind them."
"We want to talk to (the DOJ) about their thought process and ours and where the disconnect is," he said. "From our perspective the only fault with the status quo is that we aren't making a bigger dent and we'd like to make a bigger one."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/marijuana-ruling-could-signal-end-prohibition-pot-151612677--abc-news-topstories.html

Foam finger inventor says Miley Cyrus 'degraded an honorable icon'

Singer Miley Cyrus performs "Blurred Lines"

The man credited with inventing the foam finger - like the one Miley Cyrus brought to the forefront of national attention at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards - is not her No. 1 fan.

 Iowa native Steve Chmelar, who created the foam finger prototype in 1971 (which Geral Fauss would later go on to mass produce in 1978), said he didn't like his invention's newfound infamy.

 "She took an honorable icon that is seen in sporting venues everywhere and degraded it," Chmelar told FoxSports. "Fortunately, the foam finger has been around long enough that it will survive this incident."

"For people who like that kind of entertainment, I'm sure that it met their needs," Chmelar said.

 But it's not his entertainment cup of tea: "If I had a choice between Julie Andrews singing 'The Sound of Music' and Miley Cyrus doing 'Can't Stop,' I'd go the Julie Andrews route."

 Lisa Katnic, who designed Cyrus' particular spongy digit, was much happier with how everything turned out. She told Yahoo! Music that the prop was designed for an editorial shoot about a year ago, but it never saw the light of day until a brief appearance in Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" video, which Katnic styled.

Katnic said she created the exaggerated appendage with several options - French manicured or gold glitter nails, for example - but Cyrus chose the red ones. And, according to Katnic's comments on her Instagram account, Cyrus was such a fan of the finger that she took it home with her.
And Katnic defends Cyrus' controversial antics, saying: "Honestly, of any person I've worked with, she's the nicest, most genuine celebrity I've met ... She's 20 years old, hot and having fun. What college-age person wouldn't?"
Chmelar was less effusive: "As for Miley Cyrus, let's hope she can outlive this event and also survive."

Source: http://music.yahoo.com/news/foam-finger-inventor-says-miley-cyrus-degraded-honorable-223255596.html