Exclusive: Ridley Scott on Adapting Monopoly

While talking to Ridley Scott about his new action-adventure Robin Hood, starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett, the director told ComingSoon.net more about bringing the board game Monopoly to the big screen.

We asked Scott if the game would be referenced in the movie at all other than the title. "Yes, absolutely," he said. "It's a Hasbro film and they have the game. That was a tough thing to crack in terms of the screenplay because first off, many would want to integrate literally the shaking of the dice and the throwing of the dice into the board. I couldn't really get past that. I wanted to just make a movie about the idea of greed. I told them you know your game can turn your sweetest, dearest aunt into a demon - a nightmare of greed. So that's what we're going to do."

We also asked, given the current economic situation, whether the project will have a tougher look at the real estate market. "Completely. It's a blood bath. It was really bad behavior. It's [going to be] a comedy," Scott added.

The film is set up at Universal Pictures with a script by Pamela Pettler. A start date has not been announced.

Producer/author Frank Beddor previously revealed that the story he pitched for the movie featured a "comedic, lovable loser who lives in Manhattan and works at a real estate company and he's not very good at his job but he's great at playing Monopoly. And the world record for playing is 70 straight days – over 1,600 hours – and he wanted to try to convince his friends to help him break that world record. They think he is crazy. They kid him about this girl and they're playing the game and there's this big fight. And he's holding a Chance card and after they've left he says, 'Damn, I wanted to use that Chance card,' and he throws it down. He falls asleep and then he wakes up in the morning and he's holding the Chance card, and he thinks, 'That's odd.'

"He's all groggy and he goes down to buy some coffee and he reaches into his pocket and all he has is Monopoly money. All this Monopoly money pours out. He's confused and embarrassed and the girl reaches across the counter and says, 'That's OK.' And she gives him change in Monopoly money. He walks outside and he's in this very vibrant place, Monopoly City, and he's just come out of a Chance Shop. As it goes on, he takes on the evil Parker Brothers in the game of Monolopy."

Blog Reader's Experience with Juvederm Ultra

One of our faithful blog readers, Rosina from Middle Ageless, has posted a photo essay on her recent experience with Juvederm Ultra injections into her cheeks and nasolabial folds (groove extending from the side of the nose to the corner of the mouth). You can see her nice improvement here. She has a fairly typical result from a conservative amount of filler injected. I wonder how many vials were used? Most people with fairly prominent nasolabial folds need at least 2 vials to get optimal results.

If you haven't checked out her Middle Ageless blog, make sure to visit. It has a great combination of beauty, plastic surgery, and fashion secrets. You can check it out here.

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

National Television Show Looking For Plastic Surgery Enthusiasts Age 18-28

A national television program has asked me to help them locate anyone age 18-28 who is obsessed with plastic surgery and has multiple procedures at this young age. They produce a docu-style program which explores the double-life that some people lead. According to the producers:

We will treat your story with the utmost sensitivity, compassion, dignity and respect... We want to explore how you cope and how you untangle the web of your double life. With the help of a qualified, highly-credentialed, on-camera therapist, our hope is for you to jump start a dialogue about the issues you confront on a daily basis. Family members or friends may take part in your transformation.

If you are interested in sharing your story and you fit the above description, email me at miplasticsurgeon@yahoo.com and I will forward your info along to the producers.

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Demi Moore Comes Clean About Plastic Surgery... Kind Of

In an interview with Elle Magazine, Demi Moore has finally confirmed the rumors that she's had plastic surgery. The 47 year old actress stated that she had work done, but only to her body. She also admitted to body image issues, and would not rule out more plastic surgery in the future. According to nydailynews.com:

"I've had something done but it's not my face," says the mother of three... However, Moore did reveal that she wouldn't be opposed to having plastic surgery in the future.
"You know what? Maybe one day I'll go under the knife," she admits. "It just irritates me that people are constantly saying how much I've spent on plastic surgery."

"I had an extreme obsession with my body," she says. "I made it a measure of my own value. I tried to dominate it, which I did, and I changed it multiple times over."

It's nice to hear her finally revealing that her body is not 100% plastic surgery-free. I never believed the audacious rumors that she'd had $3 million worth of plastic surgery, nor did I believe her frequent denials of going under the knife. I wish that the reporter from Elle would have asked her why she felt it necessary to deny having plastic surgery for all those years. Good for you to finally embrace it, Demi! Now admit to having work done on your face and we'll all be happy!

For my previous posts on Demi Moore and her plastic surgery denials, click here.
Photo credit: prphotos.com

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Heidi Montag Had Her Back Scooped?

