But one can only commute to Jersey for so long, which is why Inciano joined more than 500 people Saturday to audition for season seven of NBC’s weight-loss reality show, The Biggest Loser, at the NBC Experience Store in Rockefeller Center. (Note to NBC: Next year, for sensitivity’s sake, please reconsider staging the auditions directly behind the rock-candy wall and past the five-tiered carousels of chocolate-covered Pop Rocks and bulk sweets.)

If you’re one of those who only admits to watching Frontline and select reruns of The Wire, a refresher: Loser sends teams of overweight contestants to a weight-loss ranch to compete in exercise and temptation challenges, which work sort of like a reverse eating contest. He who slims down the most wins $250,000. It’s like a combination of a serious, dramatic, Oprah episode (a contestant sobs as she must choose between her drinking buddies and a new rockin’ body) and an episode where Oprah gives everyone presents (last season, everyone went on a shopping spree with Tim Gunn!).

Despite New York's tendency toward the thin, Loser has done well here — season-three winner Erik hailed from West Islip — which may be why New York kicked off the twelve-city casting call. “People here know what they want and they’re determined to get it,” says casting director Tad Frank. “And that translates well on the show.”

That determination found Sue and Nancy Bregman, 26 and 24, from Long Island, camped out Friday night to be first in line for the auditions. For them, as for most of those in line, an appearance on the show is more of a last-ditch attempt for salvation in the form of a healthy weight than an attempt to launch a career of F-list celebrity. “It’s what we need,” said Sue. “We’re pretty desperate.”

A few spots behind the Bregmans were Bethany Hogue, 22, and Tanya Jackson, 24, best friends who drove down from Boston.

“It's hard with the fashion — people are always looking at you, judging you,” said Bethany.

“We want to rock some Prada!” said Tanya. “But all we get are muumuus.”

Frank revealed that the upcoming season of the show, which begins filming in September, will literally be bigger than ever. It’s returning to the “couples” format of season five, which featured pairs of friends, co-workers, spouses, and siblings. But instead of ten competing pairs, there will be twelve to fifteen. And rather than the usual three months on the ranch, contestants will spend five. That means Frank and his staff are looking for the heaviest batch of contestants yet; Frank speaks enthusiastically of a 700-pound man he’s recruiting for show. “He doesn’t need to show up to an open call,” says Frank. “He’s going straight to the next round.” —Kate Dailey

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 30 Jun 2008 | 10:15 pm

Michael Scott to Get Second Chance With Charming HR Rep

Ryan Goes Back to The Office: Amy Ryan has signed on for "at least five" more episodes of The Office as human-resources person Holly Flax, leaving Michael Scott ample opportunity to win her back with a mix CD and screw everything up again by hitting her with his car. [Variety]

Nike's BTTF Shoes Disappoint in Every Possible Way: Nike is finally making sneakers similar to the ones worn by Marty McFly in Back to the Future Part II, except they don't light up and don't lace themselves, and, thus, would look completely stupid on a hover board. [Wired]

Time to Upgrade Your Plastic Guitar and Drum Set: This morning, video-game company Harmonix announced a September release for Rock Band 2: The Opening Act, the second incarnation of the popular Guitar Hero competitor, leaving you about two months to find a larger apartment. [Kotaku]

Wall-E Easter Eggs: Further cementing Wall-E's Best Picture nomination are all the cool things Pixar's hidden in the background in the movie. /Film found a few. [/Film]

Is There Any Reason to Care About the Possible Looming Actors' Strike? Not yet! [Variety]

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 30 Jun 2008 | 10:00 pm

Jay-Z wins over doubters at Glastonbury (Reuters)

Reuters - The tents are packed up and most of the 140,000 music lovers have made their weary way home, but memories of this year's Glastonbury festival, and its headline act Jay-Z, are likely to linger.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 30 Jun 2008 | 9:59 pm

Al Green Makes Carnegie Hall His Love Church

We didn’t quite catch what came before it — the man’s a soul legend, not a trained public speaker — but Al Green wrapped up one of his asides to a packed Carnegie Hall audience Friday night with a reference to someone who once, apparently, “literally sang his pants off.” The reverend’s pants, shame on you for wondering, remained on, but he hit those high notes — you know the ones — like he had his mind trained on zapping off some other britches in the vicinity. From his anecdote he went into “I’m Still in Love You,” proclaimed “that feels good!,” and set grown women giggling.

Opener Diane Reeves started off the night, part of the JVC Jazz Fest, with a warm, wonderfully nuanced set punctuated by well-told stories (one involved recently running into a high-school crush — who was with his partner, Bill. But at least, Reeves said, he “recognized me from behind”). By comparison Green ran a bit hot, queuing up his hits, unfurling those falsetto ribbons, and letting the audience fill in choruses and other gaps while he peacocked: dropping to his knees, throwing off his suit jacket, stomping his feet, wrapping his arms around his chest, lavishing the front rows with single red roses — even gracefully shooting one up to the first balcony, where it was caught, just barely, in an equally graceful turn. It was a terrific show — not exactly an intimate wooing. How could it be, with everyone already lost in the man? And the journeyman of l-o-v-e knew it: “Y’all are sending too much love up here!” he exclaimed. Happily, of course. Al Green gladdened hearts, wasn’t breaking them — but we can’t help but wonder how he would have mended one, were he called upon to do it. —Nick Catucci

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 30 Jun 2008 | 9:30 pm

The Two-Timing Substitute Teacher With the Porn-Addict Friend

Once a week, Daily Intel takes a peek at what your friends and neighbors are doing behind doors left slightly ajar. Today, the Two-Timing Substitute Teacher With the Porn-Addict Friend: 30, male, Brooklyn, heterosexual, single.

