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Courtesy of Rockstar Games
GTA IV, raved GameSpy’s Will Tuttle, “is on par with the finest films by directors like Martin Scorcese [sic] or Francis Ford Coppola." "It's like playing an episode of The Sopranos," said Crispin Boyer of Electronic Gaming Monthly. “I now know how film critics felt after screening The Godfather,” mash-noted Game Informer critic Andrew Reiner. GTA IV is so massive, and packed with so many small innovations, that it makes sense that most of the gaming-press reviews would be ecstatic, laundry-list raves detailing the improved fighting systems, improved car handling, character movement, and unprecedented level of detail. But undergirding the game's reviews — especially in mainstream media outlets — is the insecure sense that GTA IV must be more than a mere game in order for people to take it seriously.
The Times (which appropriately compared the game to Mad Magazine and Dave Chappelle) opined that it was a “thoroughly compelling work of cultural satire disguised as fun.” Entertainment Weekly’s contorted rave was almost baffling: “Its criminal themes notwithstanding, GTA IV is more than a state-of-the-art videogame: it represents a compelling (if bloody and violent) example of both the narrative and immersive power of the medium.” Slate’s sharp review by Chris Baker points to GTA IV’s often disturbing realism, but also overreaches for seriousness, ending on the dour kicker: “It’s a living, breathing place — and when you’re forced to kill, it’s nothing to celebrate.”
But why shouldn’t fun be the highest goal of a game, rather than the cultural critique the Times so appreciates? Why would you want to discard the game's criminal themes, as EW seems to imply? Take away its criminal themes, and there is no GTA IV. And while the game's victims do seem more real and its ethical dilemmas are more complex, as Slate notes, the killing is still, honestly, very satisfying. And the game’s biggest innovation is its multiplayer feature, which offers countless new ways to gun down up to sixteen of your friends without consequence.
As reviews have noted, in GTA IV, you’re not the anonymous killing machine or paper-thin thug of most games. You’re Eastern European tough guy, Nico Bellic, and you’ve got a traumatic backstory, even. Method-acting gamers, rejoice: you’ve finally got motivation (so what if it’s hidden until twenty-odd hours into playing). You arrive in Liberty City dreaming of mansions, sports cars, and threesomes — and instead find an exaggerated caricature of New York, a crass hyper-capitalist joke, where Weazel News reports on the Jingoism Act, rich reality TV stars have rubies surgically implanted in their breasts, and there’s no shortage of dirty work for a fresh-off-the-boat murderer-cum-stunt-driver. The game’s New York is more stylized than realistic: A Coney Island of the dirty mind. It’s a great set-up, pocked with sharp satire, but thirty titty jokes and visits to the Cafe TW@ (get it: “twat!” ha!) later, the Godfather comparisons begin to seem downright bizarre.
Video-game players — and critics — want GTA IV to be everything at once: They want the story to be Moving and Important and Consequential in the manner of Coppola so as to defend their medium. Plus they want to fire rocket launchers from a motorcycle while drunk driving. It’s unlikely that this combination will ever quite work — not just because of the uncanny valley, but especially because the balance of action to narrative is tilted so heavily toward blowing shit up.
It’s a sure bet that more players will spend time crashing cars, playing darts, and killing strangers from Denmark in online multiplayer death matches than ever will actually finish the difficult missions required to complete the narrative. Games do things that no other medium can — and they shouldn’t apologize for doing them so well. And Rockstar makes games that are far more technically innovative than the films of any contemporary filmmakers (who are mainly refining 3-D graphics, not interface or narrative). The intuitive, brilliant radio network that changed gaming in GTA III is even richer here (where else would Karl Lagerfeld, Femi Kuti, and Green Lantern all DJ?) and the game’s deceptively simple cell phone interface is real-world elegant: It allows you to schedule dates, jobs, and murders — and must have other game designers kicking themselves from California to Tokyo.
There’s no reason to apologize for the fact that GTA IV can’t match the visceral humanity of Brando behind that leather desk, or De Niro on that rooftop — or to couch excuses in overreaching justifications. (It’s like the guys who used to say that if Shakespeare were alive today, he’d be a rapper — hip-hop never needed such overblown validation.) As a relatively young medium, videogames don’t have to get caught up in the high-brow, low-brow trap — and they shouldn’t. Games don't have to be as moving as The Sopranos or The Godfather; they can be as funny as Superbad or as fight-heavy as The Matrix. Or they can just do the hoodoo that they do so well — and forget about the comparisons. Before too long, we'll be reading reviews of novels and TV shows and films that say they aspire to the sandbox creativity, the liberating amorality, and the groundbreaking open-endedness of Grand Theft Auto IV. —Logan Hill
EVENTS
STARTING FRIDAY
• Spend some one-on-one time with Tim Quinn today at Saks Fifth Avenue. Quinn is one of the makeup artists behind Giorgio Armani’s beauty team and he's giving personal consultations today and tomorrow. He's warming up the floor for Giorgio, who will make a personal appearance on Monday, May 5. Call for an appointment. 611 Fifth Ave., nr. 50th St.; 212-940-2962; Fri (10-7), Sat (11-8).
