Mary-Kate and Ashey Olsen are auctioning off an autographed copy of their book, Influence, for charity. The auction is part of The Screen Actor’s Guild Foundation’s efforts to raise money for their literacy programs, including BookPALS, We the Children and Storyline Online.

Other celebrity-penned autographed swag includes
Michael J. Fox’s Always Looking Up, Heidi Klum’s Body of Knowledge, Jenny McCarthy’s Healing and Preventing Autism, Lauren Conrad’s LA Candy, Tori Spelling’s Mommywood, and tons more.
The auctions close on July 28th at 5pm PST. The current high bid for Mary-Kate and Ashley’s book is $100. If you want to take part, place your …read more

This week’s episode of Ugly Betty did something pretty awesome – it referenced Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s fashion book Influence.
Influence came out in October 2008 and featured MK and Ashley interviewing several people who inspired their fashion choices, design aesthetic and overall style. It was a great book that not only provided insight into the mature young women Mary-Kate and Ashley have become, but was also an intimate and sophisticated set of interviews that showed a different side of fashion icons like Karl Lagerfeld, Lauren Hutton, Christian Louboutin and more.
This week’s episode of Ugly Betty is called “The Sex …read more

Mary-Kate wasn’t the only Olsen who had a great year, Ashley Olsen’s 2008 turned out pretty well too! Ashley’s year was a bit more subdued and behind-the-scenes as she turned her professional focus to Dualstar, the Row, Elizabeth & James and the expansion of each respective line. If anything, 2008 was the year Ashley emerged as a smart, savvy, dedicated and hard-working businesswoman.
var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(420,506,463201,”http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css”)}catch(ex){}}()

Here’s Ashley’s best moments of 2008. Do you agree? Disagree? Did I miss one? Let me know in the comments!
5) Her relationship with Justin Bartha
2008 has been a good year for Mary-Kate and Ashley …read more

The Boston Globe ran a short interview with Ashley Olsen yesterday. They chatted about her first fashion week (she was seventeen), a Full House reunion (don’t bet on it!), her fashion lines and new book, Influence.
var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(420,548,462080,”http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css”)}catch(ex){}}()

I love this quote about how being an “Olsen twin” has affected her career, both positively and negatively. She seems to have such a mature and refreshing perspective on fame and how celebrity functions.

It opened a lot of doors in the beginning, because people are curious, so that helped. But automatically people will write what they want to write. It was …read more

Mary-Kate Olsen had a breakout year in 2008, elevating her status as both an actress and a fashion designer. Here’s a look back at her top five moments of the past year.
var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(420,561,462066,”http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css”)}catch(ex){}}()

Do you agree? Disagree? What Mary-Kate moments should-and shouldn’t?-be on the list? Let me know in the comments!
5) Gracing the cover of Elle
Mary-Kate looked confident and beautiful on the cover of Elle. She was on the cover of the US version in July and the UK version in September. While Elle consistently places hot celebrities on their covers, choosing Mary-Kate showed the world the …read more

FabSugar is giving away EIGHT autographed copies of Influence at their website. To enter, you need an account (it’s free!) and take a six-question quiz about the girls and their new book. Once you take the quiz, your name will be entered in a draw to win!

Image credit: amazon

The contest closes at midnight December 7. You are only allowed to enter once, regardless of how many times you take the quiz. The contest is only open to US residents.
Ready? Enter here! Good luck!

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were in Los Angeles yesterday to sign copies of their book Influence. The event was very much like the one in New York-no phones, photographs or autographs on non-Influence items and PETA was outside, protesting the event. It went smoothly and there were tons of fans on hand to get their books signed!

EDIT: Tons of photos have been added below the jump!!!
var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(420,630,261632,”http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css”)}catch(ex){}}()

MK and Ashley both looked gorgeous, MK going with a camel-colored dress and bright red belt. Ashley opted for separates, a leather mini and grey top.
Did anyone go? I’d love to …read more

Congratulations to Alana, who was the winner of the copy of Influence we gave away! Her name was drawn randomly from everyone who entered, using a random generator!

Image via Amazon

Thanks to everyone who participated! It was a lot of fun reading about all your fashion influences and the contest was a great success! I’ll be hosting another great Mary-Kate and Ashley contest soon, so be sure to stay tuned!

The photo shoot Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen did for their book Influence is amazing! The photos are very editorial and really strong–it’s one of the best shoots the girls have done in a while.
Here’s a slideshow of the shoot:

Which photos are your favorites? I love MK in the Galliano dress and the different beauty shots they did for the cover.

Mary-Kate Olsen shared the late night circuit with Ashley, making an appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien last night. MK looked gorgeous, but I wished she sat up straight. Conan and MK made fun of her “boho chic” look, chatted about her fashion choices and the recent Influence book launch. MK also plays stylist to Conan and it’s really funny.
I find MK is a lot better at the late night bit than Ashley. She seemed a lot more comfortable on Conan than Ashley did on Letterman.

This is the second time MK has been on Conan. She visited …read more