According to Narrative contributer and writer Rick Bass:

"The old ways, though well-intentioned, just aren't working anymore and haven't been working for about 20 years," says Bass. "It's just that books are on their own more than ever, these days. And that's fine, if one prefers to run into a headwind. But sometimes literary works benefit from any slight gust of tailwind, and when you believe in the American literary tradition as deeply as Tom and Carol do, you want to explore ways of empowering and carrying that tradition forward."

2 editors' online journal gives new life to literature [SF Chronicle]

The TV host and former E! personality welcomed a baby boy Wednesday--her second child with fiance David Charvet. The tyke weighed...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 6 Mar 2008 | 10:17 pm

Angelo Mozilo Earned That Money, and No Commie Quack Is Going to Take It Away From Him

As you may know, Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo, recently deposed Merrill Lynch CEO Stan O'Neal, and recently deposed Citigroup CEO Chuck Prince are scheduled to testify in front of the House and Government Reform Committee tomorrow, having been called by Representative Henry Waxman of California to defend the gigantic paychecks they received precisely as their companies were hemorrhaging billions of dollars in subprime investments. Muckraked got hold of a memo Waxman wrote summarizing the issue for his colleagues, and it is kind of awesome. "During the five-year period from January 2002 through December 2006, the stock of Countrywide, Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup appreciated, and the three CEOs collectively received more than $460 million in compensation," he wrote. Then, "Any alignment between the compensation of the CEOs and their shareholders' interests appears to break down in 2007, however." But the best part is an e-mail from October 2006, wherein Mozilo smacks down shareholders who suggest his $120 million compensation might be a little much. Quoth the e-mail:

I appreciate your input but at this stage in my life at Countrywide this process is no longer about money but more about respect and acknowledgement of my accomplishments.… Boards have been placed under enormous pressure by the left wing business press and the envious leaders of unions and other so called 'CEO Comp Watchers' and therefore Boards are being forced to protect themselves irrespective of the potential negative long term impact on public companies. I strongly believe that a decade from now there will be a recognition that entrepreneurship has been driven out of the public sector resulting in underperforming companies and a willingness on the part of Boards to pay for performance.

That's right, Angelo. You've got to fight those liberal bastards or else they'll take away everything that is right and good in the world. Now go tell it on the mountain, friend.

[Muckraked via Salon]

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 6 Mar 2008 | 10:15 pm

Andrew W.K. and John McLaughlin Are the Burt Bacharach and Hal David of ‘McLaughlin Group’–Inspired Party Anthems

On most days, Vulture's Right-Click features five downloadable songs culled from the Internet's vast universe of music blogs. Today, though, there's really only one MP3 that any reasonable person need be concerned with — this one (in keeping with the spirit of Right-Click, we urge you to download it five times). For no reason that we can tell, pit-stained party animal Andrew W.K. has written a song with lyrics taken directly from the transcript of a recent episode of The McLaughlin Group. The Website for Public Radio International's "Fair Game" has it, and it's pretty terrific.

The McLaughlin Groove [Fair Game]

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 6 Mar 2008 | 10:06 pm

How to Beat City Pollution and Get Glowing Skin

SKIN
• Iridescent hues are in for spring. M.A.C's Strobe collection, a limited-edition line of skin creams and lip smoothers, hits counters today. [Spoiled Pretty]
• City pollution ruining your skin? These products, including cleanser, moisturizer, face peel, lip facial, and a five-day kit, will gussy your pores up nicely. [She Finds]
• For an on-the-go retoucher, Maybelline’s Age Rewind Double Face Perfector is an inexpensive route to fast touch-ups at just $8.50. [Daily Obsession]

FRAGRANCE
• Costume National returns to fragrance with Costume National 21, its first scent since 2004, to celebrate its 21st anniversary. [Cosmetic News]

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 6 Mar 2008 | 9:30 pm

Moynihan Station: All That Doubtful Press Actually a Good Sign

Negotiation via blind items drives epochal real-estate projects, as well as ballplayers' contract haggling, and we've uncovered reasons to view recent stories about the Moynihan Station struggles as part of an encouraging trend on the project. For one thing, Governor Spitzer has personally entered negotiations. Spokesman Errol Cockfield confirms that last week Spitz convened his first face-to-face meetings with the Dolans (who own Madison Square Garden) and the developers who own air rights to the intended Moynihan site. One player intimate with the negotiations described this as “shuttle diplomacy,” and apparently it's had an effect.

“I'm seeing real positive movement — all the players want to make this work," said Bob Yaro, who carries the civic-consensus banner as head of the Regional Plan Association. According to our source on the inside, parties are stalking a grand bargain in which the Feds would drum up $500 to $550 billion, in part via tax credits that the House Ways and Means chairman Charles Rangel would snag, and the city and state and Garden and developers would match that sum. However the players come to terms, it's clear that Spitzer has tied Moynihan's success to his own credibility. “It's among his chief economic-development priorities,” said Cockfield. So the daily screeds about public-private futility, say insiders, constitute a “natural part” of negotiations as private players squeeze the governor to steamroll into the discussions. Now that he has, everyone agrees, the developers gain much more by being patient than they would from pulling the plug. So if the Yankees and Mets are a little dull this summer, we should get lots of Moynihan leaks to keep us alert. —Alec Appelbaum

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 6 Mar 2008 | 9:30 pm

Girls Guy Going Nowhere

On the bright side, Joe Francis will have plenty of time to brainstorm ideas for his new "Girls Gone Wild" magazine. Once again, a judge in Reno, Nevada, has shot down a request from...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 6 Mar 2008 | 9:19 pm

Director David Gordon Green on ‘Snow Angels,’ Amy Sedaris, and Finally Getting His Judd Apatow Moment

“It’s gonna be a good year,” David Gordon Green says, and while he may well be right, it’s also going to be a very strange year. Previously known for his particular, haunting films about young people set in low-income, small-town environments — especially 2000’s George Washington and 2003’s All the Real Girls — the 32-year-old director is now branching out in some unique ways. First comes his expansive adaptation of Stewart O’Nan’s dark novel Snow Angels, about a small town ripped apart by family tragedies. Then, later this summer, comes his Judd Apatow–produced action comedy Pineapple Express, about stoners on the run from the mob. Vulture spoke to Green about adapting someone else’s work and making odd casting choices.

Your work has usually been pretty sui generis. How did you end up adapting someone else’s novel?
My friend Jesse Peretz [director of The Chateau] had optioned this book. I was looking to take a break and do some writing. He asked me to read it and consider doing the job for him. I’d never adapted anything before, so I just wrote it as I was reading it. I called up and told Jesse I liked the book and had adapted it for him. He liked it, and I did a couple of more versions for him. Then he went off to do another movie. Some time later, the producers asked me if I wanted to direct it.

So: Amy Sedaris as Barb, the waitress. Explain.
I just had a big crush on her and wanted to get her in the sack. [Laughs] We’d auditioned a lot of women for the role, and they were coming in acting like they were Flo from Alice, that whole “Kiss my grits” thing. Maybe that’s how I’d written it on the page, so I can see how it might be interpreted as such. But it wasn’t right. Finally, my casting director said, “You know what? You’re not finding who you like, and you don’t know what you want.” That’s one of those interesting points you get to as a director every now and then. They said, “Let’s open it up, and let’s not be so specific about who we’re calling in. Let’s just call in people like Amy Sedaris.” And suddenly I thought, Why don’t we just give it to Amy Sedaris? That’s exactly who should play the part.

That ties in to something else that I’ve heard you say, which is that you wanted actors who could do comedy in these roles, despite the story being so bleak.
Absolutely. I thought it was essential. In a book, you’re reading it, you’re alone, sitting on a couch, or reading in bed, or out in the backyard. The movie is a cinematic shared experience. In order to attach to the shared humanity of these roles, you needed human beings that were well rounded in the parts. Otherwise, if it’s just bleak and depressing, people can just turn on a soap opera. For me, it came from the fact that movies are a communal experience. And casting actors who could do comedy also freed me from having to write jokes or something.

Stewart O’Nan said that he’s impressed with how much Olivia Thirlby’s character, Lila, changed from the novel, with how much more lively and hopeful she is in the film.
That was a role I didn’t even audition anyone ever for. And Olivia had never acted before.

How’d you find her?
My producer, Paul Miller, met her at a party, and told me I should hang out with her. So we went and got a tuna sandwich one day. She was pretty extraordinary. She had a sense of self-awareness without being self-conscious, which is a very specific, wonderful attribute. I didn’t audition Michael Angarano, either. I just met him in an elevator one day, and I knew I wanted him for this role.

Speaking of raw acting talents, do you still keep in touch with the kids from George Washington?
I do. One of them is here in the hotel right now. I flew him out last night for a screening of George Washington. I lost track of one of them – Donald Holden, who plays George — but Damien, who plays Vernon, the big kid, is here right now. He’s 22. Curtis Cotton, the kid who plays Buddy, is now getting a degree in music theory in Greensboro, North Carolina. We got deferred money on the film, and it paid for a year of their college. I’m really happy about that.

Finally, Pineapple Express. How the heck did you get involved in that?
Basically, after Snow Angels, I just wanted to do something fun and loose and light, with some action in it. We’ve got a body count, though. Like 400 or something. But I needed some popcorn. It’s kind of like after Oscar season, when everybody just wants to see something like Wild Hogs. It was a blast. I can’t wait to do it again. —Bilge Ebiri

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 6 Mar 2008 | 9:15 pm

LeBron James and Gisele Bündchen Pose for ‘Vogue’ Cover, Make History

Basketball player LeBron James and supermodel Gisele Bündchen will mug for the cover of Vogue's shape issue, according to the New York Post. This would break all the rules of a Vogue cover. Seldom does editrix Anna Wintour put on her cover: (a) more than one model, (b) a man, (c) a person of color. We looked back at ten years of Vogue covers and compiled a list and images of these three rare instances after the jump. We also discovered Gisele was the last lady to appear with a man (George Clooney) on the cover, proving life is just not fair.
MULTI-MODEL COVERS:
Issue: "The World's Next Top Models" (top left)
Date: May 2007.
Models: Chanel Iman, Lily Donaldson, Hilary Rhoda, Coco Rocha, Agyness Deyn, Doutzen Kroes, Sasha Pivovarova, Jessica Stam, Caroline Trentini, and Raquel Zimmerman.

Issue: "Fall Fashion Spectacular" (bottom right)
Date: September 2004.
Cover models: Daria Werbowy, Natalia Vodianova, and Gisele Bündchen.
Models on fold-out flap: Isabeli Fontana, Karolina Kurkova, Liya Kebede, Hana Soukupova, Gemma Ward, and Karen Elson.

Issue: "The Age Issue" (bottom center)
Date: August 2004.
Cover models: Priscilla, Lisa Marie, and Riley Presley.

Issue: "The New City Chic" (bottom left)
Date: November 2000.
Cover models: Carmen Kass, Angela Lindvall, Maggie Rizer, and Frankie Rayder.

Issue: "A Century of Vogue Fashion" (top right)
Date: November 1999.
Cover models: Kate Moss, Gisele Bündchen, Lauren Hutton, and Iman.
Models on fold-out flap: Naomi Campbell, Stephanie Seymour, Amber Valletta, Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer, Lisa Taylor, Paulina Porizkova, Carolyn Murphy, and Patti Hansen.

COVERS WITH MEN:
Issue: "Fashion's Summer Sparkle"
Date: June 2000.
Cover models: George Clooney and Gisele Bündchen. COVERS WITH MODELS OF COLOR:
Issue: "The Power Issue" (top left)
Cover model: Jennifer Hudson.
Date: March 2007.

Issue: "Reality Chic Fashion" (top center)
Date: May 2005.
Cover model: Liya Kebede.

Issue: "Gifted: 175 Perfect Presents" (top right)
Date: December 2002.
Cover model: Halle Berry.

Issue: "Strong and Sexy Spring" (bottom left)
Date: January 2001.
Cover model: Marion Jones.

Issue: "Oprah!" (bottom center)
Date: October 1998.
Cover model: Oprah.

Issue: "The Best and Worst Looks of '97" (bottom right)
Date: January 1998.
Cover models: Melanie Brown with fellow Spice Girls Victoria Beckham, Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, and Melanie Chisholm.

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 6 Mar 2008 | 9:02 pm

Super Smash Bros. Brawl: Hero-on-Hero Violence

Link and Mario have slayed dragons and stomped evil mushrooms in their own separate Wii adventures — but who would win in a street fight? The latest entry in the Super Smash Bros. series lets you and three friends pit characters from the Nintendo universe against each other, Mortal Kombat style, employing an impressive selection of (bloodless, sadly) punches and kicks. And after you’ve literally beaten all your friends, try the game’s all-new single-player adventure mode, or as the cliché has it, get schooled by 10-year-old kids from Wisconsin to Japan via the Wii’s built-in wi-fi.

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 6 Mar 2008 | 9:00 pm

Hilton Bro Rung Up

The Hiltons used to be the ones doing the charging. Nowadays, they seem to be more familiar with being charged themselves. The Los Angeles District Attorney has formally charged 18-year-old...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 6 Mar 2008 | 8:52 pm

Bjork performing

Icelandic singer Bjork, seen here performing in January 2008, was rapped by China's embassy in Reykjavik Thursday for apparently dedicating a song to the cause of Tibetan independence during a concert...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 6 Mar 2008 | 8:51 pm

Chris Cooper Does Not Regret Leaving Ranching Behind

While Married Life is Ira Sachs's first full-length feature film that doesn't take place in his hometown of Memphis, he says that he and fellow Southerner Patricia Clarkson bonded on the set. "She tells me I have very good manners," Sachs told us at a Cinema Society screening of the film yesterday. "And you know Chris Cooper is from Kansas City, so we're all from the river towns." "He's such a nice southern boy," Clarkson said about Sachs, turning to the director. "Ah! You have shoes!" she cried, pointing at his feet. To us, she explained, "Do you know Ira called me to tell me, he's such a gentleman, 'Patty, I might have tennis shoes on with my suit'? I was like, 'Ira, it's okay — you're the director!'" Sachs chimed in: "Then I realized I live on 8th Street, so I just went across the street and bought some shoes."

As for Chris Cooper, he says he's left his Missouri cattle-ranching days behind for good. "You know, when I was younger, it was a very physical job, and you were called on at any time of the day or night to tend to the cattle and help deliver and castrate and tattoo and wean and all that business," Cooper told us. "It was a great way of life, but now that I'm a little bit older, realizing how physical it is, I'm glad I stuck with the acting biz." —Bennett Marcus

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 6 Mar 2008 | 8:45 pm

Fans on edge as show heads toward end

Fans of HBO's "The Wire" were hoping to see the final episode on demand, the way they often have. But the network is holding the finale of what critics have called one of TV's best programs for its regular Sunday time slot. Not everyone's happy.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 6 Mar 2008 | 8:32 pm

Artist Mireille Vautier's Got a Brand-new Bag

Meticulous handiwork, unlikely medium — artist Mireille Vautier aestheticizes plastic bags as only American Beauty’s Ricky Fitts has done before her. Her embroidered works are up at Brooklyn’s Safe-T-Gallery through March 23. —Rachel Wolff

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 6 Mar 2008 | 8:30 pm

Paris' Guru Date: Kutcher's Paparazzi Ploy

Ashton Kutcher's new E! show turns the tables on the paparazzi and the media.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 6 Mar 2008 | 8:04 pm

Kyle McNally's ‘Mourning After’: Picture-in-Picture Finally Goes Legit

Kyle McNally’s Mourning After reminds us of the painfully earnest relationship dramas we wanted to make when we were in college, except that his is much, much better than ours would have been. Elegantly conceived, filmed, and acted, McNally’s lyrical and meditative film is equal parts melodrama and art installation, utilizing a frame divided into quadrants, each telling one part of a multifaceted story. But before you start chanting, “Mike Figgis got there first!” we should note that McNally’s portrait of a doomed relationship in miniature is far more touching and efficient than anything Figgis ever put onscreen. It’s all the more impressive, then, that McNally made this while a student at Yale University, for a fiction-film workshop. Also, no need to adjust the volume knob on your computer — we’re pretty sure it’s meant to sound that sparse. —Bilge Ebiri

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 6 Mar 2008 | 8:00 pm

Phat Tats No Longer Available in Quaint Cobble Hill

Cobble Hill: The very popular Brooklyn Tattoo Shop is leaving the hood. [Brooklyn Heights Blog]
Dumbo: Two generally accepted truths debunked in one article: New York has outpriced artists, and the members of the Walentas family are a bunch of scrooges. [NYT]
Fort Greene: Attention, 124 Dekalb Avenue: Spike Lee has left the building. [Brownstoner]

Prospect Lefferts Garden: Wow, check out this new glass tower here. It's going to have huge LED displays that change color — but we bet whatever tint they come up with, it won't, um, match. [Curbed]
Staten Island: A dude in Clifton whose 12-year-old flashed a girl was prescient enough to order her not to tell anyone. She, however, was prescient enough to only tell the cops. [Staten Island Advance]
Williamsburg: The new lights at the McCarren pool were left on all night and day, and may not be turned off for ten days. Oh, and also, they make the whole area (including inside people's apartments) as light as day. [Gowanus Lounge]

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 6 Mar 2008 | 8:00 pm

Paris Fashion Week Picks From Jen Mankins of Bird

Now that Paris Fashion Week is over, our buyers have had a chance to figure out what they want for fall. Jen Mankins, Bird owner, is already on the phone with Isabel Marant, Tsumori Chisato, and Vanessa Bruno.

Isabel Marant

This bohemian-cool collection has a cultlike following and is hands-down my best-selling brand. Slouchy trousers and pocket skirts are layered with military-inspired jackets and vests, all worn with perfectly scrunched suede tall boots. There was a strong Native American influence in the stunning embroidered tunics and fringed dresses. Plaids were important too, both in traditional black-and-red wool flannel and in slub-silk dresses and button-downs. I am already pining for the amazing fox-fur-lined jackets and coats!

View a slideshow of the Isabel Marant collection.

Tsumori Chisato

Hailing from Japan, Tsumori is one of the most innovative and creative designers showing in Paris —or anywhere for that matter. Mixing colors, dramatic proportions and wild prints is what she is known for, and this season was beautiful! A soft, pastel color palette of ecru, gray, and dusty lilac were mixed with shots of bright colors like royal blue, violet, and chartreuse. The shaggy, ombré-mohair overcoat with a dramatic gathered neckline was simply stunning, as was the show-ending floor-length floral-printed chiffon dress. The trouble with this collection is deciding what not to order!

Vanessa Bruno

This designer's season was a study in contrasts. Dark, moody blacks and grays were offset by striking looks in all-white and cream, while slinky silk dresses and trousers were paired with tailored wool jackets and coats. Fur was very important: It showed up in every look from fuzzy white skullcaps to a chubby cropped jacket and long vest in the most beautiful shade of dark green. Gorgeous, layered silk-printed dresses were inspired by butterflies and their patterned wings. One of my favorite looks was the black silk cocktail dress, whose exaggerated fringed hem can double as a built-in scarf.

View a slideshow of the Vanessa Bruno collection.

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 6 Mar 2008 | 7:45 pm

Video: Watching ‘Project Runway’ With the Finalists

While you were having your own Project Runway viewing party last night, Jada Yuan took a camera crew to Bravo’s. Jillian, Rami, and Christian talked about the onset of sudden fame, and Sweet P discussed the ins and outs of being a decoy at Bryant Park. Watch the video for more season-four secrets!

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 6 Mar 2008 | 7:28 pm

Our Undergrad Fiction Workshop Critiques the ‘Esquire’ Heath Ledger Story

The Times reports today that Esquire's "The Last Days of Heath Ledger," a piece of "reported fiction," came about when editor David Granger assigned "aspiring fiction writer" Lisa Taddeo to suss out what happened to the late actor in his final hours. Now that the final product is online, we thought we'd have some other aspiring fiction writers take a look and see if they can't offer Taddeo some constructive criticism. So we made fourteen photocopies, hopped in our time machine, and brought back the members of our 1995 undergraduate fiction workshop to take a look. After we explained who Heath Ledger was, they were happy to offer some critiques. Their advice? Show, don't tell!

Professor Betts: Now we have a short story by Ms. Taddeo, called "The Last Days of Heath Ledger." It's a fictionalized account of the death of a famous movie star.

Ginger: I didn't get it?

Professor Betts: What do you mean?

Ginger: Like, the whole thing? He dies, but he keeps talking? Can you do that? Also, I think in a lot of places she was telling, not showing.

Alex: Well, I thought the entire story was a work of genius. All she had to go on was her imagination and an afternoon spent sitting in the Miro Cafe, and she gave us a brilliant look inside the mind of a guy who can pick up any girl he wants but still resents his fans!

Us: You guys didn't think it was totally exploitative? Like, all that stuff about his daughter? Or the part where he can't get it up?

Alex: Oh, no. It's a new paradigm in fiction writing.

Tucker: And the dialogue! I thought it was really brave how she didn't use quotation marks.

That Guy Who Compares Everything to Cormac McCarthy: That was a total McCarthy homage.

Us: I liked the part where she described Jack Nicholson as leaning back and "spreading his legs like he's got seven cocks that need room to breathe." But overall, it seemed kind of overwritten.

Anna: Oh, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, I know that's your opinion, and it's totally valid, but I sort of, um, I disagree? I thought the story was full of beautiful passages, like, um, the part where he dies?

[Everyone murmurs agreement.]

Us: Really?

Anna: Oh, it was so gorgeous, I mean, that's what I thought, and it seems like everyone agrees with me.

Us: The moment of death sounds like the needle scratching off a record?

Alex: It's a metaphor.

Us: And what about that stuff at the end where he's excoriating his fans for making stuff up about him? Isn't that exactly what she's doing in the story?

Alex: Yes, and it's brilliant. Even as she satirizes celebrity culture, she's winkingly implicating herself as well!

Us: But —

Will: And the story really uses some awesome big words, too. Like "apotheosis."

Susan: That totally worked, because Heath Ledger was, like, a smart movie star. But he had trouble with the Monday crossword too! I can never finish the crossword puzzles, and when I read that I was like, Ohmigod, he's just like me! In that way the author created empathy with her protagonist?

Professor Betts: The editor of Esquire has said he wants to make his magazine's fiction more newsy, like this piece. Do you agree with that idea?

Jim: Oh yeah. This is exactly the kind of revolutionary writing that an edgy magazine like Esquire should run.

Us: I would prefer it if one of the few major outlets for short fiction still available to writers didn't publish stunt stories like this, and instead ran fiction that was really about something, you know?

That Guy Who Compares Everything to Cormac McCarthy: Like Blood Meridian.

Us: Jesus, fine, like Blood Meridian.

The Quiet Girl Who Always Pipes Up at the End to Agree With Everyone: I liked it.

Esquire Publishes a Diary That Isn’t [NYT]
The Last Days of Heath Ledger [Esquire]

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 6 Mar 2008 | 7:15 pm

Ally Hilfiger: Heiress, Artist, Healer

Part of being in the "new generation of creative people," Ally Hilfiger told us back in January, is being "multitalented" and mastering a variety of methods of artistic expression. But as much as she loves fashion, acting, art, and combining the three in hard-to-explain multimedia exhibitions, she may have a higher calling. "If I couldn’t do the acting, the painting, and the fashion design," she told us at the spring 2008 Men's Fashion Party at Blue and Cream last night, "I would really like to become a healer." Really? Like, what, a doctor? No. "An energy healer and a holistic healer," Ally clarified, explaining that despite her interest in fashion, she's just as interested in what's on the inside as what's on the outside. In fact, she follows Peter D’Adamo's Eat Right 4 Your Type diet, which tells her which foods are okay for her to eat and which are "toxic for my specific makeup." She added, knowledgeably, "It helps your immune system, and it just keeps you really healthy for your geno-type." As for the healing, right now it's just a hobby, something to do in between art projects. "I already do healings on people sometimes," she said. "But I’d really like to get a degree and really have a profession of healing people." —Stephen Haskell

Related: Ally Hilfiger on the 'New Generation of Creative People'

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 6 Mar 2008 | 7:15 pm

Whoopi Gives Props to Patrick

As far as Whoopi Goldberg is concerned, she owes her Oscar to Patrick Swayze. The "View" cohost said on Thursday's chatfest that her "Ghost" costar was the only person...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 6 Mar 2008 | 7:05 pm

Lionel Gushes over Grandkid, Idol Cover

Like any new grandpa worth his suspendered salt, Lionel Richie can't stop gushing over the latest celebuspawn to be born into his family. "G-Pa is right here," Richie announced...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 6 Mar 2008 | 6:38 pm

The Role of Notorious B.I.G. to Be Played by That Guy Who Got Shot in the Ass

It's been announced that Brooklyn rapper Jamal Woolard (a.k.a. Gravy) will play Notorious B.I.G. in the forthcoming Fox Searchlight biopic Notorious. Woolard, a non-actor, is probably best known as the guy who got shot in the ass near radio station Hot 97 in 2006 but went upstairs and gave an interview on the Funkmaster Flex show anyway. As Nah Right and Idolator point out, he'd been rumored to have won the role almost two years ago (pre-ass-shooting), so those open casting calls last October were probably just a publicity stunt (meaning producers likely didn't even watch our audition tape!). Still, we're not too disappointed.

We think Woolard is great for the part. Sure, nobody knows if he can act, but he's a capable rapper and is certainly obese enough to carry the role physically. Most important, though, he's got resolve. In 2006, The New Yorker ran a great piece by Ben McGrath on violence at Hot 97, in which Woolard had this to say about his shooting:

"I was there to do my job, so I did my job. Now, to people it looks like "Well, you got shot. And you still went in there and did your job?" Like, O.K., let's put the shoe on the other foot. What was I supposed to tell a powerful influence like Flex, at Hot 97? 'You know what, Flex? I'm sorry, man. I can't do the show. I was standing downstairs—got shot in the ass.' What, are you nuts? Right? It wouldn't make any sense. So I had to do what I had to do."

Yes, we were disappointed by the semi-crappy screenplay for Notorious, but it's at least good to know that Biggie will be played by an actor we can depend on to do the job even if he gets shot in the ass.

Notorious B.I.G. movie finds its big star [Reuters]
Where Hip Hop Lives [NYer]

Earlier: We've Read the Screenplay for the Notorious B.I.G. Biopic
Vulture Helps Cast the Notorious B.I.G. Biopic

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 6 Mar 2008 | 6:30 pm

Baird Jones Memorial Party at the Plumm Might Have Actually Pissed Him Off

So on Friday night there will be a big, open-to-all bash to celebrate the memory of New York nightlife mainstay Baird Jones at the Plumm. The art collector, promoter, and gossip stringer died two weeks ago of a heart attack, and now everyone's invited to toast his memory. Except, according to Grub Street, the venue might not be one that Baird himself would have been too happy about. In fact, at times he even worked to shut the club down. Baird called New York to complain of some of Plumm owner Noel Ashman's poor business practices, including paying for underage models to visit the club and ripping off promoters. (He didn't complain about how Plumm publicists incessantly exaggerated celebrity items to gossip columnists, but we'll throw that in there because it's always annoyed us.) Baird's fellow promoter, Ivy Supersonic, says that she and the Webster Hall curator had a whole bunch of correspondence over the issue. Click on through to Grub for the whole story and Noel Ashman's response.

Baird Jones's Memorial Party to Be Held at Club He Secretly Tried to Close [Grub Street]
Related: Gossip Guru Baird Jones Reported Dead

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 6 Mar 2008 | 6:30 pm

Patrick Swayze Has Pancreatic Cancer

Doctors say the "Dirty Dancing" star is responding well to treatment.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 6 Mar 2008 | 6:22 pm

Whoopi: I won Oscar because of Swayze

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 6 Mar 2008 | 6:07 pm

Judge Rejects Motion by 'Girls Gone Wild' Founder

A federal judge in Reno has rejected a motion by "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis that would have allowed his release from a Nevada jail without fear of being sent to Florida, where he faces charges on filming underage girls during spring break.
Source: FOXNews.com | 6 Mar 2008 | 5:59 pm

Sam Rockwell Almost Perfect in Latest Role

"I researched the born-again Christian stuff pretty thoroughly so I could improvise and could still keep it somewhat accurate, as far as the religious authenticity and how somebody like that would talk. Although I probably said 'fuck' one too many times." —Sam Rockwell on his role in Snow Angels [A.V. Club]

"Manhattan was a very uptown, bourgeois view of things that just seemed totally false to me at the time. And uninteresting. And when I saw it again I realized it was Woody Allen's fantasy, like the Emerald City of Oz. I found that more touching, in a way, than I did when it came out." —J. Hoberman [Gothamist]

"If you're probing my fantasies, I always wanted to be the older friend of the president who would give them a different slant on the news of the day."—Jack Nicholson, who sounds like he's campaigning for a spot on Hillary Clinton's ticket [MTV]

"I carry my characters around. When I finished playing Amin, I had a long shower to try to get rid of him. I'm not sure it worked." —Forest Whitaker on washing Idi Amin right out of his hair [Guardian]

"If Sonic Youth did it, I figure I could do it! They used their power effectively." —Dennis Cooper on moving to a major publishing house [NYO]

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 6 Mar 2008 | 5:45 pm

Victoria Beckham Refuses to Call Halt to Media Onslaught

From the Project Runway judge's chair to the cover of April’s British Vogue , Posh is inescapable. Inside, there are thirteen pages of pure Posh gloriousness shot by Nick Knight — we'll post those when we can get hold of them.

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 6 Mar 2008 | 5:45 pm

In Defense of ‘Early Show’ Producer Shelley Ross

Shelley Ross, the executive producer of CBS' Early Show, whose staffers were complaining about her last week, has been out of the office all week, and her things "were seen being taken out of her office" yesterday. "Page Six" thinks she's probably been fired, and they give a whole rundown of the terrible sins she supposedly committed against her staff, culminating in a quote from former colleague Charlie Gibson, who reportedly muttered at a funeral they both attended over the weekend, "It took us six years to get rid of her. How come it only took them five months?" Maybe it's because we once had a boss who instituted an office-wide "tackling policy" and occasionally spoke to us through the zipper on his pants, but we maintain our position that Ross's staff sounds like a bunch of babies and that she has been, perhaps, unfairly maligned.

Sure, 21 people have left the show since she started. "I can't stand working here anymore. I can't stand people being humiliated this way," one producer said. And, yes, she did ask a guy to reschedule a colonoscopy because it was sweeps month. But look at it this way: It wasn't like she offered to give him the colonoscopy herself. And, okay, she make a grown man read an apology to his colleagues after he made a crack about Early Show stories not being credible. But a good daytime-show manager knows that news stories are like Tinker Bell: They're only real if everyone believes in them. So it was really for the common good. And how did the network thank her? They called together a meeting and encouraged everyone to "air their complaints" about a sobbing Shelley to her face. "Not a lot of people spoke up," a source tells "Page Six." "They were nervous. Shelley tends to be…slightly vindictive." Wusses. And would you really call acting like "a screaming, raving lunatic" vindictive? We think that's just the manifestation of hurt feelings.

Shelley Ross Not Expected Back at CBS' 'Early Show' [Page Six]
Related: The ‘Early Show’ Office Is More or Less As Dysfunctional As Yours

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 6 Mar 2008 | 5:45 pm

Prosecutor: Anthony Pellicano Was 'Corrupt'

Private investigator Anthony Pellicano was the architect of a corrupt, criminal enterprise that spied on Hollywood's rich and famous and was fueled by greed, a federal prosecutor said Thursday during opening statements in the wiretapping trial.
Source: FOXNews.com | 6 Mar 2008 | 5:31 pm

Anna Wintour Unveils New Look — Jeans! — for New Sports Cover Boy

Anna Wintour is no stranger to the tennis court, but last night she sat courtside at the Knicks-versus-Cavaliers basketball game in Madison Square Garden. She was there to, um, purse her lips at her latest cover model, LeBron James, who "Page Six" reports will appear with Gisele Bündchen on the cover of Vogue's annual shape issue in April. We're going to resist the obvious Federer jokes here — but Wintour knows how to match her sport. Last night homegirl dressed down — we're talking jeans-tucked-into-flat-boots down. We can't recall seeing Wintour wearing slacks, much less jeans. Take a look back at the tennis-match outfits she wore to the U.S. Open after the jump.

Cover Boy Chic [NYP]

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 6 Mar 2008 | 5:30 pm

J.Lo Gets Maternal Endorsement from Ex

He may be out of touch with his ex, but Cris Judd still has full confidence in Jennifer Lopez's maternal instincts. "She's going to be a great mom," Judd said Wednesday on...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 6 Mar 2008 | 5:26 pm

‘Esquire’ Feels That Heath Ledger’s Final Days Haven’t Been Examined Tastelessly Enough

MEDIA
• Esquire reports on how Heath Ledger spent his last days…except the story is not exactly true. Or, um, tasteful. [Vulture]
• Let the deluge begin! Media companies line up to bid for Weather Channel, which is up for auction. [DealBook/NYT]
• Wal-Mart appears to be irritated by Meredith Corporation's creative tactic of selling its magazines, which include Better Homes and Gardens and Ladies' Home Journal, at the Dollar Tree store. [Folio]

FINANCE
• If Al Gore goes forward with his plan to hold a $100 million IPO for his cable company, Current Media, the former vice-president could pocket $48 million. Considering that his venture has lost $31.5 million in the last three years, is his scheme a little…err…convenient? [Business Week]
• Microsoft has enlisted Bear Stearns CEO Alan Schwartz to advise on the $42 billion Yahoo deal. [The Deal]
• Goldman Sachs is giving $100 million to teach business skills to women in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. [DealBook/NYT]

LAW
• Fidelity Investment will pay $8 million to settle SEC claims that the mutual-funds firm let staff members accept Super Bowl tickets, private-jet travel, cigar-filled humidors, escorts, Ecstasy, cases of Bordeaux, U2 concert tickets... [Law Blog/WSJ]
• The U.S. Polo Association didn't infringe on a Ralph Lauren trademark when it used a man on a horse as a logo. You've got to feel kind of bad for the USPA having to go up against the retail giant — after all, how many ways can someone playing polo actually be depicted? [Law.com]
• A very unscientific study shows that bankruptcy and commercial litigation are the hot legal practices in New York. [Above the Law]

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 6 Mar 2008 | 5:25 pm

Facing the Facts on Florida and Michigan

It's been one thing after another in the Democratic primaries, from hand-wringing over superdelegates to confusion over the Texas "primacaucus" process. Another headache is now moving to the forefront: With the race so tight, what to do about Florida and Michigan, whose delegates the DNC refused to seat after the states were warned not to schedule their primaries so early? Yesterday, DNC chair Howard Dean laid out two ideas: The states can submit a plan for a new selection process or they can wait until the summer and ask the party's Convention Credentials Committee to resolve the dispute. And so the wrangling begins in earnest.

• Roger Simon lays out five possibilities for Florida and Michigan: forget about them, seat their delegates as is, split the delegates evenly between both candidates, hold a revote, or just wait for a savior to ride in and broker a compromise. [Politico]

• Arian Campo-Flores tries to sort out the confusion over Florida governor Charlie Crist's pseudo-endorsement of a new primary. [Stumper/Newsweek]

• Carol Platt Liebau notes with some pleasure that the Democrats are left with either changing the rules in the middle of the game or else admitting that not every vote counts. [Town Hall]

• Ben Smith says it's a risk for both candidates to take a stance against a revote. Should it actually happen against their wishes, it's likely the voters will remember their opposition. [Politico]

• Mark Ambinder writes that Clinton's only option now is a revote, since he doesn't believe a credentials committee would rule in her favor. [Atlantic]

• Joan Walsh seems to favor a revote, pondering whether the resistance to one basically revolves around the monetary cost. [Salon]

• A Chronicle editorial supports a revote in the form of a caucus, an Obama-friendly, but low-cost, alternative to a primary. [San Francisco Chronicle]

• Chuck Todd and friends think that Dean is shirking his leadership role and that the Democrats may need a heavy hitter like Al Gore to broker a solution. [First Read/MSNBC]

• Representative Jesse Jackson Jr., an Obama supporter, is opposed to reneging on the DNC's penalty against Florida and Michigan and also hopes the states don't hold it against Obama. [Huffington Post] —Dan Amira

For a complete guide to presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain — from First Love to Most Embarrassing Gaffe — read the 2008 Electopedia.

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 6 Mar 2008 | 5:05 pm

Uwe Boll vs. Steven Spielberg

Legendary German director Uwe Boll is picking fights again. Two years after he entered the boxing ring to take on his critics, Boll (legend in his own mind) is claiming he will crush Steven Spielberg (authentic film legend) when his latest video-game adaptation, Postal, opens on the same weekend as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Boll asserts the mighty box-office power of his newest horror-comedy in an e-mail to the movie Website Bloody Disgusting (all [sic]s implied, natch):

On the Indiana Jones weekend - May 23 - we will go out and destroy Indiana Jones in the Box Office! We all know that Harrison Ford is older as my grandpa and his time is up - would Michael Moore say!

(Michael Moore has not been reached for comment.)

As evidence to back up his claim that he can take down Spielberg in this mano a mano cinematic combat, Boll trumpets the magnum force of his superior directing and acting skills:

Spielberg gets sloppy. We saw that with War of the Worlds (why the fuck the older brother survived?) and also in parts of Jaws, E.T., Munich etc.! My performance in Postal as 'Nazi Theme Park Owner' outperforms easily Ben Kingsley in Schindler's List!

And what are the chances that Boll will be victorious on Memorial Day weekend? Absolutely none. Postal, which opens with a parody of United 93, is the story of a man named Dude (who shares a trailer with a wife named Bitch in the city of Paradise) who goes on a violent rampage with a cult leader and then does battle with the Taliban during an amusement-park heist. Though everything about Postal seems awesome, we're guessing the American public will once again fail to embrace the genius of Boll, and this might make even less money than In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale.

As for Boll's simmering feud with Steven Spielberg? Alas, we're willing to bet that Spielberg will chicken out and refuse to even respond to Boll's taunts, as he subscribes to such outmoded virtues as "dignity" and "self-respect." Sigh. —Tammy Oler

Uwe Boll Sets 'Postal' to Release Against Indiana Jones [Bloody Disgusting]

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 6 Mar 2008 | 5:00 pm

'Poor Little Rich Girl': Tori Spelling's Story

Exclusive: Spelling on near-bankruptcy, sex among 90210 castmates, and more.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 6 Mar 2008 | 4:47 pm

Who Started the False Rumor About Gisele Designing for Dolce & Gabbana?

In December British Vogue reported that Gisele Bündchen would design a line for Dolce & Gabbana. But this morning the magazine takes back the story:

It seems the rumor was, well, nothing more than that:

It had previously been touted in fashion circles that the supermodel was set to launch a line of clothing and footwear, dubbed Bundchen by Dolce & Gabbana, this spring, with a blow-out party already being planned to celebrate its arrival.

Guess which fashion circles were doing all that touting? On December 20, 2007, British Vogue said the line would be called "Bündchen by Dolce & Gabbana" and launch "next spring." It even noted Dolce and Gabbana themselves "encouraged [Bündchen] to get in on the act with them."

Then on February 25 British Vogue reported a "star-studded party" was in the works to celebrate the launch of the collection, and it would be followed by parties in New York, London, Dublin, Paris, Barcelona, and São Paulo. The magazine even projected sales figures for the line of $200 million in its first year. That's a lot of parties that won't be happening and money that won't be made.

Where on the World Wide Web could all this have started? Many Websites, like British Glamour, British Marie Claire, FabSugar, and Catwalk Queen picked up on the story on December 20, at the same time that British Vogue did. However, on December 19, a "celebrity tabloid" called the Pop Crunch Show reported Bündchen would produce "a 'chic and feminine' springwear line, called 'Bündchen by Dolce & Gabbana,'" which would hit stores in 2008. If British Vogue found the story on Pop Crunch to begin with, where did it get all that other bogus information?

NO DESIGN DREAM FOR GISELE [British Vogue]
Earlier: Gisele's Party [British Vogue]
GISELE'S DESIGNS ON D&G [British Vogue]

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 6 Mar 2008 | 4:35 pm

Julianne Hough Wants to Stay a Virgin Until Married

Julianne Hough of "Dancing with the Stars" wants to remain a virgin until marriage, she tells CosmoGirl magazine.
Source: FOXNews.com | 6 Mar 2008 | 4:30 pm

Hollywood on The Stand: Pellicano Trial Begins

Slate of celebs expected to testify in highly anticipated Tinseltown trial.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 6 Mar 2008 | 4:26 pm

Downey pretends to be black in new film

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 6 Mar 2008 | 4:22 pm

Bai Ling pleads guilty for airport theft

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 6 Mar 2008 | 4:16 pm

Is America Ready for a Gay 'Idol'?

"Idol" semifinalist Danny Noriega sings about being gay in a YouTube video.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 6 Mar 2008 | 3:46 pm

Shoes, Glorious Shoes: Parisian Picks

Because nothing soothes a catwalk hangover like a little accessories porn, we're going through all the shows and pulling our favorite accoutrements. Since we're still getting over Paris, we started with the bags, and now we're working our way down. Clothes are important, sure, but really it's about the shoes. So for your drooling pleasure, here are our footwear picks from Paris, just enough to keep you in serious debt for seasons to come.

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 6 Mar 2008 | 3:35 pm

Sex and the City Star Cynthia Nixon Discusses Same-Sex Love

"Sex and the City" star Cynthia Nixon's relationship with partner Christine Marinoni is "fantastic" and she's "in love," the actress told reporters while promoting the upcoming "Sex and the City" movie.
Source: FOXNews.com | 6 Mar 2008 | 3:30 pm

Swayze facing cancer battle

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 6 Mar 2008 | 3:21 pm

Buffy's Lesbian Romp a Marketing Ploy?

Buffy finds herself in bed with another woman in the latest issue of the comic.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 6 Mar 2008 | 3:20 pm

Most Runway Looks Never Make It to Stores; Crawford Probably Won't Host ‘The View’ After All

• ABC is shooting down Liz Smith's claim that Cindy Crawford might become a host on The View or Good Morning America. [British Vogue]

• Only 20 to 30 percent of runway looks are sold in stores. Christina Binkley visits Nina Ricci with one buyer, who refuses to stock blouses that cost more than $1,500. [WSJ]

• Jeremy Piven, who is dating model Lillian Grant, tries to pick up other models at nightclubs, according to "Page Six." He kills two birds with one stone by sending them the same text messages. [NYP]

• Subversive jewelry designer Justin Giunta will present a "couture collection" with a chorus line of synchronized dancers tomorrow. On March 23 his collection for Target hits stores. [NYT]

• A very helpful and supposedly straight man is a salesperson at the new Gucci store. He flirts with his clients, too. [NYT]

• Yesterday we heard Avril Lavigne is creating a brand of clothes and accessories for Kohl's called Abbey Dawn. Today we learn many of the line's pieces were taken straight from Lavigne's closet and Lavigne is wearing the line on her current tour. [WWD]

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 6 Mar 2008 | 2:58 pm

Reality Check: Girls Outshine Boys on 'Idol'

Despite the headlines, the big "Idol" news of the week wasn't the revelation that David Hernandez spent three years as a stripper — it was the evidence that David Archuleta doesn't do everything perfectly.
Source: FOXNews.com | 6 Mar 2008 | 2:57 pm

Bill Cosby: Blacks Must Address Teen Pregnancy, Crime

The 70-year-old author and actor told crowds at a community college and a mostly black church in suburban Cleveland on Wednesday that it's time to address head-on problems such as teen pregnancy, crime and school dropout rates among blacks.
Source: FOXNews.com | 6 Mar 2008 | 2:52 pm

Young man, older woman, sex and gangsters

"Bonnie and Clyde" was dumped into theaters. "The Graduate" had to be financed by an independent producer. "Doctor Dolittle" was supposed to be a smash. A new book describes the way these movies became symbolic of a year, 1967, that changed the movie business.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 6 Mar 2008 | 2:46 pm

Rocker Scott Weiland Pleads Not Guilty to DUI

Scott Weiland has pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of drugs when he crashed his car in November.
Source: FOXNews.com | 6 Mar 2008 | 2:46 pm

Bai Ling Enters Plea Deal in Airport Shoplifting Case

In the plea deal requested by her attorney, she agreed Wednesday to plead guilty to disturbing the peace and to pay a fine and penalties totaling $700, city attorney spokesman Frank Mateljan said.
Source: FOXNews.com | 6 Mar 2008 | 2:43 pm

Aaay! Milwaukee One Step Closer to Bronze Fonz

A statue of Arthur 'Fonzie' Fonzarelli, the leather-jacketed biker from 'Happy Days,' will have a permanent home along the Milwaukee River next to a microbrewery, officials said.
Source: FOXNews.com | 6 Mar 2008 | 2:38 pm

Pop Tarts: Courteney Cox Mocks Britney's Panty-Free Partying

The former 'Friend' is using her role as a writer and executive producer for the second season of the FX series 'Dirt' to parody Britney Spears.
Source: FOXNews.com | 6 Mar 2008 | 2:12 pm

Anupam Kher

An Indian acting school is to open in London, allowing would-be stars to learn the arts of Bollywood in the British capital, its head Anupam Kher (seen here in 2005) was cited as saying by The Times.
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 6 Mar 2008 | 11:02 am