Cher

Do you believe in the power of accessories? Cher apparently does. The Accessories Council named the flamboyant diva one of this year's Best Accessorized Celebrities. The 10 women on the list "understand the value of accessories and have promoted them in both their personal and professional lives," says Sheila Block, the council's executive director. "Accessories help us define our own sense of personal style." Other winners: NBC-TV's Katie Couric, ABC-TV's Barbara Walters; New York socialite Blaine Trump; singer Lauryn Hill; and actresses Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts and Sharon Stone.

Remember in Clueless when Dionne asked Cher if she were suffering from buyer's remorse and, looking horrified, Cher said no? Well lucky you, Miss Horowitz, because I certainly am.  Knowing nothing about wedding dress shopping, I was surprised when in February, a week after my engagement, my stepmom insisted we begin the search. We visited a total of two places, and I had my dress deposit down in less than a month.  I love my dress. I can't really detail it here because my fiance wisely reads this blog (Hi, Rob!

Cher has been away from the movies for a few years now, and she chooses to come back via . . . this?Bad career move. If this is the sort of movie she'd been making until now, she'd have no career to come back to.That Cher pretty much slums her way through "Faithful" is possibly the least of its problems. Her co-stars fare little better: Chazz Palminteri, who wrote the screenplay, is undone by his own words, which may have looked good on paper, but are no more than cliche after cliche on the screen.

Martyn Lawrence-Bullard left his home in England for Los Angeles 20 years ago, determined to be a movie star. The acting thing didn't exactly work out. But in one of those delightful turnabouts in life, he is now the interior designer to the stars. Ed Norton, the Osbournes, Cher and Kid Rock top an eclectic list of clients. Lawrence-Bullard has made the Architectural Digest and Elle Decor lists of top designers. He is a principal on Bravo TV's "Million Dollar Decorators. " He has a new book, "Live, Love & Decorate," with a foreword by client Elton John.

I WAS madly in love with Robert. I would have married him. I wanted to." "Really?!" "Yes. If it hadn't been for the press, we'd be married." That was part of a conversation I had with Cher years ago. I was interviewing her, and she was speaking of loneliness and the difficulties of being the kind of star she is - how stressful relationships can be, undone by the imbalance. After all, how many iconic figures marry other iconic figures? I mentioned the wonderful Robert Camilletti, whom Cher had dated for a number of years.

Five thousand dollars is not bad for a day's work, particularly when all it involves is sending a fax to Cher and asking her to call a radio station.But that's pretty much all 9-year-old Erin Williams of Essex did to win the "Who Do You Know?" contest on WWMX-FM (106.5)."We just kind of did it and forgot about it," says Connie Williams, Erin's mom. "We did not know in advance she was going to call, and we didn't hear [the call] the first time. My older daughter's fifth-grade teacher called the house and told us about it."

Cher continues her inexhaustible march back into the public eye with a scheduled appearance on Letterman tonight."World Of Discovery" (8 p.m.-9 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- "Last Charge of the Rhino" documents the inexcusable and heartbreaking tragedy of the rhinoceros, which has been hunted close to extinction by poachers because some idiots with money to burn covet the animals' horns. ABC."Long Island Fever" (9 p.m.-10 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- Wonder what kind of show is so bad, network programmers won't even take a chance on it?

Tonight, thousands of fans will pour into Washington's MCI Center to behold the latest incarnation of Cher, as pop-rock's ageless chanteuse kicks off the first week of touring for her latest album, Living Proof. Many will carry with them - or perhaps snap up from vendors - something from among the huge variety of Cher-inspired ephemera: Cher Barbies, T-shirts, stuffed bears, watches, buttons, even Cher tarot cards. But for at least a few others, merchandise isn't enough. They want to be Cher, emulating her, um, unique style.

The bionic babe created in an operating orgy is writing a self-help manual on how to be fit and fetching? Isn't that a little like Tammy Faye Bakker exalting the virtues of natural beauty?No fair, cries Cher. She knows the press and public write off her sinewy slinkiness as medical editing, but "I've killed myself in the gym to have this body. It isn't like I have some amazing secret that nobody else has. And when I don't want to exercise, I look like hell. It's not anything you'd want to see."

OUR FAVORITE singing/dancing/glamour-puss/Oscar-winner/survivor and genuinely nice human being, Cher, has been lying low recently. One of the things I love about Cher - and miss when she's out of touch - is that she speaks spontaneously and truthfully, but never tells too much. She's so appealingly earthy, frank and funny you think you're seeing her soul. But you're only seeing what she allows. The real woman is far more interesting and complex. Anyway, soon fans of Cher will have one, perhaps two offerings.

I WAS madly in love with Robert. I would have married him. I wanted to." "Really?!" "Yes. If it hadn't been for the press, we'd be married." That was part of a conversation I had with Cher years ago. I was interviewing her, and she was speaking of loneliness and the difficulties of being the kind of star she is - how stressful relationships can be, undone by the imbalance. After all, how many iconic figures marry other iconic figures? I mentioned the wonderful Robert Camilletti, whom Cher had dated for a number of years.

So the charming, the unique, the indestructible Cher is coming back! The Oscar-winning Cher, at 61, has had career success and longevity like few others. Remember this: She is the only artist to have a hit song in each of the past four decades. And as she preps to make a super splash at Caesars Palace in the Celine Dion venue, she is working on her 27th studio album. She told Nightline's Cynthia McFadden that her regrets are the things she didn't do -- like taking up Elvis Presley and Marlon Brando when they made a pass.

OUR FAVORITE singing/dancing/glamour-puss/Oscar-winner/survivor and genuinely nice human being, Cher, has been lying low recently. One of the things I love about Cher - and miss when she's out of touch - is that she speaks spontaneously and truthfully, but never tells too much. She's so appealingly earthy, frank and funny you think you're seeing her soul. But you're only seeing what she allows. The real woman is far more interesting and complex. Anyway, soon fans of Cher will have one, perhaps two offerings.

On September 11, 2007, HOWARD M. BAILEY, Sr., 88, formerly of Silver Spring, MD, husband of Penny Bailey; father of Howard Bailey, Jr., Cher Compton and Richard Bailey; grandfather of Phillip Compton, Alex Howard Bailey and Bereket Bailey. Service will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family request donations to the Lions Club International Foundation, 300 W. 22nd Street, Oak Brook, IL, 60523-8842.

One of the surest signs of summer in Baltimore arrives this week with the opening of two (and continuation of two more) free outdoor film series. Remember to arrive early and take your lawn chairs. The 2007 Little Italy Open-Air Film Festival kicks off tonight with the traditional Moonstruck, starring Cher (in her Oscar-winning role) and Nicolas Cage as impassioned lovers who are as star-crossed as they are meant for each other. Directed by Norman Jewison, the 1987 romantic comedy also won Oscars for Olympia Dukakis (supporting actress)

Stories about works of art discovered in forgotten corners of cluttered attics never fail to pique our interest. But what if a treasure-trove of such works, hidden in plain sight in downtown Columbia, were to appear in a new, temporary setting -- all of it available for purchase? That's what happens this weekend and next when works from the Artists' Gallery of Columbia -- usually exhibited in the lobby of the American City Building in Columbia Town Center -- come out to be viewed and sold at the home of member artist Cher Compton and her husband, Craig.

So the charming, the unique, the indestructible Cher is coming back! The Oscar-winning Cher, at 61, has had career success and longevity like few others. Remember this: She is the only artist to have a hit song in each of the past four decades. And as she preps to make a super splash at Caesars Palace in the Celine Dion venue, she is working on her 27th studio album. She told Nightline's Cynthia McFadden that her regrets are the things she didn't do -- like taking up Elvis Presley and Marlon Brando when they made a pass.

Martyn Lawrence-Bullard left his home in England for Los Angeles 20 years ago, determined to be a movie star. The acting thing didn't exactly work out. But in one of those delightful turnabouts in life, he is now the interior designer to the stars. Ed Norton, the Osbournes, Cher and Kid Rock top an eclectic list of clients. Lawrence-Bullard has made the Architectural Digest and Elle Decor lists of top designers. He is a principal on Bravo TV's "Million Dollar Decorators. " He has a new book, "Live, Love & Decorate," with a foreword by client Elton John.

On March 28, 2006 EDNA MAY (SUE) LOWRY, beloved wife of the late James D. Lowry, loving mother of Donna and Gary Fallin, Mike and Cher Lowry, Kitten and Barry Williams, Pat and Mark Adams, dear sister of Marie Burdette and the late Pete Baker, proud grandmother of 11 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. Funeral from the Gregory J. Gonce Funeral Home, 169 Riviera Drive, Pasadena, on Friday at 9 AM. Interment in MD Veteran's Cemetery, Crownsville. Family requests friends call Thursday from 3-5 and 7-9 PM.

Little Italy Film Festival Where: the intersection of High and Stiles streets When: 9 p.m. tomorrow and consecutive Friday nights through Aug. 26 Why: Talk about a city staple -- a free one at that. This year's festival starts with an outdoor screening of Moonstruck (think Cher). You might want to take a lawn chair because the ones provided go on a first-come, first-serve basis. Information: www.little italymd.com Price: Free