• Izod is holding a Golf Fest! Taking place today and tomorrow, you’ll be able to experience demos from multiple gold brands like practicing on an electronic driving range, and more for a $15 entrance fee. Chelsea Piers, Pier 59, nr. 23rd St. and Hudson River; Fri (12-8), Sat (12-6).
SATURDAY
• Swim Fiesta, Saks Fifth Avenue's party to celebrate swimwear season, will have live music, tropical refreshments, informal modeling, and special raffles throughout the day. Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Ave., at 50th St. (212-940-2415); 1–5.
SALES
STARTING TODAY
• Dolce & Gabbana and D&G Resort's vibrant, beautiful clothes are discounted at the sample sale, with merchandise up to 70 percent off. So stock up on cocktail dresses, men's shirts, and sexy shoes. Through 5/4. D&G Showroom, 85 Spring St., nr. Broadway; 5/2 (9–6); 5/3 (10–6); 5/4 (11–5).
• Matt Berson's shoes from the current season as well as the fall are all $50 and under. Through 5/3. 434 Greenwich St., at Vestry St. (212-941-7634); cash only; 5/2 (noon–7) and 5/3 (10–8).
• The Shoe Box, which carries footwear brands like Jimmy Choo and Dolce & Gabbana, is taking 20 percent off all purchases this weekend at their three locations. Plus, they’ll donate an additional 10 percent to a charity of your choice, raising money for cancer research, breast cancer research, diabetes research, or the Autism Society. Through 5/4. Murray Hill—537 Third Ave., nr. 36th St.; 212-937-5750; Mon-Thu, 11am-9pm; Fri, 11am-8pm; Sat, 11am-7pm; Sun, noon-7pm. Upper East Side—1349 Third Ave., at 77th St.; 212-535-9615; Mon-Sat, 10am-8pm; Sun, noon-7pm.
• The French designers behind the April, May collection are putting their designs on sale for one day only. You’ll be able to scoop up dresses for up to 80 percent off as they clear out their spring collection. 611 Broadway, St. 613B; 212-421-6485; 9-6.
• Over 2,000 pairs of men’s shoes from To Boot New York are on sale sizes 7 to 13. Dress, casual, sandals, and boots will all be there for 40 to 80 percent off (starting at $59). Cash only. Through 5/4. 603 Washington St., nr. Leroy St.; 212-627-2720; Fri (8:30-6:30), Sat (10-6), Sun (12-5).
• Uniqlo is throwing another sample sale. Expect to find $20 cashmere and more starting today. Through 5/12. 546 Broadway, nr. Spring St.; 917-237-8800; Mon-Sat, 10am-9pm; Sun, 11am-7pm.
• Yoga-inspired jewelry from Satya is up to 80 percent off; the triple-charm necklaces were $128, but are now $35. Through 5/4. 95 Christopher St., at Bleecker St. (212-243-7313); 5/2–5/4 (10–6).
ENDING TODAY
• Saks Fifth Avenue is slashing prices for their online Design Sale, where you can now find 40 percent off select apparel, shoes, and handbags. Through 5/2.
• Candles (now $20), vintage-looking dresses (now $85), and breezy tops (now $40) are discounted by 60 to 80 percent at the Tocca sale. Through 5/2. 542 W. 22nd St., nr. Eleventh Ave., third fl. (212-929-7122); 11–7.
• The spring and summer collections from Olga Kapustina are up to 70 percent off, where you’ll find silk and jersey dresses with the slashed prices. Through 5/2. 161 W. 22nd St., nr. Sixth Ave., third fl.; Wed. and Thurs. (9–8), Fri. (9–7).
• If you like silk tops with jewel embellishments look no further. Tops and tunics from Prairie New York are marked down to wholesale prices and lower. Even jersey-silk dresses will be on sale. Through 5/2. 250 W. 39th St., nr. Seventh Ave., Ste. 406 (212-391-4700); Tues.–Fri. (11–7); cash only.
ENDING SUNDAY
• Miss Sixty, Sixty, and Energie clothes and accessories for men, women, and kids are 60 to 75 percent off; Miss Sixty's low-rise straight-leg jeans were $239 but are now $20. 260 Fifth Ave., nr. 28th St. (212-725-5400); 4/28–5/4; Mon.–Fri. (10–7); Sat. and Sun. (10–6).
• Cashmere from the Henri Bendel house label is 25 percent off. 712 Fifth Ave., at 56th St. (212-247-1100); Through 5/4 (Mon.–Sat. (10–8); Sun. (noon–7).
ONLINE
• The online boutique Karmaloop features all the latest streetwear designs. And now you can get the newest designers for less money. Take 20 percent off all online purchases by typing SE12554 at checkout.
Photo: Getty Images
54 More Women Accuse Bloomberg Firm of Bias [NYT]
Earlier: Bloomberg's Got Mommy Issues
Related: Baby Bust at Bloomberg?
When in comes to lip gloss, this Mortimer doesn't
mess around.Photo illustration: Getty Images, Courtesy of Dior
A full release about the event is after the jump.
Dior Beauty Ambassador Tinsley Mortimer will make a personal appearance at Saks NYC (611 5th Avenue at 50th Street) on Thursday May 15 to celebrate the launch of Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect in Tinsley Pink.The two-hour masterclasses (also featuring DiorShow Makeup Artist Ricky
Wilson) are by appointment only. Attendees can meet Tinsley and learn how to recreate her favorite day and night beauty looks using Tinsley Pink. In addition, a portion of the proceeds from the sales of Tinsley Pink will go to one of Tinsley's favorite charities, Operation Smile.Tinsley Mortimer PA at Saks Fifth Avenue: Thursday, May 15th
12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Masterclass Sessions - by appointment only
212-940-2181 to call to reserve*Between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., Tinsley will be greeting customers on the floor.
Related: Tinsley Mortimer Explains the Japanese Handbag Market
Photo: Getty Images
Zellweger Finds Proof: Renee Zellweger will executive produce Living Proof, an original movie for Lifetime. She wrangled her Chilled in Miami co-star, Harry Connick Jr., to play the lead: a doctor who develops a breast cancer drug and must fight to push it through drug trials so he can save the lives of thousands of women. Seriously Lifetime, just put this puppy on loop cause it don't get any better than this, ladies. [HR]
Mendes Mixes it Up: Maggie Gyllenhaal will replace Toni Collette in Sam Mendes's untitled relationship comedy, the one written by Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida, the one that might actually be funny. We can already imagine the McSweeney's version of the news: Other People or Things That Could Replace Toni Collette and An Open Letter to Maggie Gyllenhaal From Toni Collette's Old Trailer. [Variety]
Yune Asks a Ninja: Remember last week when you asked your brother about Rick Yune? You were all, "What's Rick Yune up to these days, I haven't seen him since he had that tiny part James Bond: Die Another Day." Even if you didn't do that last week, apparently the Wachowski brothers did; they've just cast him in their upcoming action movie, Ninja Assassin. As far as we can tell, Yune has two key ingredients that make a great ninja: (1) he's an Olympic-caliber Tae Kwon Do master, and (2) he's Asian-American. [HR]
Imperioli Seeing Ghosts: Michael Imperioli (Christopher on The Sopranos) misses his friends so much he's staging a mini-reunion by directing his script, The Hungry Ghosts, with a cast that includes fellow Sopranos alums Steven Schirripa and Sharon Angela. He plans to start shooting in New York if he ever gets to finish Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones. [Variety]
Regency Gets Dangerous: New Regency has picked up the rights to James Patterson's The Dangerous Days of Daniel X, the story of a conflicted teen who "yearns to discover secrets about himself" as he battles aliens. Presumably the secret he discovers is that James Patterson is kinda hacky. [Variety]
 eFluxMedia | Jimi Hendrix Sex Tape Branded Fake eFluxMedia - By Jane Ivory LA adult video company Vivid Entertainment claims to have in its possession a sex tape featuring rock legend Jimi Hendrix that it intends to commercialize, but the company that controls the rights to Hendrix’s music and likeness claims ... Jimi Hendrix company says sex tape not genuine Hendrix estate: 'Sex tape' is not genuine |
 Opelika Auburn News | Journalist, senator were an item Boston Globe - He was a prominent Republican senator from Massachusetts, married but a fixture on the Washington party circuit. She was a rising star in television news, twice divorced and the co-host of the "Today" show. Barbara Walters Reveals Affair with Sen. Edward Brooke Barbara Walters reveals past affair with US senator |
 The Associated Press | Uma Thurman 'freaked out' by accused NYC stalker The Associated Press - NEW YORK (AP) - Uma Thurman's hands shook slightly and her lips quivered as she told a jury about the bizarre card she received from her accused stalker. Uma Thurman Tells of Odd Card Left by Pursuer Real terror showed in Uma Thurman's eyes |
 The Associated Press | `American Idol' top boss: Paula Abdul isn't going anywhere The Associated Press - LOS ANGELES (AP) - For starters, Paula Abdul isn't going anywhere. "Why would we get rid of Paula?" wonders Cecile Frot-Coutaz matter-of-factly, when questioned about possibly nixing the wacky "American Idol" judge now infamous for - among other things ... Did Paula Abdul tarnish 'American Idol'? "Idol" slide continues after judge mix-up |
When asked about the reputation he has developed in his short time on the job as an entertainment chief who works closely with marketers, he said that’s due to the new generation of showrunners who are “friends” of advertisers.
That includes Tim Kring and Tina Fey, who head up popular NBC shows Heroes and 30 Rock, respectively, Mr. Silverman said.
“Tina Fey loves American Express. They have been inside 30 Rock, in the show. They have supported her through the Tribeca Film Festival,” he said. “Tim Kring enjoys his relationships with Nissan. He felt Nissan helped empower the growth of that show.”
It's not that anyone would really mind if Tina Fey was "friends" with her sponsors and "loved" them. 30 Rock itself has poked fun at the idea of artistic integrity in the world of TV comedy. And the excellent show has to pay the bills if it is going to survive.
It's just that Silverman statements about Fey and her sponsors are so clearly and aggressively exaggerated. Snarky Tina Fey super excited and pumped to "sacrifice some dignity" to support her show, as one commenter put it? Really?
Even if that were, somehow, true, Ben Silverman would be far wiser to keep it quiet, running, as it does, sharply counter to Fey's bankable image as something of an arch social commentator, at least as far as comic writers go.
[TV Week via TV Decoder]
It stung to hear the word; another version of it came up a moment later. Looking quickly at the image — Ms. Cyrus with her hair damp, her back bare, a sheet draped over her front — another Beacon sophomore looked not so much shocked as disturbed. “Is this who we’re supposed to be growing up to be?” asked the young woman. She wore sunglasses, a tight baby-T and short shorts over black leggings. “I don’t want to be that,” she said. “It’s sending a message that girls are supposed to be whores.”
Dressing sexy, as she and so many of her classmates do, was one thing. Dressing in bedding, seemingly otherwise unclothed, was apparently quite another: contemptible, an actual evocation of sex itself. It’s a paradigm about this generation of teenage girls that’s perplexing to anyone who’s aged out of it: They exude sexuality, even as they’ve internalized a language of shame and anger around it, a language that makes anyone who crosses some ever finer line of appropriate behavior a slut or a whore.
[Times]
To keep posting a healthy profit, the network realizes it has to stay nimble. After CNN scored some primary night ratings victories in January, Fox modified its election coverage, switching to the moniker “America’s Election HQ” from “You Decide 2008.” The network introduced a new 5 p.m. hour of political coverage starring two youthful anchors, and a weekend show called the “The Strategy Room.”
...Mrs. Clinton has been on Fox 10 times this year, and Mr. Obama has appeared seven times...
[Times]
(Fox images via Times)
She hasn't said anything about demons, but Pamela Anderson sure is exorcising a lifetime's worth of stuff. Perhaps a little bored out there in the 'Bu and wanting to clean house before...
Lex Luthor apparently feels ready to exercise his evil tendencies on a bigger stage than Smallville. The pre-Superman drama's producers have confirmed that Michael Rosenbaum, who has...
Jason Biggs got married faster than you can say "warm apple pie." The American Pie star and his actress fiancée Jenny Mollen eloped last week, tying the knot April 23 in an...
I love watching Deal or No Deal, but it drives me crazy when Howie says, "$100,000 is enough to change your life!" After taxes, won't the contestant only end up with half of that? Is...
Rosie O'Donnell is making waves in daytime television again. But this time, it's because someone likes her!
Rachael Ray has a tribute to O'Donnell planned for her show...
For a couple that seems to love attention, Posh and Becks are getting really good at eluding prying paparazzi eyes.
Apparently, Victoria celebrated her birthday with four parties, not...
It's been one thing after another for Cristián de la Fuente this week.
A North Hollywood woman claims the injured Dancing With the Stars contestant damaged her car on March 3,...
Photo: WireImage
But then she only played for 30 minutes! That's no way to reward people for sleeping outside for three days. So to thank them for their patience, we take a moment to honor some of the fans who showed up for the concert and let their freak flags fly.
Erica Gabriel, a 28-year-old makeup artist, waited through the night in line with friends. Once duly wrist-banded some time after 6 a.m., she returned home to prepare the elaborate, swooping hairstyle and “stewardess-Madonna-tricky-tranny look” that she sported early Wednesday evening — as she waited on line again to receive a second wristband. “Gays don’t camp out,” said one of Ms. Gabriel’s friends, as the group laughed, “but we’ll camp out for this.”
(Chris bristles at this comment because he's gay and he camps but we suspect that’s only because he’s from Maine and there’s nothing else to do there.)
“I had the time of my life tonight,” said Jeanrené St. Pierre, a fan club contest winner from Montreal who wore a “BOYTOY” necklace. “Of course it was worth it.”
We’re not really sure if Jeanrené is a boy or a girl. But we are sure it takes a special kind of person who can pull off a “BOYTOY” necklace. And last but not least…
“I’m not fanatical,” said Walter Sharpe, 36, an interior designer from Brooklyn. “But I do collect Madonna magazine covers, and I’ve got maybe 170 of them.”
—Noelle Hancock
For Madonna Fans, the Wait Is Worth It [NYT]
Angie Everhart's latest tangle is not so hot. The former model and Another 9½ Weeks star was charged Thursday with one count of driving under the influence stemming from her April...
Photo: Courtesy of New Line
Oprah: Then you fell in love with a woman! Were you as shocked as we were? Cynthia: I was pretty shocked, I have to tell you…But it kind of made my day. Oprah: Well, I’m not going to belabor this point but I think this is the first time I’ve seen you since this happened. And I heard that you met Christine, you fell in love and it didn’t matter to you whether she was male or female.
Cynthia: It didn’t.
Oprah: How does that work?
Cynthia: [flashes naughty grin] You haven’t met my girlfriend.
All righty then! —Noelle Hancock
Avery and Sacco, not at the hospital.Photo: Getty Images
Don't be the next subject of a sunburn stock photo!Photo: istockphoto
• Liz Earle Hand Repair is a light hand cream that actually penetrates deep, dry layers and smells like the spa. Plus, only a dab will do ya — a small tube lasts up to a month. [Bella Sugar]
MAKEUP
• Rather than splurge on a $500 dress in These Economic Times, shopaholics are instead indulging in $22 lipsticks, which is why lipstick sales go up during recessions. [NY Times]
• Revlon and Elizabeth Arden are losing money. Revlon’s first-quarter losses are a reported $2.5 million. They should really work on marketing those lipsticks. [WWD]
• The Tweezerman Folding Eye Lash comb sells for seven dollars, which is quite a steal for a gold-plated comb to freshen lashes. Thing is, it kind of looks like a Swiss Army pocket knife. Creepy. [Bella Sugar]
NAILS
• The new E.L.F. polish packaging is actually adorable. The bottles are designed to look like the paint is spilling out. Even more groundbreaking (if you consider nail polish packaging groundbreaking) they’re only a buck. [Daily Beauty Reporter/Allure]
FRAGRANCE
• Prada released three new fragrances to their Exclusives collection, stocked at the Prada boutiques. They’re in numerical order — No. 8 is Opoponax — a touch of bergamot, No. 9 is Benjoin — a bitter orange, and No. 10 is Myrrhe — a citrusy smell. We must say those are some of the more creative fragrance names we’ve heard in a while. [Now Smell This]
Photo: Getty Images
Rep. Fossella Arrested on Charges of Driving While Intoxicated [WP via Politico]
Glossy!Photo: Patrick McMullan
Realizing her fragile state, we gently eased into the interview with some light fashion chat about Japan, where her Samantha Thavasa handbag line is quite popular. Where did she hang out in Tokyo? "I have to say Harajuku. I go there and I buy my husband clothes," she said. "You know, we have a store there. I'm not really sure on the area. It's near Ralph Lauren. But I never really go out when I'm there because I'm just working, but oh my God — I love Harajuku." Then she really got chatty and before we knew it we were BFFs! "But the annoying thing is designing the same thing for two different markets," she continued. "Like clutches — Japanese girls have no use for clutches because they just go to the clubs right after work. They are so different from New York. Stylewise, colorwise, stylewise. It's very youth-oriented. I'm designing for women between the ages of 20 and 40." Well, girlfriend, we hope to still be clubbin' when we turn 40. "Me too!," she agreed. "But in Japan, after 25, it's like, basically, you're dead." Well at least now we know our new best friend won't be moving there any time soon. — Kevin Wilen
Photo illustration: Everett Bogue; Photos: iStockphoto (heaven, martini), Getty Images
But that's not the only hilarious on-set argument currently making news! Susan Sarandon — evidently upset over the way she was directed to play her character (Susie Salmon's grandmother) as a chain-smoking alcoholic — gave Bones this ringing endorsement at the Speed Racer premiere on Tuesday:
"I play the comic relief, an alcoholic grandmother — my first grandma — but she doesn't really seem like a real grandmother because she has a lot of hair and jewelery and nails and liquor. I don't think I ever talk without a cigarette and a drink in my hand... Peter Jackson is really a nice guy and very interesting. It was really a very different way of working. We had a good time, I'm really curious to see what it's like because he kept pushing me to be more and more extreme and sometimes that's when you make your big mistakes so I'm not sure how it will come off — it will be interesting to see it from the point of view of the audience.”
Yikes! As much as we're looking forward to Lovely Bones, we think we're actually more excited to see the making-of featurette on DVD's bonus disc.
Lovely Bones Hits A Snag [Flicks.co.nz via /Film]
Speed Racer Premiere Report [Empire]
Earlier: So How Is Peter Jackson's Script for ‘The Lovely Bones’?
Photo: AP
"I was completely freaked out. It was like a nightmare. It was scary," she told the court.
Thurman also said that when she told her family about the incident, Thurman's father revealed that he had gotten e-mail messages from Jordan, and that Jordan had also communicated with the actress's mother and brother.
"I felt a stone drop in my stomach," said the actress. "The idea that this had a history made it even more terrifying."
Jordan reportedly sat staring straight ahead or casting his eyes down during Thurman's testimony. She did not look at him while she testified, though her hands occasionally shook and her voice broke when she was asked a question about her children. People.com also notes that she was “not wearing any makeup.” So you know it’s bad! —Noelle Hancock
Uma Testifies on Stalker 'Nightmare' [People]
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records
The story is so great, actually, that we’ve already figured out the movie treatment. Cameron Crowe, are you listening?
Dennis Quaid plays a workaday music teacher with a wife and kids whose rock-star ex-bandmate (a long-haired, perpetually-stoned, playing-against-type Willem Dafoe) calls him up to re-form their old group. They're joined by down-on-his-luck Charlie Sheen, the onetime party-animal/Lothario drummer who’s now reduced to flirting with middle-aged housewives so they’ll hire him to perform as a clown at their children’s birthday parties.
At first, it's fun — especially the hilarious misunderstanding with aging groupie Goldie Hawn backstage at the first show — but then things get a little darker. Sheen’s character dropped out of the band way back in 1974 because of his drug problems, and addiction is again threatening to overtake him now that he’s back in the fast lane; meanwhile, family man Quaid is plagued by the thought that he might be falling in love with Stevie Nicks (played by Emmylou Harris), who joins the band on their tour. And worst of all, the rock-star lifestyle has taken Quaid away from the music students who count on him.
The film’s climactic scene is a loading-dock smoke-break conversation between Quaid and Dafoe as Quaid is faced with a choice between playing the band’s Big Concert and seeing his students play their Big Recital. Dafoe’s character admits he’d trade all the fame, fortune, glory, and cocaine for a family to spend Christmas Eve with, and Quaid bolts. In the end, of course, a sunglasses-wearing Dafoe and the rest of the band show up at Quaid’s school with their gear to play the recital’s encore (“Johnny B. Goode”). And in footage played over the credits, we see that Quaid’s place in the band has been taken ... by a beaming Tom Petty. —Ben Mathis-Lilley
Earlier this month in London.Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Imaxtree
Coney Island: What is it about Grand Theft Auto's IV's desolately wintry "Firefly Island," with its "Johnson's" hot dogs, parked school buses, "Firefly Theater," and "Beach Gate," that feels so familiar? Oh, duh! It's really Coney! [Kinetic Carnival]
Cooper Square: I am a wee wittle two-hundwed-year-old house tewwibwy afwaid that the big new gwassy hotel towewing over me is going to fall on my wittle, wittle head. [Lost NY]
Clinton: When Madison Square Garden said it was staying put recently, the deal to redo Penn Station and MSG kind of fell apart. But now developers Vornado and Tornado want to lure the stadium back by asking the state to back a $900 billion loan to get it built. [NYO]
Flushing: A new, 506-bed dorm planned for Queens College, traditionally a commuter school, will make it competitive with the Ivy League. The school says. [Queens Crap]
Harlem: Council speaker Christine Quinn and Harlem member Inez Dickens, who brokered the 125th Street–rezoning deal with the city, were lustily booed by locals at yesterday's council meeting ratifying the rezone. [NYDN]
Jackson Heights: An unsigned, stunningly homophobic letter against openly gay City Council candidate Charles Ober has stunned countless locals who received it...and brought Ober's opponent to his side in a show of solidarity. [ABC Local]
NoHo: Wow, a low-key, starchitect-free redo is actually happening at 45 Bond Street, amid all the condos with lap pools, Eva Scrivo glamour, and Schrager-Rosen collabs. How refreshingly anonyme! [Curbed]
Photo: Getty Images
Did you anticipate the kind of controversy your film would provoke?
Yes. People can't stand it when you deal with issues of race and class, and also sometimes the church, and you give a perspective that flushes out hypocrisy. For example, when you say to people who do drugs: "You're financing a heavily armed drug dealer. Don't act as if you have nothing to with the problem of violence in Brazil, because you do." That confronts them in a way they're not used to. So if you're that guy who likes to do a joint now and then and has to review this film for a newspaper, how are you supposed to take this? Either you look back and deal with your hypocrisy, or you dismiss it.
We understand that the film started out as a documentary.
Yes, it did. It was meant to complement my earlier documentary Bus 174, which was about how street kids and small time criminals become amazingly violent — and how the state makes them so by mistreating them in several different ways. And Elite Squad is about how cops become extremely corrupted and violent — and how the state does that, by mismanaging the police. They’re two sides of the same coin. After about one week of working on the documentary, I realized I wouldn’t be able to do it. The cops wouldn’t let me shoot it.
Do you regret that?
I don’t regret it at all, because controversy means debate, which brings awareness, and that’s good. Bus 174 also generated a lot of heated debate. After that film, I was labeled by some people as a communist, because they thought I was justifying the behavior of this guy on this bus. With Elite Squad, some people thought I was justifying the behavior of violent cops — so this time they called me a radical right-winger. I am none of these things.
Your film is premiering right around the time of the Sean Bell verdict here in New York. Has anyone made the connection?
I did get a question about it at one of the screenings. The question is whether the violence happens systematically, which is what happens in Brazil. I don’t think you have the same thing here. In New York, you don’t have eleven murders a day. Last year, in Rio alone, the police officially killed more than 1200 people, out of a city of eight million. There’s no comparison.
Will you ever go back to documentaries?
I am editing one right now, that I expect to be ready to submit to festivals within a month. When I shot it, two years ago, people told me that I was making a movie about something that was going to be solved, that it wasn’t worth bothering with. It’s a documentary about hunger. [Laughs.]
Would you ever consider going back and making the documentary that eventually became Elite Squad?
How can I make a movie about the violence of the police if the police aren’t going to let me film it? Besides, it’s too risky. I have a four year old kid who needs his daddy. Michael Moore would be dead within a week if he came to Brazil and tried to do the kind of shit he does here. –Bilge Ebiri
Et tu, Heidi?Photo: Courtesy of Bravo
EW.com has learned from two well-placed sources that Project Runway and its host Heidi Klum will move to Los Angeles for the series' sixth season, expected to premiere on Lifetime in November. The show's fifth season, which debuts on Bravo in July, will be shot in the Big Apple.