DAY ONE
12:30 a.m.: After drinks with friends, I find myself extremely aroused. I call up Chloe, my "girlfriend" who I've been off and on with for a while. We haven't had the "girlfriend-boyfriend" talk. I ask to come over. She agrees. The bus ride over gives me a lot of time to think about what I want to do. I am ready to star in my own porn.
1 a.m.: She is geared and ready. (When we first started dating, we would tear each other's clothes off. Then we hit a dry spell. Now sometimes she's freaky; other times she's a born-again Christian majoring in celibacy.) Despite vodka, I'm able to hold myself up with my arms and get going.
1:10 a.m.: Reality sets in. On my back and her doing all the work. She seems game.

2 a.m.: My penis is effectively numb to the world from all the shots. Thoughts are racing through my head. Should I call 911? Is it broken?
11 a.m.: I wake up, surprised that Junior even has the energy to be up and at 'em in the morning, but he is. (Such a loyal soldier.) She is still asleep. She has a look on her face that says, "I'm never answering the phone past midnight again."

DAY TWO
2 p.m.: My parents brainwashed me that Sundays are the day of worship. Any sinful acts have to be repressed. That is cool when you are say, 8, but when you hit your thirties, it is hard to live by.
3:20 p.m.: Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. This woman bends over, and I can see her chest canal. You know, that tunnel which forms separating the breasts. That is such a beautiful sight. Internal conflict. It's Sunday.
5 p.m.: Chloe's. We get into a conversation about downstairs grooming. I offer to be her personal barber, as I have many times before. She lies down on some newspaper. Voilà! And yet my fear of Sunday sex is strong enough for me not to do anything. Chloe showers.
5:10 p.m.: Sharon, a former co-worker with a perfect body, calls. I am knee-deep in the friend zone with her. Calling to confirm a party I forgot about. Just the sound of her voice awakens Junior. I have had sex with her in my mind more than 1,000 times. Each time it gets better and better.
10:45 p.m.: At Brooklyn lounge party. Sharon arrives and I immediately want to jump on her, but I can't cause I'm in the FRIENDS' ZONE. Soooo distracting. I do not want my .004 percent chance of hooking up with her to be ruined by being caught looking at other women.
3 a.m.: We arrive at my place. She gives me a high five and leaves. That is the moment where I realize that my fantasies about this woman must end. I spend ten minutes recalling images of the lounge women. Sleep.

DAY THREE
6 p.m.: Friend's house. Out of the blue, he puts on some porn. See, I have no issue with porn. I have seen it before. He is addicted to it. This man has porn sorted by categories. He stores them in duffel bags. He has a New York Giants duffel bag that is for his anal-sex DVDs. He has a black book bag, which houses his squirt videos. He has two other duffel bags for big-chested woman and large booties.
6:10 p.m.: Ten minutes into the porn I'm already bored, and he keeps rewinding certain scenes and raising the volume. This is not the first time he has "porned" me. We could be doing anything, playing Madden, watching television, listen to music, or just talking about life and out of nowhere a porno is on.
8:30 p.m.: Phone. Janet. A woman I met her during an "off" period with Chloe. She's my dream woman on the outside. She is career-driven, very independent, and sexy as all hell. However, she has no plans ever to have children. Nor is she a fan of marriage. Those feelings are cool for now, but in the future that will be a enormous problem. So, in my dealings with her, I try not to get too attached.
10:20 p.m.: I'm in Janet's car. We are heading toward the local park. We chat for a little bit, but somehow, someway the talk always leads to sex.
10:30 p.m.: In the car at the park. If it were possible I'd tell her to get her mouth trademarked.
11:15 p.m.: I want to reciprocate, but she won't let me. In retrospect, I think that was a wise decision, because ten minutes later the sandman begins to whip my tail.

DAY FOUR
10 a.m.: Several e-mails from Janet. The majority are articles that she found on the Web and thought I'd find interesting; however, there is one personal note. She wants to see me on Thursday, in order to finish where we left off. I am willing; however, it all depends on the time. NBA.
6 p.m.: I go to visit Chloe. We just hang out. I am exhausted.

DAY FIVE
5 p.m.: En route to Chloe's place. I have great sexual things planned for us tonight. I am hoping she is in the mood. There is nothing sexier than Chloe reaching her peak. I am envisioning that throughout my entire commute.
5:45 p.m.: Chloe's not home. I make dinner.
6:18 p.m.: Chloe comes in. I've known her for so long, and she still gets me aroused just by being in the room with me, whether she's naked or fully clothed.
10:30 p.m.: Chloe and I have spent the entire night talking and watching television. Junior was up the majority of the time, which is normal in her presence. The sandman is knocking at my door. We kiss and both hit the sack.

DAY SIX
7:45 a.m.: Chloe and I are up and about to leave the house. She is not in a great mood. I am, because I got to see the twins before my commute.
12:30 p.m.: Several e-mails from Janet. She wants to confirm our romp for tonight. I tell her tentatively yes. We are to meet at 9 p.m. (I am willing to sacrifice the first quarter, or even the first half, of the game.)
7:15 p.m.: I'm watching Jeopardy, and Chloe comes in and begins to perform oral sex on me. It came out of nowhere. There I am trying to solve Greek philosophers for $800, and now I'm understanding the meaning of life.
7:22 p.m.: As I finish, so does all motivation to meet up with Janet later.
7:50 p.m.: As per my fantasy the day before, watching Chloe reach her peak, I return the favor to her. She had two orgasms. I have done my job. All I need to do was pound on my chest and swing on a vine to ensure my manhood.
8:58 p.m.: Janet! I hurry to the phone and call her. She does not pick up. I leave a very white-lie-laden voice mail. She calls back. I don't answer. By not picking up, it bolsters my W.L.L.(White Lie Laden) voice mail.

DAY SEVEN
3:30 p.m.: No weekend plans yet. I know I want some type of sexual contact. Call Chloe and e-mail Janet. Neither one has responded as of yet.
4:15 p.m.: Chloe returns my call. She and some friends are going to be hanging out tonight. There goes that plan.
5 p.m.: Janet returns my e-mail. She wants us to hook up tonight, around nine. I am down with that until she says that she wants me to spend the night. See, staying at Chloe's is one thing — I've done it before and am very comfortable with it — Janet, well let's just say, I'm not as comfortable. I tell her I'll call her later.
7 p.m.: I go by my friend's house, the porn guru. We were watching an interesting flick. It's this huge guy and a midget. It's like watching a car accident. You don't want to see the carnage, but you really can't stop looking.
9:03 p.m.: Janet calls and wants to know the verdict for our plans. I punk out, say I'm helping my friend move.

Totals: One act of intercourse; two acts of fellatio, one from "girlfriend" and one from "woman met during 'off' period with 'girlfriend'"; one act of cunnilingus; one act of trimming woman's hair; two pornos watched with porn-addict friend; one act of masturbation to fantasies of Brooklyn lounge women.

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

OMG, Have You Seen Galliano’s Spring ’09 Menswear?!

Paris Men's Fashion Week ended yesterday, and we're updating our runway slideshows faster than you can say "couture." Below are links to some of our latest. Please, please do yourselves a favor and look at John Galliano's in its entirety.

Menswear Spring 2009
Dior Homme
John Galliano
Hermès
Miharayasuhiro
Ann Demeulemeester
Emanuel Ungaro
Smalto
See all the menswear shows!

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 30 Jun 2008 | 9:20 pm

Inner Beauty Radiates in ‘Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters’

Criterion always produces beautiful DVD packages, but this new box is one of their most stunning yet: a riot of gold lacquer and hot pink, blazing flowers, and chilly black-and-white. In other words, the design and booklet—including an excellent essay by Kevin Jackson—are every bit as wild and neon-nutso as the project itself: Paul Schrader’s extraordinary, lavishly impressionistic tribute to the Japanese auteur Yukio Mishima.

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 30 Jun 2008 | 9:00 pm

Beth Israel Doctor Dies After Seventeen-Story Fall

Douglas Meyer, 44, fell to his death early this morning at Beth Israel Medical Center, reports the Post. Police are calling the seventeen-story plunge an apparent suicide — he seems to have fallen from a Baird Hall balcony at 350 East 17th Street. A hospital spokesman denied a rumor that he had recently been fired; in fact, he was on duty in the hospital's division of digestive diseases this morning. He was scheduled to perform an endoscopy right around the time he died. His body was found by a security guard.

DOCTOR DIES IN APPARENT SUICIDE AT BETH ISRAEL [NYP]

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 30 Jun 2008 | 8:55 pm

Music Review: 50 Cent rejoins G-Unit (AP)

AP - G-Unit, "T.O.S.: Terminate On Sight" (G-Unit/Interscope)

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 30 Jun 2008 | 8:47 pm

New Franz Ferdinand Song Will Delight Fans of Old Franz Ferdinand Songs

1. Franz Ferdinand, "Katherine Kiss Me" (live)
Onstage at Glastonbury yesterday, Alex Kapranos & Co. debuted the presumed first single from their upcoming third album, which sounds not unlike all the singles from their previous two albums (in a good way). [Stereogum]

2. Saul Williams, "World on Wheels"
As you'll recall, Williams's The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust was released last fall as a free (er, pay-what-you-want) download. Now, to convince fans to purchase the physical album, he's releasing it with five bonus tracks available only on CD. Well, four now, we guess. [Pitchfork]

3. U2, "Happy Birthday" (Stevie Wonder cover)
On Friday night, Bono and the Edge ditched their rhythm section and played Stevie's MLK tribute at Nelson Mandela's 90th-birthday party. As you might expect, this MP3 is awesome. [Scatter o' Light]

4. Mötley Crüe, "The Animal in Me"
The animal in Mötley Crüe should probably be put out of its misery. [Local Vertical]

5. Doveman, "Footloose" (Kenny Loggins cover)
Doveman's brand of whispered melancholy isn't for everyone, but we're guessing that his next album — in which he remakes the entire Footloose soundtrack as a tribute to a good friend's deceased sister — might net him a few more fans. [Resonator Magazine] —Ehren Gresehover

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 30 Jun 2008 | 8:45 pm

Heidi Montag: Christian Music Star?

The "Hills" starlet claims to be drug-free, drama-free and uber-religious.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 30 Jun 2008 | 8:36 pm

Boudicca’s Strange New Fragrance Campaign; O.P.I.’s New Hues

FRAGRANCE
• The campaign for Boudicca's new fragrance, Wode, is meant to mimic graffiti. Only, instead of painting a building, they spray blue stains onto a woman, who winds up looking like she's splattered in bright blue blood. You just have to see it… [Sassybella]

NAILS
• O.P.I. partnered with Sephora to create a line of 54 colors called Sephora by O.P.I. for $9 a bottle. Run With It, a blend of gray, violet, and khaki, is a favorite so far. We see the gray and khaki, but we're not so sure about the violet. [Beauty and the Blog/Sephora]

• Speaking of O.P.I., the brand's new fall line is inspired by France. The new royal-purple is called Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not, and a rich burgundy is called Bastille My Heart. How unexpectedly gruesome. [Blogdorf Goodman]

MAKEUP
• This girl tried to apply eye makeup without brushes and, uh, it did not come out looking so well. Lesson learned. [BellaSugar]

SKIN
• The pitch: Dr. Hauschka's 73-year-old line of skin-care products are said to be the first to really capture the green-cosmetics market and pave the way for future green-minded cosmetics companies. And we thought "going green" never got old. (Zing!) [NYT]

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 30 Jun 2008 | 8:35 pm

Dwarf Pimp Busted in Bed-Stuy

Bedford-Stuyvesant: Weird and sad: A female dwarf pimped a 15-year-old runaway out of her apartment here. Said a neighbor: "I didn't know she was a pimp, but I'm not surprised." Because little people have that pimp-y look sometimes, right? [WCBSTV]
Chelsea: There's a new, British manager at the Chelsea Hotel, but insiders don't think he stands a chance under the famed inn's also fairly newish corporate management. [Living With Legends]
Coney Island: An inspector sent in by the Post said that amusement rides here (especially the Swingout, the Ring of Fire, and the Scrambler, people!) on property owned by Coney developer Joe Sitt are so dangerous they should be shut down — even though the rides passed city inspections. [NYP]

East New York: At least seven groups are putting up bids up to $1 billion for the affordable-housing complex Starrett City, including one run by former Met Mo Vaughn. Whoever buys the complex will have to keep rents low. [Crain's NY]
Times Square: The producer of Altar Boyz says that when he called a lady at the Times Square Alliance to ask about the holdup on the fancy new TKTS booth, she hung up on him. But now they're saying maybe it'll be ready to open by summer's end. [Gothamist]
West Village: Malcolm Gladwell, you already own a nice apartment in a cute old townhouse on Bethune Street, and now you go and buy another one for $1.5 mil in a cute old townhouse on Bank Street! Your Village realty spending has reached the tipping point and is now fully out of control! [NYO]

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 30 Jun 2008 | 8:00 pm

Artist Ming Fay Says Try the Monkey Brains

While galleries around town are hanging bright, blooming summery things like theatrical watering cans and wild petals, the folks at Lesley Heller Gallery uptown have outfitted their garden through July 11 with globular, oozing objects created by Ming Fay out of urethane foam and paper pulp. Fay says his art represents a metaphorical garden of a man’s mind. Here, Monkey Pot, all ick and gore, seems to be more specifically referring to the garden of Steven Spielberg’s mind: We’re seeing the chilled monkey brains he fed Kate Capshaw in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Ah, dessert. —Emma Pearse

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 30 Jun 2008 | 8:00 pm

Music Review: Vanessa Hudgens new CD 'Identified' (AP)

AP - Vanessa Hudgens, "Identified" (Hollywood)

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 30 Jun 2008 | 7:59 pm

The Curious Case of the July Issue of ‘Harper’s Bazaar’

Something's fishy in the July issue of Harper's Bazaar, and it's because of Estée Lauder's new fragrance, Sensuous. It's not that the perfume itself smells bad — it's that the magazine devoted 40 editorial pages and the cover to the stars of the new Sensuous campaign, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hilary Rhoda, Elizabeth Hurley, and Carolyn Murphy. Though there are no Estée Lauder ads in the July issue, the company is a major advertiser for the magazine, and ads are scheduled to run in the fall.

John Demsey, a group president at Estée Lauder Companies, got the idea to feature all four campaign stars in one magazine and pitched the feature to Bazaar because of its "Fabulous at Any Age" section (Rhoda is 21, Hurley is 43 — so it makes sense). Bazaar went for it because Gwyneth Paltrow sells and, in case you haven't heard, the economy isn't exactly rocking for mags with ad pages to sell. The fragrance industry is struggling as well, so a hard push like this is good for them too. And now they're getting even more free publicity. Everybody wins, hm?

A Cover, 40 Pages, 4 Faces and One Perfume [NYT]

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 30 Jun 2008 | 7:45 pm

Pre-‘Milkshake’ Day-Lewis in Blu-Ray ‘Gangs of New York’

Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York has split critics and fans, since it’s both spectacularly awful (Cameron Diaz) and incredible (Daniel Day-Lewis). But any city dweller has got to love his insanely detailed rendering of New York’s nastiest era, showcasing the teeming nineteenth-century bedlam of downtown’s Five Points. Now on Blu-Ray, the movie, with all its layers of detail, is just as powerful as it was on the big screen. And Scorsese himself tells how he pulled it all together.

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 30 Jun 2008 | 7:30 pm

Seth MacFarlane and Google to Revolutionize Web Video With Annoying Targeted Advertising

Seth MacFarlane and Google have forged a new partnership set to make the Family Guy creator the most powerful man in Web video, save for Tay Zonday and that "Evolution of Dance" guy. In September, MacFarlane will debut a new project called Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy, a series of 50 two-minute animated clips (think "animated versions of the one-frame cartoons you might see in The New Yorker, only edgier," says MacFarlane) to be shown on predetermined Websites in Google's AdSense network. The videos, which will allegedly play only when clicked on, will be preceded by paid ads (no word yet on who, exactly, the advertisers are, but they're supposedly responsible for some of the largest deals in AdSense history).

