These are girls that grew up in the John Hughes era, and champion subversively feminist chick-programming like My So-Called Life and Gilmore Girls. Now they're glued to the couch every Monday night to find out if tone-deaf chanteuse Heidi Montag and lunkhead loser Spencer Pratt's on/off relationship is like, um, on, or like, um, off. (Hint: until it's no longer commercially viable, there'll be no resolution).
See, The Hills is a world where The Karate Kid loses. Where Jake Ryan never notices Samantha Baker, and the only thing Seth Rogen hits is his bong.
Wow, that's bleak.
HuffPo: Why The Hills Makes Me Love My Wife a Little Bit Less
 CNN-IBN | Woody Allen sues American Apparel over ads Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Woody Allen on Monday sued American Apparel Inc, claiming the US clothing company used his image in advertising on billboards and the Internet without his consent. Woody Allen Sues Clothing Maker Woody vs. Hipsters - Oy Vey! |
Maybe golf is more Adam Sandler's speed after all.
The 41-year-old funnyman is on the mend after breaking his ankle while playing basketball this weekend, according to a statement...
Again, the music stopped too soon.
Sean Levert, son of O'Jays singer Eddie Levert and a member of the R&B trio LeVert, died suddenly Sunday after a brief illness. He was 39.
Levert,...
While living in Paris, Jules Dassin pulled off the quintessential heist.
The Connecticut-born director of the caper noir Rififi, a French- and Italian-language movie that turned cinematic...
Kimora and her kids: No one understands 'em better.Photo: WireImage
J.C. Penney Co. plans to launch an exclusive junior sportswear collection designed by Kimora Lee Simmons. The line, called Fabulosity, is to hit stores in July for back-to-school.Fabulosity will retail from $29 to $108 and take inspiration from Simmons' own lifestyle as a former couture fashion model, hip-hop fashion designer, fragrance marketer and business and media executive as well as a high-wattage presence on the glam-party circuit.
Fabulosity transcends age, okay?
Penney’s to Launch Kimora Lee Simmons Juniors' Line [WWD]
Photo: Getty Images
I can't believe you guys would print lies like that. You said Mandy Moore and I were dating. Which we're not. She's single, and I don't know why everyone thinks she has to be in a relationship. And you implied that I was cheating on my girlfriend. I would never do that. One of my exes cheated on me with her ex while I was touring. I'm so hurt and upset that you would print lies about me and my friend.
He's also still apparently mad at that particular ex, but she, unlike us, was probably too self-obsessed to apologize. We're sorry, Ryan! And also to commenter ROSEBUDBLOSSUMS, who may or may not also be Ryan! We won't do it again. —Oriana Magnera
Earlier: Mandy Moore and Ryan Adams Are Dating
A Christian Louboutin shoePhoto: Courtesy of Christian Louboutin
Shoes weren't always this pricey, though. Their tags quietly rose a few years ago around the time we were all reeling from sticker shock over the new high prices of designer denim. But now retailers from large department stores to tiny boutiques mark up kicks 2.4 to three times the wholesale price (clothes and bags are usually marked up only twice the wholesale price). The L.A. Times reports:
A pair of shoes that wholesale for $200 to $250 retail for $600. Exotic skins such as python, eel and stingray ratchet up costs even more. The same goes for ornate accents such as the mirrored heels on those ballyhooed Balenciaga sandals or the sculpted flower stem heel on Prada's latest pumps.But like the real estate market, the shoe market could be in for a correction. NPD Group reports that in 2005, footwear sales were up 11%. That figure dipped to 5% in 2006 and wilted to 2.5 % last year. Now, with a recession looming, the industry can expect some scuffs.
In the meantime, don't fault Lanvin or the retailers for your financial blisters. "This is a free market," says Milton Pedraza, chief executive of the Luxury Institute, a retail research firm in New York. "The consumers are to blame for paying these prices."
We keep saying it, but we'll say it again: Fashion and economics are like peas and carrots. So if you'd like to spend a couple hundred less on those red soles in the semi-near future, please at least pretend we're heading into a recession right now and stop buying them. Oh, who are we kidding, we're shoe junkies too. At least wait for them to go on sale, mmkay?
Manolo lovers feel financial pain at the pump [LAT]
From this week's Page Six MagazinePhoto: Page Six Magazine
THE PARK AVENUE DIET:
Philosophy:
If you're life's ambition is to look like this week's Page Six Magazine cover girl Tinsley Mortimer (she wrote the Park Avenue Diet's chapter on interpersonal skills by the way), then this "million dollar makeover" has your name all over it. Just make sure you've got time on your side. You'll need it for preparing meals, getting your hair and makeup just right, exercising and practicing social skills.
Food:
• Breakfast: Homemade granola with pumpkin yogurt
• Lunch: Homemade bean soup (Page Six Magazine provides the recipe, which looks to take about three hours)
• Snack: Ten baby carrots with one tablespoon of tapenade
• Dinner: Sea bass with mango coulis and rice pilaf
• Dessert: Chocolate square with raspberry coulis
Exercise: Do aerobics and get more sleep.
Wardrobe:
[Wear] the "right" colors and styles (blue, black, or white for business and no scoop necks, which are universally unflattering) … [remember] posture says everything about you. Follicle guru Joel Warren recommends hair colors that match your personality (red hair, for example, says, "look at me"). Makeup artist Laura Geller advises a less-is-more approach (although she trumpets bold lipsticks as a mood enhancer).
Implication: Women have to spend their precious time looking purty! Also, they have hours every day to cook bean soup because why work?
THE WALL STREET DIET:
Philosophy:
"Weight loss is not about willpower, it's about strategy," dietician Heather Bauer writes in her new book, describing her program as a diet for people who don't have time to make food prep a priority … "For the Wall Street elite, the elephant in the room that no one has addressed before — certainly no diet — is their work: They work long hours, entertain frequently and travel too much … And they want to continue to entertain business associates, work long hours and drink a glass of wine while losing weight and maintaining their overall health." These folks won't be making changes to their lifestyle anytime soon.
Food:
• Breakfast: Nonfat Greek yogurt with Kashi Go Lean and a plum
• Lunch: Lite six-inch Subway sandwich on wheat bread
• 3 p.m. snack: Apple
• "Late snack before heading to a cocktail party": Piece of cheese on a cracker
• "Cocktail party dinner" following the three- to four-napkin rule: The first napkin could be a beef-sate skewer, the second could be three steamed vegetable dumplings, the third could be three shrimp, and the fourth could be one piece of a California roll.
• Evening snack: Quarter-pound of turkey at home.
Exercise: None
Alcohol: One glass of wine at dinner
It says "man" because: Hair, makeup, and wardrobe talk are excluded. (Obviously no self-respecting Wall Streeter would care about such things. Ahem.) Also, the meal plan — like finishing the day with turkey instead of dessert — comes off a bit more manly than, like, pumpkin yogurt.
Implications: Men bring home the, er, turkey bacon. And drink more.
The Rolling Stones are blowing up again.
On the eve of the launch of their Martin Scorsese-helmed concert documentary, Shine a Light, the World's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band unveiled...
Photo: Getty Images
Building Holmes on Broadway? [E!]
Courtesy of VH1
"Well, that was a great track. See what happened was, I was rolling down the street, right? Smokin' some endo, and sipping on … well, maybe I should go back to the beginning.
"There had been a lot of drama in the LBC, and frankly, it was getting hard to be me. So I decided to have a party. And by two in the morning, that party was still jumping, because my momma wasn't home yet. There were these two women, right? In the living room? Getting it on? In fact, I don't even think that they were gonna leave until, like, six o'clock in the morning.
"Anyways, I had a bunch of condoms in my pocket, as did a number of my homeboys. So we turned off the lights and closed the doors. Not that I'm saying we were in love with these women, but we were certainly willing to, you know, spend some time with them.
"As it happened, I'd bought some Seagram's gin, and everybody had cups, but had not yet chipped in. Which is ridiculous. This type of thing happens all the time! Luckily, my storytelling is so captivating that it doesn't matter, as the audience for VH1's Storytellers can attest.
"There was the woman I was interested in by the name of Sadie. She had been the lady of a friend of mine. I told her to raise up off my nuts. Can I say that? Well, my N-U-Ts.
"Well, to make a long story short — too late! [Laughs] — Dr. Dre came through with a whole bunch of Tanqueray, as well as a lot of really, really potent chronic. I had to, like, back up off of it, you know? Set my cup down? And all of a sudden I realized, I was drizzunk. Dre had brought over some women he knew from Compton, and we had sexual intercourse, though again, I must stress I was not in love.
"Anyways, it turns out that I had my mind on my money. True story."
Snoop Dogg Rolls Out The Hits, Goes Country For Upcoming 'VH1 Storytellers' [MTV]
Photo: WireImage
2. Kanye West, "I Wonder (Sonidero Nacional remix)"
Kanye finally finds a valid use for those crazy white blinder sunglasses when he gets taken across the border by Sonidero Nacional. [8106]
3. Romanoff, "Zombie Bite"
Brooklyn's Romanoff turn in a decent, Daft Punk–esque jam that's saved from mediocrity by a creepy breakdown and a scream sample that make it sound like the party's been infiltrated by real zombies instead of the vacant-eyed party kids you usually find. [Trash Menagerie]
4. Rick James vs. Duran Duran, "Superfreaks on Film"
Rick sounds a little naked (ew!) singing over this spartan Duran Duran track, but things get super awesome when Simon Le Bon starts singing along. [Ryan's Smashing Life]
5. Wilco, "Glad It's Over"
Wilco has a new song (an outtake from last year's Sky Blue Sky) on the "soundtrack" to the TV show Heroes, just out this month. Judging from the title, we'd guess that Wilco thought this was more of a farewell disc than the shameless marketing ploy it really is. [Leather Canary]
—Ehren Gresehover
J. Lo's hair, good enough to eatPhoto: Patrick McMullan
• Lightweight Hair Gloss by Isomers makes hair look healthy, unlike some goops that make you look like you haven't showered in five days. [Beauty Snob]
SKIN
• Bacne be gone! The Bare Your Back facial at Equinox Fitness Clubs includes sloughing off dead skin cells, scrubbing with an enzyme peel, and rubbing with a mud mask. [Daily Beauty Reporter/Allure]
• Skyn Iceland (the brand celebrities swear by for skin creams) will release Arctic Brightening Serum this spring; kombucha tea acts as a natural whitening ingredient and retinol is in the mix for its anti-aging benefits. Find it at Sephora for $65 come June. Or save the cash and just keep your face out of the sun. [WWD]
FRAGRANCE
• The ad campaign for Estée Lauder's new fragrance Sensuous features a doozy of a cast, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Elizabeth Hurley, Hilary Rhoda, and Carolyn Murphy. [Cosmetic News]
MAKEUP
• Why it's good to be Kate Bosworth: She's been wearing Dior’s Ultra-Gloss Reflect in coral lame, which doesn't go on sale until April. [Chic Report/Fashion Week Daily]
• Feeling chapped? Try a product that specializes in healing chronic dry lips, sun-damaged lips, or shrunken aged lips. Lip savers like Boscia’s jujube salve stick should invigorate your pout. [Beauty & the Blog/Sephora]
Photo: Patrick McMullan
Boerum Hill: Retro-veloper Abby Hamlin wants you to have it all: the charm and context sensitivity of an old brownstone combined with the modern amenities of, well, these new brownstones going for more than $3 mil a pop. [NYP]
Clinton Hill: Look at the before-and-after photos of this mansion that the Pratt Area Community Council redid into a home for critically ill locals. Kudos all around! [Clinton Hill Blog]
Downtown Brooklyn: The first crane "jump," or lifting, in the city since the big midtown crane fell March 15 got a heavy turnout of reporters, pedestrians, and city officials. [NYT via Curbed]
Harlem: Home Depot may not be opening a 100,000-square-foot boutique here after all… [Crain's NY]
Long Island City: The cool arts space Flux Factory will have a monthlong good-bye party before they make way for a new LIRR station. [Flux Factory via Gothamist]
Upper East Side: There is nothing more annoying than your tacos and Corona being interrupted by the dread fear that your apartment may be burning down. [Around the Block on the UES]
Upper West Side: On the eve of his new album release, Moby is willing to give you or your favorite charity $75,000 if you help him unload his $7.5 million El Dorado penthouse. {Main Street]
Jean Nouvel and 40 Mercer.Photo: Todd Eberle
When French starchitect Jean Nouvel was named the winner of this year's Pritzker Prize last night, the award didn't come as a surprise to anyone who's seen his showcase buildings — like the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, the Quai Branly Museum in Paris, or his designs for the tower to be built next to MoMA. And it won't come as any surprise to the residents of 40 Mercer, Nouvel's gorgeous downtown apartment building, which New York profiled back in May. Check it out to see what all the fuss is about; we especially like the Mondrian-inspired windows.
French Architect Wins Pritzker Prize [NYT]
The Next Dakota [NYM]
Jessica Simpson's next project: recuperation.
The pop star is on the mend after spending the better part of a week at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center receiving treatment for a...
Gilles Bensimon: a dreamerPhoto: Patrick McMullan
Businesswoman and Gucci president Danielle Vitale explained things more clearly. "I think [the credit crisis] will certainly affect us in the short term. It will affect everyone in the short term," she said. But she's not too worried because there are always big spenders in other countries. "At the end we're a very big company and cater to a wide audience. International will certainly help us also in the short term, and, you know, we're a company that's weathered this before. So we're still doing incredibly well." — Andrew Goldstein
Thomas Holton’s Untitled (#10), (2005) Image courtesy of the artist.
Photo: Newscom, Getty Images
Itzler apparently took umbrage at these characterizations of his person, and this week, Adams offer the best clarification in the history of clarifications.
"I might mention the pig Itzler, who started the hooker 'Kristen' on her way to fame, fortune and all sorts of F's," she writes.
I called him a sleazebag. He complained that what I said about him had "inaccuracies." I thus correct myself. He's a crummy, cruddy pail of poop. Lordy, I do hate to be inaccurate.
If Cindy ever retires, we'd love to see her become News Corp. ombudsbitch.
A Desperate Personal Trainer [NYP]
SEXY HEADLINES STICK [NYP]
Related: The $2,000 an-Hour Woman [NYM]
That didn't quite happen – Menaker's adoption of an earpiece to help him with questions gave him away, the uncomfortable chairs are still around, and the opening B-roll montage was downright amateurish — but episode three's nonfiction focus is a marked improvement. The well-honed gab gifts of David Hadju and David Gilmour needed only slight prompting from the host, while Louis Masur's eloquent discussion of a shocking 1976 photograph of flag-induced assault accomplished its job in making us want to get a copy of his book immediately. But Mary Roach seemed out of place; her frank talk of female orgasms and penile pricking devices elicited visible gulps and nervous laughter from the otherwise all-male crowd. Perhaps Roach's lone female status was a deliberate role reversal of Keith Gessen's single-guy status in the previous episode, but the result had us wondering if the net effect was brave or belittling. Maybe someone should give her a talk show. —Sarah Weinman
Titlepage.tv [Official site]
Once a week, Daily Intel takes a peek at what your friends and neighbors are doing behind doors left slightly ajar. Today, the Very Busy, Very Horny Single Mother of Two: 35, female, West Harlem, straight, single.
DAY ONE
4:30 a.m.: Alarm goes off. I stumble out of bed and nearly kill myself tripping over a toy on the floor. Ugh, my head hurts with the onset of a head cold. I fall back asleep
6 a.m.: OMG, I am going to be late getting my two sleeping children awake and off to school. I fell asleep last night quite horny after thinking about the hot sex my boyfriend and I had this past weekend … okay, stop thinking about it and get ready.
9 a.m.: Sent my boyfriend a dirty text, wishing him a good day, waiting for his dirty reply. I have now had four cups of coffee trying to rid myself of my horrible headache. Why this week?
4 p.m.: I get off work a little early owing to the fact my head is pounding and I still have to pick my kids up from school. Feeling really under the weather.
DAY TWO
6 a.m.: Up and getting kids ready for school. I am contemplating when I will have time to use my vibrator during the day. Decide not to bring it to work.
8 a.m.: Get text from a guy I met at a race I attended the past weekend. He wants to have coffee. I already told him I had a boyfriend and the only reason I shared my number is he wanted info about the kids' races so he could place his children in them also. Crap, now I have a stalker!
10:48 a.m.: Send my BF a text telling him how much I miss him and will have to revert to using my toys tonight to ward off my sexual urges.
11:57 a.m.: My boyfriend calls to say that he has today off. What am I doing later? Dirty visions of us naked and stroking one another start to make me feel really hot and bothered. I step outside the office to finish my dirty phone foreplay with him. I feel like I am going to burst … ticktock, just a few more hours till playtime.
2:30 p.m.: I have to complete some drafting so I am not be able to meet him at his place. I text him to meet me at my place one hour before I am due to pick up my kids.
5:02 p.m.: Taking a shower, masturbating while waiting for him to arrive was driving me wild. My $30 vibrator was the best investment. I get a text from him that he will be a few minutes late … okay, calm down and save all the fun of an orgasm for him.
5:38 p.m.: My doorbell rings, and he is standing there looking hot. We have approximately seventeen minutes before I have to pick my kids up. We waste no time getting naked and into a really good rhythm of foreplay and fulfillment … done in 8.5 minutes and still have time to get dressed properly.
9:48 p.m.: Kids are in bed asleep, and we are groping one another in my hall as I lead him to the door to say good night. He gives me that “I wanna fuck you” look, but we both know it will have to wait until I see him again at his place this coming weekend.
DAY THREE
5:30 a.m.: I wake with a grin and a headache. I had amazing sex and foreplay last night, so I am good to go, no matter how bad my head hurts.
9:30 a.m.: I write my BF and nice yet naughty e-mail, detailing our positions from our sex appointment yesterday. This is giving me sensation between my legs. Crap, I should have brought my vibrator along today.
2:30 p.m.: Receive a call from the school again. Four year-old threw a block and hit his friend, giving him a black eye. I have to get off early to pick him up. Oh, boy, this is going to be a long night, with no vibrator time for me.
8:45 p.m.: Text my boyfriend a really dirty thought. I am slightly aroused but too tired to even think about masturbating, I can hear the snoring from the other room as I drift off to sleep.
DAY FOUR
7:30 a.m.: The week is nearly over, and my weekend of sex is approaching. Kids are in a great mood because they know they can sleep in in the morning.
10 a.m.: The stalker dude just texted me again. “Can we meet for coffee? Call me tonight.” I am so going to let him know AGAIN that I have a boyfriend, and to stop using his kids to get chicks’ numbers. Ugh!
1 p.m.: My boyfriend calls to find out our weekend plans. I have to arrange for a sitter. He says a few very naughty things to me over the phone which caused me to turn crimson. People in my office are staring. CRAP! Can I just disappear?
6 p.m.: I settle in at home, getting all my mommy duties done so I can have some alone time with my Pocket Rocket later.
9 p.m.: Kids asleep … check. Vibrator in hand … check. Good to go!
9:08 p.m.: In the process of feeling the mighty OMG coming on, I experience every woman’s nightmare, DBS (Dead Battery Syndrome). NO NO NO!!!!!! Frustrated and hating my vibrator. I finish with hands.
DAY FIVE
9 a.m.: Yes! A day to just chill. Nowhere to be in a hurry. Take a long shower and attempt to arouse myself, but that is quickly disrupted by my daughter banging on the bathroom door because she needs to use the toilet. The life of a single parent.
2 p.m.: Call my boyfriend to dirty-talk with him. Only about 24 hours before I will be naked and wild in bed with him once again … sigh!
7:30 p.m.: I am so wiped out from running all over town with my kids. I bought new batteries. My bed is like a huge suction-cup of slumber. Can … not … get … up.
DAY SIX
7 a.m.: Oh, no, I jump out of bed realizing my kids and I have a race to attend in less than one hour.
1 p.m.: Tired and needing sex soon, I take my kids to the park to tire them out for the sitter. We had a great family day — ran a race, baked cookies, played at park. Now come on, people! MOM NEEDS HER PLAYDATE!
3:50 p.m.: Scrambling to get all my stuff together for my once-a-week sleepover at my boyfriend’s house. Tiny thong underwear cling to my ass, reminding me that bliss is soon to come. My kids are protesting as usual, “It’s not fair for you to have a life!” Just kidding, that was my interpretation of their protesting.
4:40 p.m.: I ring his doorbell and am very happy to see him on other side of the door. We kiss, but not the way I would like because his roommate is home. We decide to go have an early dinner instead of getting naked right away. Okay, I can hold off another few hours … right?
5:50 p.m.: We walk around the West Village while waiting for a table to open. He kisses me passionately. This, of course, stimulates the yearning between my legs. I reach over and whisper that he should stop or I might embarrass us both by ripping his clothes off in the street.
7:30 p.m.: We have a wonderful meal, as we walk out the door he tells me he is ready to have me naked and wild in his bed now. With no hesitation, I hail a cab.
7:48 p.m.: His roommate is gone so I can actually be very vocal in my bedroom matter. NICE. We start by racing to see who gets our clothes off first. We are both so hungry for this that there is little foreplay. Intense and hard … amazing, we both lie there sweating from the physical exertion.
9:20 p.m.: We are well into an hour of the movie we are watching when my boyfriend starts teasing me with his fingers, then kissing, and we are at it again like wild beasts. Ahhh, pent-up sex is being unleashed.
11 p.m.: I whisper good night…
DAY SEVEN
5:30 a.m.: I have to make sure to get to the school to meet my kids so they do not start their week off with a bad vibe. I jump in the shower and then lie there next to him for another 30 minutes.
7 a.m.: Out the door, kissing him good-bye, and off to see my two children to school. I am happy, sexually fulfilled, and ready to start another hellish week as a single parent in the Big Apple.
2 p.m.: I e-mail my boyfriend a very descriptive and semi-pornographic letter.
6 p.m.: The week before has caught up with me. I am tired and exhausted … need sleep!
9 p.m.: Lights out, too tired to even sex-text my boyfriend. I smile, and while thinking about our next encounter. I drift off to sleep.
Total: Three acts of intercourse, one in 8.5 minutes; two acts of vibrator masturbation, during one of which Dead Battery Syndrome is experienced; a dozen text messages; six solo nights at home with the kids; one hot night with the boyfriend.
These will make rainy days so much more fun.Photo: Courtesy of melissaaustralia.com.au, Tara Rice
Courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films
People who loved you in Amelie will be kind of shocked by your performance in this film.
Yeah, well, it was also a surprise in France! I think people were surprised, from the beginning, by the fact that I could be the type of actress who would be able to fit in this kind of role.
Was that part of the appeal?
There’s many things that attracted me. The first one was the desire to work with Pierre Salvadori, because I am really crazy about his movies. When I learned that he was writing a script for me, I was so pleased that I think I would have accepted anything! And then when I realized that he was thinking about me in such a different part from what I had ever done before, I was even more pleased. I’m usually kind of comfortable in shy characters and people who don’t express their feelings well. With this part I had the opportunity to have fantasies. To be … provocative.
Your character is kind of unlikable at times. Some people are going to see her as a prostitute.
Even if the character had been a prostitute I still would have been very pleased to play the part. I never wanted to play characters who are just very moral and nice girls and all of that. I’m not interested in being the Mother Teresa of the movie business. I don’t care about playing a nasty girl or a stupid girl or a whore. I don’t care about that. But I think that if you see her only as a whore, you dismiss some very interesting aspects of the movie.
Your wardrobe was amazing — all those gorgeous, slinky dresses. Was it natural for you to adopt such a glamorous look?
It was not natural at all! It became more natural as time went on. [Laughs.] The first time I tried on one of those dresses I was really afraid. I had my two hands on my two boobs, and I was thinking I am always going to work with an eye on my breasts, just to make sure that they stay where they are right now. And when I first got ready and went to shoot I tried to become half my size, you know, as small as I could? But then I realized very quickly that I did not look ridiculous in those dresses. And I figured out that it could have a certain effect, because the costume designer told me that one of the technicians came by to thank her for the dresses she chose. That showed me, okay, it works.
Some people made a big deal out of how skinny you looked at the Da Vinci Code premiere — and they may be saying the same after seeing this movie because you’re still so thin. Is that frustrating?
Well, in fact I haven’t heard anything about that, and I haven’t read it anywhere, so you just taught me something! But no — I think that’s a very nice subject for people who have nothing else to talk about. I would urge them to keep going.
—Sara Cardace
"Most Americans don't have a problem talking about race," Lou Dobbs said the other night, when discussing comments made by Condoleezza Rice about race still being an issue in America. Except for, apparently, Lou Dobbs. As the CNN anchor got increasingly fired up about how, contrary to what Rice and Barack Obama have been saying lately, America is actually really enlightened, he accidentally let loose with a rather controversial expression.
"Not a single one of these cotton-pickmwhwhyah —he fumbled, tried to cover it up—these just ridiculous politicians should be the moderator on the issue of race." Right, Lou. Because you're doing a fine job. Clip above!
Oops [Talking Points Memo]
Related: Bill O’Reilly Doesn’t Want to Lynch Michelle Obama Until He Is 100 Percent Positive She Hates America
Photo: WireImage
"This time I'll have a moustache." —Jason Segel confirming that I Love You, Man won't be only bravura acting moments [ComingSoon.net]
"I don't feel like this is a return to form so much as this is the level we work at generally. Of the 14 records we've made, I think 12 of them are pretty close to this." —Peter Buck would like you to stop mentioning Around the Sun [NYT]
"It's like I had a baby and then I gave it up for adoption. Then Jon Stewart was the adoptive parent, and he raised it and it went to Harvard." — Daily Show creator Lizz Winstead [NYT]
"The best news George could have given me was, back in the old times, nobody was really super-muscular or big. And I was like: 'Perfect! That basically means I can stick to my lazy regime of doing very little.'" —John Krasinski on getting into shape for Leatherheads [NYT]
"It's quite a different place from 1991 when I lived there. But it must be nice to have pretty girls walking around in revealing clothes all the time. It definitely wasn't that way when I was there." —Stephen Malkmus remembers when Williamsburg was full of ugly chicks [Gothamist]
Last week Fashionista.com reported a beast of a rumor about Prada casting director Russell Marsh accepting bribes from IMG and Women modeling agencies to put their girls front and center in Prada and Miu Miu ads and runway shows. Last week Prada denied the allegations and stood firmly behind Marsh. And this morning IMG seconded with this statement:
The allegation that Prada or Miu Miu have utilized models managed by IMG based on anything more than their talent is ridiculous and flatly untrue. We have the privilege of representing many of the most beautiful and sought-after women in the industry, and we are outraged that those models' hard work is being disparaged.
Another day, another rumor. Oh, Internet…
Earlier: Rumor of the Day: Prada Casting Director Accepts Bribes?
MEDIA
• More than 100 staffers leave Newsweek on both the news and business side, including David Gates, David Ansen, and Cathleen McGuigan. [Radar]
• Glamour's dating blogger, Mike Cherico, got the ax and is now hoping to write a book "about the rise and fall of a dating blogger." [NYT]
• From the weekend: Scott Galloway and his merry band of hedge-fund vagilantes up their stake in the Times to 19.8 percent, and Barry Diller wins! [Reuters, DealBook/NYT]
FINANCE
• The trading desks are buzzing with the word that Alan Greenspan, Warren Buffett, and others have been whispering for weeks: recession. [NYP]
• March was a disastrous month for IPOs in the U.S., but IPOs flourished in the Middle East. [WSJ, WSJ]
•The Fed plays alphabet soup. [DealBreaker]
LAW
• Lehman Brothers is suing Marubeni Corp., a Japanese trading house, claiming that employees at the firm used forged documents and an imposter to raise $350 million. [WSJ]
• Here's another reason to pay attention to those legal bills your attorney sends you: A former partner at Latham & Watkins pleads guilty to fraud, having mischaracterized items on invoices. [Law.com]
• Jonathan Mechanic of the Fried Frank firm leads the legal team that locked up the Tishman Speyer Properties right to develop the West Side Rail Yards. High Line high-five! [Law.com]
REAL ESTATE
• Jean Nouvel will be awarded the Pritzker Prize, which isn't making some West Siders happy. [NYO]
• The Upper East Side studio where Andy Warhol created some of his most iconic Pop Art is up for grabs. [NYT]
• The space currently occupying the old Pfizer plant in Williamsburg might be turned into — you guessed it — housing. [Brownstoner]
She's everywhere…Photo: iD magazine
so it's out [Fashion Spot]
Courtesy of Dimension
How about a Judd Apatow spoof? A beautiful bromance is broken up by the introduction of a woman (Anna Faris), leading to scenes with the director's kids, a wang, and McLovin. At the film's climactic moment, our hero realizes with horror that women menstruate, but eventually learns to accept the awful truth.
Or a Wes Anderson spoof! Identical quadruplet wunderkind brothers (Jason Biggs) journey by dirigible in an attempt to find their father (Leslie Nielsen). Luckily, they've brought a wisecracking South Asian person (Kumar Pallana) along for the ride! In the end, one brother attempts suicide (to the tune of Belle and Sebastian), one falls in love (to the strains of Nick Drake), and two have an aborted, awkward fistfight (to the sounds of Elliott Smith).
And aren't the Coen brothers due to be spoofed? A complicated three-minute Steadicam shot takes us through a snowbound Minnesota house as a homespun narrator (Sam Elliot) discusses matters of fate and whatnot. In the living room, John Goodman (Frank Caliendo) and John Turturro (Jennifer Coolidge) play poker. Goodman: "Surely you don't think we can dispose of this corpse in the Ronco sausage maker?" Turturro: "I do, and don't call me Shirley." See how easy that was? —Adam Raymond
The sad saga of Anna Nicole Smith's son ended Monday, as a Bahamian jury ruled that the Sept. 10, 2006, death of 20-year-old Daniel Smith was the result of an accidental drug overdose.
The...
Seeming not at all …Photo: Getty Images
• Jackie Calmes reports that a string of superdelegates are falling in behind Obama as they seek to unify the party and avoid a "chaotic convention that plays into the hands of Republicans." [WSJ]
• Stanley Crouch doesn't think Clinton will destroy the party, but the panic she's exhibiting, demonstrated in things like the Bosnia flap, is ruining her own chances of ever becoming president. [NYDN]
• Isaac Chotiner thinks the best example for Clinton is Mike Huckabee, who stayed in the Republican race without hurting McCain or being divisive. And if a major scandal comes along to damage Obama, Clinton can still be around to benefit. [Plank/New Republic]
• Bob Ostertag agrees: Stay in the race, but don't attack Obama, don't push for superdelegates to override the popular vote, and just talk about the policies close to your heart. [HuffPo]
• Nora Ephron, a former Clinton supporter, now wants her to drop out of the race, but mainly because Ephron is spending "far too much time" trying to comprehend some of Clinton's choices. [HuffPo]
• Richard Whalen believes Clinton should quit but won't because she's arrogant, controlling, and has an oversize sense of entitlement, among other things. [Maverick Conservative/CQ Politics]
• Chuck Todd & Co. write that even though she's staying in, Clinton is spending most of her time proving her relevance rather than actually debating Obama on the issues. And her interview with the Washington Post makes them wonder whether some of her supporters are ready to bolt. [First Read/MSNBC]
• Vaughn Ververs senses a feeling of desperation for Clinton, as the long gap between primaries has only served to solidify Obama's support. [Horserace/CBS News] —Dan Amira
Related: Heilemann on Hillary: Who’ll Stop the Pain?
For a complete and regularly updated guide to presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain — from First Love to Most Embarrassing Gaffe — read the 2008 Electopedia.
Photo Illustration: Everett Bogue; Photos: Getty Images; Courtesy of ABC (General Hospital)
Only the most exciting strike-affected television shows IN HISTORY! Can you imagine if SAG picketed and AFTRA didn't? Networks might finally be forced to cobble shows together based around the exploits of soap-opera characters, Hollywood stunt people, and TV announcers (we've been praying for this for years). Susan Lucci and Anthony Geary fighting and overacting, explosions sending motorcyclists sailing through the air, and all action being narrated by Don Pardo or Michael Buffer, the ''Let's Get Ready to Rumble'' guy? Admit it — you would totally watch that.
AFTRA goes its own way [Variety]
The Split: New SAG & AFTRA Explanations [Deadline Hollywood Daily]
Photo: mirror.co.uk
However, we're a bit skeptical of this story for two reasons:
1. The Mirror spelled Cavalli "Cavelli" in its headlines, so clearly accuracy was on the backburner when they cooked that article up.
2. The Mirror and British Vogue used the same quote but can't decide who said it. The Mirror reports:
A source said: "Cavelli [sic] was suitably taken in by what Victoria had to say that he's now determined to get Amy on board."Recently Posh revealed how much she liked Amy, saying: "She has a real sense of style that I love. She is a fashion icon because she's unique."
But British Vogue reports:
While the report is yet to be confirmed, Cavalli has made no secret of the fact that he digs Winehouse's distinctive look."She has a real sense of style that I love," the designer said in a recent interview. "She is a fashion icon because she is unique."
It's not really a surprise that British gossip about Amy Winehouse is such a mess. It kind of goes with her beehive.
Amy Winehouse offered Cavelli deal thanks to Posh [Mirror]
SHE'S IN FASHION [British Vogue]
Photo Illustration: Patrick McMullan
1. About her, someone said the following:
a) “She’s had at least nine lives. Someone will turn it into an opera. Probably her.”
b) She "has taken her devotion to Sex and the City further than most."
c) “She has a talent for getting attention.”
2. During the interview she:
a) "sipped an iced coffee."
b) reclined "in her spacious and eclectically decorated office."
c) sat "leggily astride a leather ottoman in Houston’s, a bar in the Flatiron District."
3. Match the lady to her quote.
a) “It is sad that people think you have to choose between being intelligent, serious and thoughtful, or you get to be shallow and frivolous and enjoy beauty and fashion. I think you should be able to make a living doing something that really appeals to you without being judged.”
b) "Who doesn’t want to be that person with the cute boyfriend and the hot cellphone? You want to influence people, and you want to have money. It’s like America."
c) “Ari Emanuel called me last night.”
Answers: 1: (a) Arianna Huffington, (b) Julia Allison, (c) Lauren Zalaznick. 2: (a) Arianna Huffington, (b) Lauren Zalaznick, (c) Julia Allison. 3: (a) Julia Allison, (b) Lauren Zalaznick, (c) Arianna Huffington.
Channeling Carrie [NYT]
Citizen Huff [NYT]
Bravo’s Chief Reaches Out to the Prosperous Urban Woman [NYT]
The cover of Action Comics No. 1.Courtesy of DC Comics…
and the heirs of Jerry Siegel!
This argument is lame.
As handily explained all over the place, this ruling has far-ranging consequences, but they mostly involve money. Comics blogger Brian Cronin's handy FAQ explains — correctly — that the most likely result of this ruling is that Time Warner (owner of DC Comics) will simply hand the Siegel family an enormous check and everyone will go on his merry way, until 2013, when this all starts up again because the estate of the other Superman creator, Joe Shuster, could get the other half of Superman's copyright back. Then the shit might hit the fan. Or, more likely, Time Warner will just cut another enormous check. (It would be best if it were physically enormous, like a lottery check.)
It certainly isn't in the interest of the Siegel heirs to hold up Superman comics, TV shows, or movies, because they're now part owners of the character, so they'll be anxious to maximize the value of their property — either by continuing to exploit it or by selling off the rights. So rest easy, comic-book fans! The real peril facing Superman these days isn't posed by the Siegel family — it's the horrifying notion that Hayden Christensen might play the Man of Steel in the Justice League movie.
Ruling Gives Heirs a Share of Superman Copyright [NYT]
Super Superman opinion [Patry Copyright Blog]
Comments on "Siegel heirs awarded Action Comics #1 copyright" [Blog@Newsarama]
Superman Copyright FAQ [Comics Should Be Good]
Hayden Christensen Is Superman - Updated! [Cinema Blend]
Photo Illustration: iStockphoto
"Desk and work surfaces should be clean and uncluttered. Pictures, calendars, etc. should not be taped to cubicle/office walls. Pets may not be brought to the corporate office or the store. For corporate employees, all coats should be hung in the appropriate coatroom and not kept in offices or hung over cubicle walls. Window shades should be even (either completely up or completely down) throughout one side of the floor. Items may not be placed on the window sills … In addition, it is important to take a break from your workday and enjoy your lunch. Therefore, absent extenuating circumstances, lunch may not be eaten at your desk." The memo ends with a warning that violators "may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment."
We're all for keeping Chihuahuas in doggy day care, but no lunch at the desk? Who in America has time to take a lunch these days? This explains so much — and here we thought the fashionistas just stayed thin through sheer willpower.
CRAZY RULES BEDEVIL PRADA [NYP]
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