Perhaps it is ironic (as a blogger) that we can't rate last week's H&H, but we just don't feel comfortable doing it without seeing it in person. Since we were away last week, we have been reduced to catching up online, and the experience is just not the same.

That said, we get a rather lukewarm feeling from the top stories, especially Hilary Swank and Chad Lowe: Oscar's Retreat, which is a perfect example of the frustrating and compromising role the interior designer gets to play when practicing his or her profession. The designer, Mark Zeff, is good.

Slideshow

But hey H&H! Stay away from the stars! We need you to remain somewhat in touch with reality and not become celeb addled like the rest of the media.

Even more disturbing - from a design perspective - are Hilary Swank's parting words, ""We may be filming somewhere and fall in love with the place and want to move," Ms. Swank said. "I love living here, but I'm not so connected to the house that I can't live without it." After nearly 2 years of work..."not so connected." Ouch. Stay away from stars.

Other Top Stories

• Trailer Trash? Not a Scent of It: Trailer parks are the new hot locations
  
  
  
  
• Heave-Ho, Silver!: Rick Marin brings his obsession to color coated fixtures - not stainless. He is on to something here. Color like this IS in our future.

• Goodbye to All That: Barbara Jakobson is selling a good deal of her collection at Christie's on May 12 - Slideshow
  

• Personal Shopper: Spring cleaning tools - most too big for us, but, boy, how we ogle the new Dyson vacuum...

  Currents

  

• the Central Office of Architecture, a Los Angeles firm (www.coalabs.com)
  
  
  
  
• Enameled copper mobiles by Kate Niemela
  
  
  
  
• A four-building Marc Jacobs complex has colonized the intersection of Melrose Place and Melrose Avenue
  
  
  
  
• William Stranger forged the Monolith bench out of a California walnut tree
  
  
  
  
• Orange22, a downtown studio with a new showroom
  
  
  
  
• Lilith Rockett is an owner and one of 11 ceramists whose work is at Flux