This could still work, right guys? LA's got tons of great fashion. Fred Segal, Intuition, Kitson … Oh, who are we kidding. The first challenge will be to design a tank top, and Speidi is going to guest-judge. —Amina Akhtar
Update: A Lifetime spokesperson thoughtfully let us know that the show is not completely moving to L.A. "Project Runway is NOT moving to LA, we are only splitting season six between NY and LA solely to accommodate Heidi Klum’s schedule and the show will return to NY for the seventh season." Everyone, commence breathing.
EW Exclusive: 'Project Runway' moving to L.A.
The happy couple in 2005, three years before they
started dating.Photo: Getty Images
The couple wed yesterday in a small ceremony on an island and it was "very impulsive," according to our source. The wedding was attended by a few close friends of the couple, including Da Brat.
Whaaaa? What "island" did they marry on? The island of Manhattan? The Post spotted Cannon buying her an engagement ring here in New York on Monday, and Mariah was in the city all weekend basking in the glow of the Empire State Building, which was pink in her honor. And didn't they just start dating this month?
Well, Perez Hilton has confirmed it, so it must be true. And who are we to judge Mariah Carey? She's had as many number ones as Elvis and nearly as many as the Beatles. We all know what that does to you…
Breaking Exclusive: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon Are Married! [Latina.com]
Molly Smith’s untitled (2007)Courtesy of KS ART
Photo: Ashley's MySpace
A handful of normally clueless, clued in club dudes ogled her as she sat very inconspicuously on the back of a banquette waving her arms and partying like a party girl. The worst kept secret in the joint distracted all save a few usually jaded cocktail beauties who ogled a very incognito Colin Farrell, as he chatted up regular joes in the club's Room 3.
We have calls out to the usual suspects to find out more dish, and Gawker is already offering money for pictures. (You know what might be an easier way to get an exclusive on her, Denton? Offering money for sex with her.) In the meantime, we hate to say it, but with the whole lawsuit thing, the new music manager, and the new publicist, it looks like it's official: Ashley's back!
DUM dum dum …
Sixteen Minutes Of Fame [Good Night Mr. Lewis]
Earlier: Ashley Dupré Comes Back Swinging
Speidi!Photo: WireImage
We would like you to know we can now die knowing we lived a full and vibrant life. Why, you may ask? Well, we're pleased to present you with two of the most coveted of all interviews, ever. Yes, we're talking about Hills power couple Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt. They positively radiated fame and success at the premiere party for Harold at 1 Oak last night and we were lucky enough to bask in their glorious glory. Just when we thought standing next to them couldn't get any better, we mustered up the courage to speak to them. And you know what? We found out they read us! They really do read us!! We hope you enjoy our moment with them as much as we did:
Spencer: You're with New York magazine? No, no way. You're the "fugly girls"?
New York: Are we the Fug girls? No, we're not the Fug girls.
Spencer: You're not those fugly girls? Because I'm not too happy with the fugly girls. They're mean, and they're disrespectful. They've got these … fashion girls — the fashion girls, they're fashion!
New York: Right, we know who they are. But no, we're not the Fug girls.
Spencer makes a move to retreat, and just when we think we've lost him, he turns back around!
Spencer: So what's up?
New York: Glad you asked! You're fresh from the White House Correspondents' Dinner in D.C. What did you do while you were there?
Spencer: We checked out all the, uh, the … sights. I don't know, we literally had, like, five hours.
New York: So you actually went to the dinner, right? We heard you skipped the dinner or weren't let in?
Spencer: We had the governor of Florida at our table! You really heard we didn't go?
New York: Yeah, that was the word on the street. But you went, and sat with the governor.
Spencer: We went, we stayed all through dinner, we had dessert. It was good.
New York: So, Heidi endorsed John McCain for the 2008 election. Are you endorsing anyone?
Spencer: She's definitely swaying my vote. I met his mother and his daughter. Did you know his mother is 97?
New York: We did know that. She's quite the firecracker for her age.
Spencer: Yeah — so cool! Heidi, it's New York magazine
Heidi Montag sidles up to Spencer. We somehow prevent ourselves from fainting.
Heidi: Hi, nice to meet you.
Spencer: We were just talking about John McCain. Since you endorsed him, are you volunteering or doing any work on his campaign?
Heidi: I just met Megan! I love Megan McCain!
New York: Are you having fun in New York?
Heidi: Yeah, it's good.
New York: Did you see the film?
Heidi: No, I was on David Letterman.
Of course she was, that little fabulous vixen! — Kelly O'Reilly
Photo: AP
For those of you who like your posts with a little more relevance and a little less booger talk, we also include Bush’s opening remarks, in which he makes reference to his daughter Jenna Bush’s engagement.
First, it’s good to be up here with the Super Bowl MVP, Eli Manning. We have a few things in common. (Applause.) We got some things in common. Eli has a father and a brother in the same business he’s in. (Laughter.) Sometimes the press are skeptical. (Laughter.) And he just survived a big wedding. So I asked him coming in, any advice? He said, I wasn’t father of the bride. (Laughter.)
Also, wait, who is that behind President Bush? Is Graydon Carter a third-string wideout for the New York Giants?—Noelle Hancock
Eli Manning MVP, Nose Picker [Douchebag Report]
Courtesy of St. Martin's Press
Sound like anyone you know? Somewhere, James Frey is thinking, Please let Janet Maslin review my novel.
Returning to the Past and Finding the Bogeyman Is Still There [NYT]
Earlier: James Frey's Courage Renewed by Norman Mailer, the Approval Matrix
Related: The Memory Addict [NYM]
From top: G-star, Chanel, PumaPhoto: Cannondale.com, Chanel, Puma.com
• For the urban rider: Bicycle-maker Cannondale collaborated with denim king G-Star to launch the Special Edition Raw, an 8-speed bike with tires that look like faux wood and a brown leather seat.
• For the luxury cruiser chick: Chanel released a limited-edition quilted bike for their Sport Collection last fall. It comes with a signature-quilted bike bag on the rear and a mega-comfy seat for easy riding. At $12,000 it's pricey, but it's Chanel, people.
• For Sporty Spice wannabes: Think your apartment can't fit a bike? Puma's limited edition bike collapses for easy storage. Plus, it glows in the dark and you can get matching clothes and handbags! Love. —Sharon Clott
Simon Doonan used to think politicians' wardrobes were off-limits. Pols are meant to be dowdy, he writes in the New York Observer. But lately, the increasingly bitter battle for the Democratic nomination has lead to a change of heart, as has the constant pestering by journalists who want commentary on Barack Obama's ties every 20 minutes. "Maybe those fashion-obsessed journalists are on to something. Maybe it would perk things up a bit to add a little stylish sizzle into the mix," he writes. So he fantasizes about rushing to Washington with a "U-Haul stuffed with this season’s high-fashion drag" to "Rachel Zoe" the political candidates and their spouses. Thanks to the magic of Photoshop, we've created mock ups of his vision:
From left: Hillary in Comme Des Garçons; Barack in Jean Paul Gaultier; and McCain in Lanvin.Photo illustrations by Everett Bogue; Photos: imaxtree, Getty Images
[W]hen she’s not working the Balenciaga, she could go all Japanese avant-garde with a little Comme Des Garçons.
Barack Obama:
The Clockwork Orange-inspired fall collection from Jean Paul Gaultier seems appropriate for the current brawl.
John McCain:
[A] little foppish Lanvin could soften his image and solidify those histrionic Gay Republicans.
Michelle Obama in Dior and Bill Clinton in Thom BrownePhoto illustrations by Everett Bogue; Photos: imaxtree, Getty Images
[T]he excesses of John Galliano’s Dior collection—especially that crazy Pat McGrath maquillage—would certainly put Ms. McCain on her guard.
Bill Clinton:
What could he possibly wear to complement his high-fashion co-conspirator? I’ve got it! And it’s American-made, too! Yes, I’m talking Thom Browne. The spank-me-I’ve-been-naughty perversity of Mr. Browne’s fall collection seems more than apropos.
Barackie O! [New York Observer]
Photo: Getty Images
"For me, it's kind of like vomiting. Not that film is like vomit, but more like this mass of ideas and thoughts that you have and just have to put them out there." —Harmony Korine on his filmmaking process [A.V. Club]
"Tony Stark is such a badass. He's got troubles, but he's even darker than Batman, because he's not a namby-pamby. Batman's crying all the time." —Simon Pegg on Iron Man [MTV]
"My sister inspired me to do it. She was throwing away loads of my pictures one day and I asked her why. She said 'it's not like they're going to be hanging in the Louvre." —Banksy on sneaking his artwork into the Louvre [Reuters]
"I've been offered a bit part in the Sandler movie — me and another well-known gay guy. That's the whole gag, one line. I think I have more life in me than being a side gag in an Adam Sandler movie." —Harvey Fierstein [AP via Yahoo]
Left, the "designer"; right, the "co-founder."Photo: Getty Images
And at a recent St. Jude Children's Research Hospital benefit at Roseland Ballroom, which raised $300,000 for cancer research and featured a Marchesa runway show, anyone who called Craig a designer was instructed to instead refer to her as co-founder, a source reports.Meanwhile, "Georgina's brother, Edward Chapman, Marchesa's chief executive, was backstage being very specific that Georgina is now to be called the designer of the company, but Keren is her co-founder, and not the designer. And boy, was that emphasized several times," said our insider.
The "insider" also told the paper the girls are "the best of friends," but Chapman is "wound a little tighter." However, a rep for Marchesa said that now that the label's getting so huge, it was time to define the relationship. Like Marc Jacobs and his better business half Robert Duffy — no one thinks Duffy is designing clothes. We guess Georgina wanted the same delineation.
Fashionistas Fine-Tune Titles [NYP]
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