The deal marks a bold first step for Google into the distribution of original content, will certainly be the first profitable Web-video venture in history, and could possibly upend the business models of all other entertainment-delivery platforms. And, in September, when you're rifling through your Web-browser tabs, trying to figure out what the hell is making that stupid noise, it'll probably be Seth MacFarlane's fault.

Google and Creator of ‘Family Guy’ Strike a Deal [NYT]

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 30 Jun 2008 | 7:15 pm

Private High Schools’ Secret Shame

Something is rotten at Dalton. This year for the first time in memory, not a single student at the prep school is going to Harvard. One student did not get into even Duke! And reportedly the school encouraged one student to go apply at — and do not read on if you are faint of heart, okay? — Syracuse. TRUE STORY.

And it's not just Dalton.

“Most people I know are not going to their first-choice schools,” says one Horace Mann grad who was admitted to Cornell University only as a guaranteed transfer sophomore year, and will attend Syracuse in the fall. “A lot of my friends who expected Ivies are ending up at Tulane and Vanderbilt instead.”

Tulane! Vanderbilt! They might as well go to the University of My Balls, out in the Ozarks! And to think: Little Lukasz Zbylut, son of Polish immigrants, got into practically all the Ivies and is going to Harvard in the fall. How is that possible?

"The Ivies are reaching out for a diverse economic background—even home-schooled students are becoming more of a thing,” says one guidance counselor at a private school in Manhattan. "The Ivies are still good to legacies [children of alumni] if their alums have been good to them. But it’s getting harder for private school students because it’s getting fairer for the rest of the world."

Outrage! Commie bastards! So what are private schools even for if not for giving overprivileged and unintelligent children a leg up on gifted Polish nerds? Has the affirmative-action program* in which the rich have long partaken run its course?

Not totally.

Another frustrated parent says she “had to use personal connections” to get her Dalton-educated daughter … into Johns Hopkins this fall.

Yeah. The Zybluts of the world can take away some of the rich's advantages, but they will not take away their freedom to network!

Private School Rejects [Page Six Magazine]

*Money = Yes

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 30 Jun 2008 | 7:15 pm

Lyle Lovett Excites Profligate Heedlessness in God-Fearing Crowd

“That was the first time a Lutheran has made an exclamatory remark,” Lyle Lovett drily observed at the Beacon Theatre last night, after a woman in the audience loosed a howl of approval during his recounting of growing up in that church. As he weathered on about his childhood Sunday rituals, another shout filled the air. “You must have converted to the Baptist Church!” he replied. Such was the spirit, and Lovett's easy charm, during this gospel-heavy two-and-a-half-hour set, which was supported by a ten-person choir known as Junior Fountain and God’s Generation. Inspirational opener “Church” had the bowlegged Lovett standing, clapping, and raising his hands to the ceiling; later, he entered darker blues territory with “Rise Up/Ain’t No More Cane,” climbing registers over the course of seven minutes. But Lovett didn’t forget about the agnostics in the audience: He ditched the soul-mongering midway through the evening, easing into laid-back country fare with oldies like “Cute As a Bug” and “That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas).” Lovett’s even delivery and twinkle-eyed sense of irony made the transition a remarkably smooth one. It was, however, Sunday, so the preacher man in him brought it all home in the final encore with a clap-along, shout-out-loud “I’m a Solider in the Army of the Lord” that doubtlessly pleased Lutherans and unrestrained Baptists alike. —Michael D. Ayers

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 30 Jun 2008 | 6:45 pm

Elderly Male Models Storm the Spring ’09 Runways

Hey fellas! Is your skin not so taut? Is your hair turning gray? Have you lost that pep in your step but not in your spirit? Well, modeling may be the career for you! Designers in Paris went gaga over older guys when casting their spring '09 shows. Yohji Yamamoto started the trend casting a handful of men over 60, one of whom, as we delightfully noted, appeared to "slightly drag a leg," for his Paris show last week. Ann Demeulemeester picked up where Yohji left off, sending ten elderly gentlemen out on the runway. And agnès b.'s show kicked off with a cheery, aging chap playing the flute. We can't wait to see what Karl Lagerfeld and John Galliano have planned for the couture shows (which start today), but topping these castings isn't going to be easy. Perhaps Robert Redford is available?

Related: Adorable Old Men Walk in Yohji Yamamoto’s Show
Ann Demeulemeester Menswear: Spring 2009 Slideshow
Yohji Yamamoto Menswear: Spring 2009 Slideshow

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 30 Jun 2008 | 6:45 pm

Down-to-earth superstar is thankful

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 30 Jun 2008 | 6:40 pm

Robert ‘Uma’s Dad’ Thurman Fantasizes About Being Breast-fed by Dick Cheney

This weekend, Times questioner Deborah Solomon looked to Buddhist expert and official Friend of the Dalai Lama Robert Thurman for answers. Below are our favorite three:

As a Buddhist, how do you reconcile your pacifism with the roles your daughter Uma has played in films like Quentin Tarantino’s bloody “Kill Bill”? Quentin is kind of obsessed, he’s a wild guy. But he is very brilliant. We trust that his motive is to show people the foolishness of violence rather than to glorify it. I hope that’s true.

What do you think about when you meditate? Usually, some form of trying to excavate any kind of negative thing cycling in the mind and turn it toward the positive. For example, when I am annoyed with Dick Cheney, I meditate on how Dick Cheney was my mother in a previous life and nursed me at his breast.