I've been asked by several media outlets what Heidi Montag meant by having her 'back scooped.' While the media outlets are swirling around what type of unusual new plastic surgery this might be, I have a pretty disappointing but accurate definition: liposuction of the back of her hips.

This area, also known as the love handle, can be very effectively liposuctioned, creating a 'scoop' or concave effect. It's one of my favorite areas to liposuction since it can create such a nice contour that most women (and men) really like. Plus, the risk of unevenness in this area is pretty low, especially compared to the abdomen, which can get lumpy very quickly (just ask Tara Reid).

Yes, I scoop backs all the time. Sorry, Heidi, you're not special in this regard.

For a great MSNBC article on "back scooping", click here.

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

FDA Warns Spas Against Fat-Melting Claims of Lipodissolve

Is Lipodissolve or mesotherapy safe? The FDA has recently issued a warning to six medical spas for making false or misleading statements that their fat melting injections are safe and effective, despite the fact that they've never been appropriately studied or approved by the FDA for this purpose. According to the US News and World Report:

Lipodissolve involves injecting small amounts of soy lecithin and bile salt directly into problem areas on the hips, waist, thighs, and buttocks, which supposedly melts away fat. The injections became wildly popular three years ago with spas opening up around the country and with doctors in every specialty—from pediatricians to dermatologists —taking weekend seminars to learn the procedure before opening fat-dissolving clinics.

Fat melting injections became popular a few years ago, but have since lost a lot of their hype. To date, no wide-scale scientific study has validated its safety or effectiveness, although some smaller case studies have shown some effectiveness with the injection of certain drugs to melt fat. The problem is that the majority of physicians who perform these fat-melting injections have the drugs made in a compounding pharmacy to whatever concoction they believe might work. There is no standardization, like in most other medications we take. In my area (metro Detroit) I don't know of a single reputable plastic surgeon who performs these treatments. Most of the doctors who perform these treatments are what I consider 'fringe' practitioners. I have seen patients who have lost fat from mesotherapy, however, so I do believe there is some validity to these treatments. They just need to be standardized and studied to make sure they are safe, effective, and at least somewhat predictable.

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Heidi Montag Can't Jog?

In a recent interview with Ryan Seacrest, Heidi Montag has admitted that she can't jog due to the size of her breasts, since they are now an "E" or "F" size. She also revealed that her surgery was recorded for possible airing on a future reality show.

To Heidi: So, you can't jog?

Duh! Your implants are huge! Most insurances require 500 grams for a breast reduction to improve back and neck pain. Your implants are 700 cc, almost the biggest size they make. Of course you can't jog!

Why do we still care about her?

Photo credit: huffingtonpost.com

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

A Plastic Surgeon on Michael Jackson, Dr. Conrad Murray, and Regulatory Reform

There is a very interesting article in the Huffington Post written by a board-certified plastic surgeon who shared a surgical suite with the late Michael Jackson's plastic surgeon. In it, he explains his thoughts on why Michael may have died (which appear to be refuted by the autopsy findings) and the responsibility that physicians and the lack of true health care reform share in contributing to his unfortunate death. While you may or may not agree with some of his opinions, it's definitely an interesting read. You can check it out here.

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Raquel Welch - No Plastic Surgery?

Raquel Welch was recently on the Oprah show making some pretty amazing claims. She denied going under the plastic surgeon's knife and instead attributed her youthful appearance to Yoga, a perfect diet, and three hours of makeup in the morning.

What do you think? I think she's a liar.

My opinion:
Her forehead hardly moves, likely frozen by a good amount of Botox or Dysport. Her brows are nicely elevated, possibly from a browlift. She shows none of the excess skin and puffiness of a 69 year old woman. I believe she's also undergone an upper and lower blepharoplasty. Her cheeks and lips are full, likely from a filler like fat grafting. Her neckline is way too sharp for a person her age who hasn't had a facelift. Finally, her nose looks overly chiseled, likely from at least one reduction rhinoplasty. If her looks are solely due to Yoga, diet, and makeup, then I'm one of Tiger Woods' mistresses.

Photo / story credit: twominutenews.com

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Thank you and The End - APRIL FOOLS

I've been writing this blog for nearly four years now, and have had a blast doing it. I truly appreciate the thousands and thousands of readers who have left comments and regularly read my ramblings. Unfortunately, I've been threatened with a lawsuit from Carrot Top who took offense at my opinion on his appearance. For that reason (and others) I've decided to end my blog.

Starting today.

April 1st.

Gotcha :) (Yes, this was an April Fools Joke. You didn't think you'd get rid of me this easily, did you?)

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.: