Scene in the Tropics

Pamela Anderson will pose for pix at Make-A-Wish-Ball on one condition

Pamela Anderson has agreed to emcee the live auction at the 15th Annual InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball on Saturday, November 7, but she has one little request for photographers who want to snap her on the red carpet: they must use ring lights or else no pix, no access. You can't blame the girl, really. The picture on top, we believe, was taken with a ring light, whereas the one below was not. According to eHow.com, "Shadows on faces, when photographed, can make facial features look large and distorted . . .Ringlights offer diffused lighting that eliminates unwanted shadows." Hey, it's a lot less of a request than asking people to not wear or eat animal products. For more information on the Make-A-Wish ball, go to www.makeawishball.com.

The pinup vs. plastic surgeon not cut out for California court

So the case of the Miami plastic surgeon versus the Playboy pinup has been dismissed--for now. The California court came to the conclusion that the state has no jurisdiction over Dr. Leonard Hochstein, so the motion to quash it was granted, the 500k plus default judgment originally awarded to former Miss Norway Monica Hansen was reversed and the case was thrown out of court. But it's still not over yet. Expect Dr. Hochstein to sue Hansen in Florida for damages to  his practice and reputation as well as for personal unrest, court and legal fees. Hansen, who is based in Los Angeles, was just spotted in Chicago, where she is, uh, working, and, according to a members only adult website, is available only by "special request." Unfortunately for Hansen, there's also now a special request for her to appear in a Miami courtroom very soon---pro bono, of course.
 

Miami folk may not be the smartest but they sure are pretty

 
Finally! Miami ranks high in a poll and it has nothing to do with joblessness, foreclosures, bad drivers, or general doomsday. According to Travel + Leisure’s 2009 America’s Favorite Cities survey, America’s most attractive people are in Miami, Cleveland is the best place for an affordable getaway, Minneapolis/St. Paul ranks No. 1 for intelligent people, and Houston is home to the best airports. Miami also was ranked No. 2 for being stylish and No. 5 for being diverse--New York was number one for those two categories. For those literal naysayers who insist Miami folk are shallow, superficial and soulless, get over it (though the poll did show a decline in Miami's friendliness and intelligence, which they listed as our worst feature). They mean most attractive on the outside. 

A nip, a tuck and a lift: Miami surgeon 1, pinup 0

 

Good news for Miami plastic surgeon Dr. Lenny Hochstein. The $564,555 default judgement awarded to former patient and centerfold Monica Hansen in July for unlawful usage of her image on his website, was lifted in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday. But it's not over yet: Hochstein's team filed a motion for the case to be moved to Florida because that's where Hochstein practices and that's where he performed all those tweaks on Hansen, who also used to live in Miami. Team Hochstein expects for the motion to be granted and in the meantime, according to a statement, "Dr. Hochstein is pleased with the outcome of today's hearing. He believes now that he will be able to defend himself and tell his side of the story. The truth about Monica Hansen will come out that she is a person whose morals are questionable at best and also a liar."  Morals, it seems, were the only things the plastic surgeon wasn't able to enhance.

Tit for tat: Miami plastic surgeon vs. the Playboy pinup

Miami plastic surgeon Lenny Hochstein can't seem to slice off this pesky lawsuit brought on by former patient, alleged escort, ex Miss Norway, Playboy model and Maxim Woman of the Year 2006, Monica Hansen, who sued the doc for using pictures of her on his practice's website allegedly without permission. The doctor and the centerfold also briefly dated and subsequently became friends until doc got engaged and suddenly the saline hit the fan. Back in July, Hansen, who lives in LA, won a default judgement for $564,555 calling Hochstein's use of pics an ethical infringement on her rights. Hochstein denied the charge. "The bottom line is I had permission to use her images," he said. Not only did he have permission, he says, but he also admits to performing several surgeries on her over the course of several years at little or not cost as part of an agreement they had for him to use her images on her website. To bolster that, the doctor's team obtained an email from Hansen to her former employer, Hollywood madam Michelle Braun, whose own issues had her on the receiving end of a sweet plea deal with the Feds, in which Hansen admitted to giving Hochstein permission to use the photos, saying "[sic] Yes honey I did let Lenny use the pictures I am so sorry for the trouble. Just  become an issue with my agency is all but I am not going to sue."  But she did sue and although the doctor complied and removed the photos, two years later it's still not settled. On August 3, photographer Keith Lander filed his own suit for copyright infringement. Good news is, the default judgement hearing is set for September 30 in Los Angeles and Hochstein's team tells us they hope it's lifted and allowed to be tried on its merits. The case will most likely be moved from California to Florida where Hochstein lives, works and performed all of Hansen's procedures. Hochstein isn't worried and tells us that although the situation caused him personal and professional hardships, he has faith in the legal system and believes justice will be served in the end. We asked Hansen, pictured above in before and after photos, for a comment and she directed us to her lawyer who has not returned our call.

Hips Don't Lie, But Facials Fib

Seems that all the celebs are booking their holiday appointments at the MIAMI Institute at the Four Seasons--from which some of Miami's biggest and priciest pieces of work and art have emerged---including hip shaker Shakira, who was in there today getting a hyper luxe oxygen facial. When Shaky isn't able to get into the MI, she, as well as others like Britney Spears stock up on Dr. Gallo's MIx skin care line for home maintenance.