You mean you fantasize about being breast-fed by Dick Cheney? It’s a fantasy of releasing fear and developing affection. It’s a way of coming back to feeling grateful toward him and seeing his positive side, finding the mother in Dick Cheney.

Go ahead. We challenge you to get that image out of your head. Try imagining Harrison Ford having sex with Calista Flockhart. That might help.

Questions for Robert Thurman: Seeing the Light [NYT]
Update: Columbia's Bwog has created a visual for your viewing terror.

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

Now That George Lucas Thinks About It, ‘Indiana Jones 4’ Was Sort of a Dumb Idea

"I mean, why do we have to make another Indiana Jones? There was no point to it, other than, gee, this might be fun." —George Lucas [NYT]

"Well, he'll meet the people of the crust to which he ought to become accustomed. He'll make connections, hopefully. Find out where to invest after I'm gone." —Matthew Broderick on taking his 5-year-old son to the Hamptons [LAT]

"I'm the Prime Minister, for real. I run things. I am the streets. If anybody tells you differently, they lying." —Young Jeezy on his new mix tape, The Prime Minister [MTV]

"During the years [in which The Wackness is set], I was off in Europe with Steven Spielberg filming Schindler's List. I was off in Paris with Death and the Maiden. I came to hip-hop fresh." —Ben Kingsley [NYP]

"I play a fetish club promoter, who's a bisexual Oxycontin addict with a Mohawk — I just roll out of bed and the shoe fits." —Jason Bateman on his role in the upcoming State of Play [NYDN]

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 30 Jun 2008 | 6:00 pm

Who Is Kanye West’s Mystery Fashion Friend?

Do the folk who attended the men's shows in Europe not find Kanye West exciting anymore? The rapper and ubiquitous fashion scenester made the rounds in Paris for the men's shows searching for inspiration for his own fashion line. But perhaps he was a little too ubiquitous — he wasn't even asked for an autograph at the Dior Homme show yesterday. And Cathy Horyn had more to say in her blog about West's friend than West himself when she spotted them at the Comme des Garçons show:

West has been hitting the shows with a guy whose outfit is fascinating. It consists of many boxy layers finished off with an athletic hood and a brimmed cap on top of it. With all the angles and colors, he looks vaguely Cubist.

Yes, that would be Cubist as in the revolutionary art movement started by Pablo Picasso in the twentieth century — Kanye's hanging with cultured crew. Though the wire services missed the Comme des Garçons shows, we did dig up the photo at left of West and a fellow who appears to match Horyn's description of this "fascinating" friend. Could this be the Cubist wonder? Since we're not going to win Hip-Hop Jeopardy over here anytime soon and Google only does so much, we're unable to put a name to his face. Perhaps he's not famous at all? Or perhaps one of you can help us identify him?

Your Sister’s Dress [On the Runway/NYT]

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 30 Jun 2008 | 5:50 pm

Jann Wenner Shopping ‘Us Weekly’ to Condé Nast for $750 Million

MEDIA
• Charlie Rose was wrong when he asked Jann Wenner if he's contemplating selling Rolling Stone to Condé Nast. What the TV host meant to ask was if Wenner is trying to flip Us Weekly to the brass at 4 Times Square. [NYP]
• Bonnie Fuller has created a company called Bonnie Fuller Media, a start-up focused on digital media that will be a mix of gossip, fashion, and romance. "I like the idea of blue sky," Fuller says about starting over. "It will be fun to make something brand new." [NYT]
• Only in America: Buzz Bissinger has gotten job offers since his Costas Now meltdown. [Deadspin]

FINANCE
• Rumors were swirling that UBS was going to sell off the Paine Webber division of its firm, but the bank says that no major parts of its business are on the chopping block. [MarketWatch]
• A Chinese hedge-fund manager is picking up the tab for a meal with Warren Buffett — to the tune of $2 million. Zhao Danyang bought the dinner as part of a charity auction for Glide, a San Francisco nonprofit. [NYT]
• Was Bear Stearns murdered? [VF]

REAL ESTATE
• Wait! What's this we hear? The Manhattan rental market is cooling and landlords are actually offering … incentives? [NYT]
• Mayor Bloomberg's next mission is overhauling senior centers around the city, which he feels are outdated and inefficient. [NYT]
• The Dakota versus 15 Central Park West. [NYT]

LAW
• Sullivan & Cromwell junior associate Brian Frye's work was cited in Justice Scalia's Heller opinion. [Law Blog/WSJ]
• Break bread with the president of Pakistan's Supreme Court Bar Association, who is visiting the Big Apple this week. [NYC Bar]
• U.S. News and World Report is considering revamping its law-school ranking methods. [Above the Law]

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 30 Jun 2008 | 5:47 pm

'WALL-E,' 'Wanted' Team up as $100 Million Duo

Pixar's 'WALL-E' wins weekend box office with $62.5M, Jolie's 'Wanted' captures $51.1M
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 30 Jun 2008 | 5:46 pm

Pamela Anderson Slams Jessica Simpson for Meat T-Shirt

Vegetarian and PETA spokeswoman Pamela Anderson slammed Jessica Simpson on an Australian radio show for wearing a "Real Girls Eat Meat" T-shirt.
Source: FOXNews.com | 30 Jun 2008 | 5:42 pm

Comics Honor Carlin as Kind, Not Crass

Bill Maher and Garry Shandling paid tribute to Carlin at his memorial service.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 30 Jun 2008 | 5:42 pm

Amr Diab

Egyptian singer Amr Diab performs in 2002. Arab singers will boycott a music festival in Jordan next month over claims it is being set up by the same company which organised Israel's 60th anniversary celebrations...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 30 Jun 2008 | 5:31 pm

Totlol: Share Beloved and Obscure Short Video

Just in time for the summer doldrums, along comes this new Veoh-like site to keep him—and the baby—entertained for hours with videos snatched from around the Web by parents and kids. Along with the Yo Gabba Gabba gems, a hilarious Pat and Stan version of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” and other domestic products, you'll find obscure animations from Brazil, Russia, and elsewhere. Stack up some viewing hours by subscribing to collections, building a faves list, and sharing picks.

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 30 Jun 2008 | 5:30 pm

Luciano Pavarotti

The estate of Luciano Pavarotti, seen here in 2005, has been settled "fairly," a lawyer said in an interview published Monday after reports of a dispute between the opera legend's second wife and three...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 30 Jun 2008 | 5:18 pm

Pop Tarts: Hilary Duff Survived Scorpion Down Her Pants

George Clooney’s former flame Sarah Larson may have caused jaws to drop when she ate a scorpion on 'Fear Factor,' but we think Hilary Duff was even more daring by putting the deadly creature down her pants while filming the futuristic flick 'War, Inc.'
Source: FOXNews.com | 30 Jun 2008 | 5:15 pm

Producer-Actor's Union Negotiations Continue on Broadway

Although the deadline has passed, negotiations on a new contract between the actors' union and Broadway theater producers are continuing, both sides said Monday.
Source: FOXNews.com | 30 Jun 2008 | 5:03 pm

Comme des Garçons Partners With Louis Vuitton!

Save up some vacation time and cash this fall for a trip to Tokyo, because that's where the pop-up shop to end all pop-up shops will be popping up. Comme des Garçons and Louis Vuitton will open a store together for three months starting in September, where they'll offer six bags designed by Rei Kawakubo in Vuitton's signature monogram pattern. Kawakubo approached Louis Vuitton about the collaboration, and they obviously were into it; Louis Vuitton's chairman and chief executive, Yves Carcelle, sees the partnership as a great way to celebrate Vuitton's 30th anniversary in Japan.

You and we are not the only ones excited about this — Marc Jacobs is, too! "It is impossible to overstate Rei Kawakubo's influence on modern fashion," he said in a statement. "I find it wonderful to think that 30 years ago, this immense talent, someone who has inspired so many others, was inspired by Louis Vuitton." If you can't afford both the trip to Tokyo and a new bag, at least make sure you hustle over to H&M when Comme des Garçons' line launches there in November. See? There's truly some Comme for all.

Comme Together [British Vogue]
Comme des Garcons partners with Louis Vuitton [IHT]

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 30 Jun 2008 | 5:00 pm

Joy Bryant Hates Your Manolos

In advance of the big Christie Brinkley–Peter Cook divorce trial starting Wednesday, Diana Bianchi, the woman whose confession of an affair with Cook sparked the split, was spotted breakfasting with her lawyer at Maidstone Arms in East Hampton. Actress Joy Bryant (Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins) was married at a private home in Amagansett and, on the invite, told the ladies to "leave your Manolos at home."

Southamptonites are balking at their neighbors' noisy, car-choked fund-raisers. East Hamptonites are balking at the Ross School's planned tennis courts, saying the school really wants to run a commercial tennis establishment. Christine Ebersole and her pianist, Billy Stritch, performed at the ceremonial reopening of the arts center Guild Hall. Matthew Broderick jokes (we think) that he sends his son to Amagansett so he'll meet folks to tell him where to invest someday. A onetime fancy-ass Southampton Realtor got six years in the federal clink for uploading child porn so awful that "most child pornographers would be disgusted" by it, said the prosecutor. Florida governor and potential vice-presidential candidate Charlie Crist weekended recently at the Hamptons home of Real Housewives of New York City's dulcet-voiced Jill Zarin (author of this brilliantly flatly written Hamptons blog), because she and Crist's girlfriend are really close. Liesl Schillinger likens Dan Rattiner's memoir In the Hamptons to Joe Mitchell's classic Up in the Old Hotel, and calls the trashier How the Other Half Hamptons, about people in a Quogue share house, "silly but devourable." The GM of Nick and Toni's says stars come there to be with one another, but also "for the laid-back atmosphere and the rustic, simple food." Back to pretrial Brinkley: She "flashed a stunning carefree smile" Saturday. And this otherwise obnoxious Forbes Hamptons primer wraps up remembering Brinkley's now-legendary e-mail of last winter exhorting Southampton to STOP THE GIANT (utility) POLES!

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 30 Jun 2008 | 5:00 pm

Gisele, World's Top Supermodel Bares All

The ultra-sexy supermodel dishes about everything from Tom Brady to thongs.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 30 Jun 2008 | 4:47 pm

Guy Ritchie's Mother Dismisses Madonna Divorce Rumors

Guy Ritchie's mother has dismissed reports that he and Madonna are divorcing as "total tosh", the Daily Mail reports.
Source: FOXNews.com | 30 Jun 2008 | 4:40 pm

Do Baby Heels Say JonBenet or Miss Piggy?

Some say "How JonBenet," but novelty baby spikes are selling like "wildfire."
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 30 Jun 2008 | 4:34 pm

Director of Will Smith's School Says It's Not Scientologist

Will Smith 's soon-to-open private school is not a Scientology facility, as some reports have suggested, the academy's director said.
Source: FOXNews.com | 30 Jun 2008 | 4:24 pm

Couture Shows Kick Off Today; Alexander McQueen to D.J.

• Highlights from this year's couture shows kicking off in Paris today include Giorgio Armani's 35th-anniversary show, John Galliano's show for Christian Dior, Karl Lagerfeld's show for Chanel, Alessandra Facchinetti's couture debut for Valentino, and the debut of the first Chinese couturier to show in Paris. [Telegraph]

• Nick Knight will have his superstar fashion friends D.J. on his Website, ShowStudio.com, starting July 9. Guest D.J.'s include Alexander McQueen, Naomi Campbell, and Stella McCartney. [WWD]

• Christopher Kane won the Scottish Designer of the Year Award at the Scottish Fashion Awards. [British Vogue]

• Online shopping continues to grow in popularity since it's so darn convenient. E-tail can expect double-digit growth until 2013. At least something can! [WWD]

• Steven Klein was photographing Karl Lagerfeld for a Vogue feature in Paris when the designer was recognized and pandemonium erupted. Klein said, "It's worse than Madonna." [WWD]

• Karl Lagerfeld was so swarmed he could barely make it to his front-row seat at the Dior Homme show in Paris, while Kanye West walked in without anyone even asking for an autograph. [Guardian]

• Kanye West and Carine Roitfeld were spotted hanging out together on the front row of the Dior Homme show. [Fashionologie]

• The Style network is casting for a Stylista-esque reality show in which three interns compete for a position at a top fashion magazine. [Fashionista]

• The company that makes upscale ribbons, bows, rosebuds, and tassels for bras for companies like Victoria's Secret bought Pascale Madonna Paris, a twenty-year-old lingerie brand they'll introduce to the U.S. market in August. [WWD]

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 30 Jun 2008 | 4:05 pm

Carlin remembered with 'a lot of laughter'

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 30 Jun 2008 | 4:04 pm

Solo album gets star past rough patch

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 30 Jun 2008 | 4:03 pm

'Wall-E' outguns Jolie at box office

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 30 Jun 2008 | 3:55 pm

Model's Death Ruled Suicide

Medical examiner rules that fashion model's fatal fall was suicide.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 30 Jun 2008 | 3:43 pm

Spencer Pratt: 'Troll' Mary-Kate Olsen the 'Less Cute Twin'

Reality star Spencer Pratt of "The Hills" dissed Mary-Kate Olsen as a "famous troll" and the "less cute twin" after she bashed his temper on "Letterman."
Source: FOXNews.com | 30 Jun 2008 | 3:14 pm

Breaking: LVMH Wins Landmark Lawsuit Against eBay

LVMH Moet Hennessey Louis Vuitton won a big victory over eBay today in French court: The auction site must pay LVMH 40 million euros, or $63.2 million, WWD reports, for selling both fake and real LVMH goods outside their "desired retail channel."

Louis Vuitton received the lion’s share and was awarded 19.3 million euros, or $30.5 million; Christian Dior Couture received 17.4 million euros, or $27.5 million, and Parfums Christian Dior, Parfums Kenzo, Guerlain and Parfums Givenchy, were awarded around 3 million euros, or $4.7 million.

EBay was ordered to stop selling fragrances and cosmetics from those brands immediately, or face a fine of 50,000 euros, or $79,000, a day.

Earlier this month eBay had to pay Hermès $30,000 for selling counterfeit Hermès handbags. Chump change, comparatively speaking.

Vuitton Wins Ebay Ruling [WWD]

Related: French Judge: eBay Responsible for Counterfeit Sales of Hermès

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 30 Jun 2008 | 3:00 pm

Will Smith: My School's Not Scientologist

But the academy he's opening with wife Jada will teach with Scientology methods.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 30 Jun 2008 | 2:54 pm

'American Idol' Finalist Kristy Lee Cook Signs With Arista

"American Idol" finalist Kristy Lee Cook has signed a record deal with 19 Recordings/Arista Nashville.
Source: FOXNews.com | 30 Jun 2008 | 2:47 pm

Lanvin: Light Weight And Lovely (Fashion Wire Daily)

Fashion Wire Daily - If any fashion house in Europe set a new agenda on how men should dress in the future, it was Lanvin, which presented an exhilaratingly great collection Sunday morning in Paris.

Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 30 Jun 2008 | 2:46 pm

Dior Homme Inter-Galactic After Party (Fashion Wire Daily)

Fashion Wire Daily - We got a large dose of pop futurism at Dior Homme on Sunday afternoon, in a markedly improved performance by its designer Kris Van Assche.

Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 30 Jun 2008 | 1:41 pm

SAG President Doesn't Want to Hear the Word 'Strike'

The head of the Screen Actors Guild doesn't want to hear the s-word as a deadline for contract expiration looms.
Source: FOXNews.com | 30 Jun 2008 | 1:22 pm

Aerosmith's Tyler: Rehab was for meds

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 30 Jun 2008 | 1:09 pm

Winehouse Scuffles With Fan at Glastonbury Music Festival

Troubled singer Amy Winehouse takes on a reveler while performing at the Glastonbury music festival.
Source: FOXNews.com | 30 Jun 2008 | 12:36 pm

Lawyer: Pavarotti's Family Reaches Agreement on Inheritance

Pavarotti's family has come to an agreement on how to divide up his estate, says a lawyer for the late musician's widow.
Source: FOXNews.com | 30 Jun 2008 | 12:34 pm

Race for White House Hits the Big Screen

Filmmakers -- many vocal partisans -- take on politics, war and the '08 race.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 30 Jun 2008 | 10:05 am