Born Elizabeth Irene Mitchell on February 10, 1974, actress (and occasional CNBC anchor on 30 Rock), Elizabeth Banks is helping me through a tough time…

You see, I have Hunger Games fever right now — BAD. I stayed up way past my bedtime last night re-reading the first book, finished it, and then started on the second one, and now while I’m reading the books, I picture the characters as the actors who are playing them in the new movie (Elizabeth plays Effie Trinket).

The only one who doesn’t fit for me is Woody Harrelson as Haymitch. I don’t know… I see Haymitch as more of a Robert Downey Jr. type, especially when he looks like this, but a little bit scragglier and undoubtedly stinky.

This is kinda weird, but sometimes I get Elizabeth and Parker Posey confused. Is that just me? As a matter of fact, I only just now figured out while reading about Elizabeth that she was the actress who starred in the Spider-Man movies (worked for J. Jonah Jameson at the Daily Bugle).

This whole time I thought that was Parker. Seriously, I can’t be the only one who sees a resemblance.

I even remember telling people, “Wasn’t Parker Posey great in Spider-Man!?”

LOL! Sorry, ladies. For what it’s worth, I’m a doofus, and I think you’re both great.

Elizabeth also has what looks like a fun recurring role on 30 Rock playing Jack’s business savvy girlfriend, CNBC anchor Avery Jessup.

Man, I love that show… And oddly, so does Tabs. He’ll even come down from upstairs to sit on the floor in front of the TV when it’s on.

I’m really looking forward to seeing Elizabeth in The Hunger Games next week. I just hope, hope, hope the movie lives up to, or at least gets close, to my expectations.

Your friendly neighborhood tribute,

Karen

It used to seem like I had endless amounts of time to get all dolled up for different things, like parties, dancing and baby showers, but now? What I wouldn’t give to have a whole afternoon to get ready.

These days, on the rare occasions when I actually do have something to get dressed up for, it seems like I’m always rushing. I’m lucky to have enough time to fill in my brows, let alone do something special with my hair.

Still, even when I am rushing, running ragged and far behind, the last thing I want to do with my ‘do is just throw on a hat and call it a day (although I am totally guilty of doing exactly that more than a few times).

When all I can swing is 5-10 minutes on hair, I’ll shoot for one of these three quick party hairstyles. Each one is light on muss and fuss, and can be done with styling products from the drugstore.

First things first: the prep work.

This stuff is güd

Assuming a shower isn’t completely off the table, I like to start with one, and lately I’ve been bringing two products by güd from Burt’s Bees with me.

I love how citrusy Orange Petalooza Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner smell ($6.99 each), and the combo leaves my hair feeling silky soft, lightweight and conditioned.

If I had my druthers, I’d always air dry my hair, but sometimes that’s not an option. Hair dryers do speed up the process, and when I’m going to use one, I try to work in a heat protecting product, like the new Suave Keratin Infusion Heat Defense Leave-In Conditioner ($3.49), to protect against heat styling damage.

When I can’t squeeze in a shower at all, well, that’s when I turn to dry shampoo. Definitely not ideal, but the good ones do freshen my ‘do and give some lift to my roots. I really like Suave Keratin Infusion Dry Shampoo. It’s designed for all hair types and costs just $3.49.

With the prep work done, it’s time to pick our hairstyle!

1. Retro in a rush

I’ve been wearing my hair a lot like this lately. I call it my “Ode to Mad Men,” and it’s kind of a rushed take on an old-school beehive.

I start by parting my bangs to the side, but if you don’t have bangs, just take about a two-inch chunk of hair in that same area, and part it to the side. Then, to get the look of long side-swept bangs, secure the chunk in place with bobby pins, like the Styling Essentials Bobby Pins by Conair ($1.39).

Next, I put my hair into a low ponytail secured with an elastic ponytail holder in a color that matches my mane. I like Goody Ouchless Gentle Hair Elastics, 1) because a pack of 27 costs just $3.99, and 2) they don’t break my strands when I pull them out.

To build some height at my crown, I grab a pencil (here, I’m actually using an eyeliner), stick it into the roots up there, and then gently pull up to loosen the style and create some height.

I don’t usually worry about it looking too neat, because with this style, I kind of like how it looks a little undone.

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I really enjoy playing with my hair color — not that I consider myself very adventurous with it (well, maybe a little now that I’ve ventured into pink territory). Most of the time, I bounce back and forth around different shades of brown, black and caramel.

Those are colors I think I pull off fairly well.

Dark brownish black base with dark brown highlights, May 2010

I’ve enjoyed the pink streaks I started experimenting with earlier this year, but they take some time and effort to maintain (and, truth be told, I’d rather spend that time watching TV), so I’m leaning against doing them again…

Pink streaks, January 2012

Really bright colors give me pause, like blonde, purple, green or blue. I just can’t see myself pulling off those shades, but ya never know. Maybe someday.

How about you? What are some hair colors you think you can or can’t pull off?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

From humble beginnings, actress Viola Davis, the second of six children, worked her way up through abject poverty and dozens of bit parts in movies and TV, some of them uncredited (like “unnamed CIA Chairwoman” in Syriana), to become one of Hollywood’s most distinguished and sought after actresses. Born August 11, 1965 on her grandmother’s farm in St. Matthews, South Carolina, Viola is now getting some very good roles.

Her mother, Mae Alice, was a maid, factory worker and homemaker, and her father was a horse trainer. When Viola was just two months old, the family moved to Central Falls, Rhode Island, where her love of acting began.

Probably best known for her portrayal of Aibileen Clark, a maid and nanny in Civil Rights era America during the early 1960s, in last year’s The Help, a role for which she has been nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award, and also for her performance as Mrs. Muller in 2008′s Doubt, Viola says she was a freshman in high school when she first saw acting as her way out of poverty.

A representative from The Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre in New York had visited her school, and when he asked how many of the students wanted to become actors, Viola and every one of her classmates raised their hand. Then, as the man explained how difficult the life of an actor could be, and the hardships that struggling actors often face, half of the hands went down, then more of them, until Viola’s was the only hand still raised.

“When you haven’t had enough to eat,” she says of that moment, “when your electricity and heat is cut off, you’re not afraid anymore when someone tells you life is going to be hard. The fear factor was minimized for me. My dreams were bigger than the fear.”

Lucky for us, she found her niche.

I love the idea of dreaming bigger than the fear. I think I’ll have to add that into my rotation of daily mantras.

Good luck at the Oscars, V!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sometimes, like when you’re Adele Laurie Adkins of Tottenham, North London, 19 plus 21 equals eight.

Eight — for the number of Grammy awards the 23-year-old contralto has already won. Two for her debut album, 19, named for her age at the time she started recording it, and six more for her second album, 21.

Born May 5, 1988, Adele has been on fire this winter, despite stormy weather late last year. A scary vocal cord hemorrhage that led to surgery forced her to take more than three months off to recover, but her performance during the Grammy Awards last weekend showed the world that she and her soulful, world-weary yet life-affirming voice are back.

Just two weeks ago, her single, Set Fire to the Rain (one of my favorite running songs!), became the third number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 from her album, 21, making her the first artist in history to have an album hold the number one spot on the Billboard 200 concurrently with three separate singles at number one.

It’s amazing to me that someone so young can sing country-flavored music and bluesy tunes with so much soul. Even more amazing when you consider that she didn’t grow up listening to country music at all.

She was introduced to contemporary Nashville music in 2008 by her bus driver while on tour in the South. “It was really exciting for me because I never grew up around [that music],” she says.

Adele counts artists from many genres, including country, among her musical influences, also citing the Spice Girls, Pink, Aaliyah, Destiny’s Child and Mary J. Blige.

About a live performance by Pink at Brixton Academy some years back, Adele says it was one of the most defining moments in her life. “It was the Missundaztood record,” she says, “so I was about 13 or 14. I had never heard, being in the room, someone sing like that live [...] I remember sort of feeling like I was in a wind tunnel, her voice just hitting me. It was incredible.”

I’m really looking forward to her next album. 24, perhaps?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen