Reuters - Warner Music Group posted a
smaller-than-expected quarterly loss on Thursday, as improved
sales in Europe softened the effects of the slowdown in the
global music industry.
AP - Pop culture sure moves quickly. Just last week, Paris Hilton was so 20 minutes ago. And John McCain was drawing snickers from pop culture aficionados for choosing her and another relative has-been, Britney Spears, in his attack ad against Barack Obama.
Morgan Freeman's lawyer says the actor and his wife of 24 years are getting a divorce. Freeman's lawyer, Bill Luckett, told the Memphis Commercial-Appeal newspaper that the divorce... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Mothers Work, Inc. (Nasdaq: MWRK), the world's leading maternity apparel retailer, today announced that net sales for... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 7 Aug 2008 | 10:00 am
ATLANTA, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gray Television, Inc. ("Gray," "we" or "us") (NYSE: GTN) today announced results from operations for Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 7 Aug 2008 | 10:00 am
Television determined as single best way to reach seniors WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Retirement Living TV (RLTV), the first network dedicated to people 55+,... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 7 Aug 2008 | 10:00 am
Titanic: Treasures From the Deep Audiences in 16 U.S. Cities Have an Opportunity to Experience New World-Class Traveling Exhibition in 2009 BLOOMINGTON, Ill., Aug.... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 7 Aug 2008 | 10:00 am
Reuters - Amid disappointing sales for his
new album, R&B singer Usher has cleaned house, parting ways
(Reuters) Reuters - Women's cable channel
Lifetime has ordered a drama pilot about a supermarket manager
Joshua Allen and Stephen "Twitch" Boss, neither of whom has any formal training and both of whom...
Mary-Kate Olsen has avoided being served.
Law enforcement reps, speaking on condition of anonymity, are saying that the Drug Enforcement Administration has closed its investigation into...
Forget what you may have read—Shia LaBeouf is not facing any major transformation.
The actor, who sustained a seriously mangled mitt in a rollover accident, is not endanger of...
Who says print is dead?
As Cindy Crawford and hubby Rande Gerber soaked up some Mediterranean sun onboard a private yacht docked in St. Tropez, George Clooney stopped by to catch up on...
A California appellate court tossed Lisa Marie's fraud lawsuit against her former fiancé after determining...
With all this media coverage of the noisy dent Lauren Conrad and her roomies are making in their cozy Hollywood Hills enclave, a number of neighbors have also been getting more time in the...
Turns out Usher's still a mama's boy.
The R&B hitmaker has dumped Hollywood power broker Benny Medina and rehired mom Jonnetta Patton as his manager, E! News has...
It's official: Christina Aguilera is a working mom.
Just got word that Xtina has been snagged by Donald Trump to perform later this month during a party for his new Trump...
"I'm such a work in progress at the moment, it's crazy, and life wants me on edge, I swear to you. But as long as I don't forget the past, I'm cool. One must always be mindful,...
Nikki Blonsky's brawl with Bianca Golden surprised most people, but not everyone.
More specifically, a well-placed source alleges that Nikki's mother, Karen, has more often than...
Our neck is itchy just looking at it!Photo: istockphoto
An article in this month's British Vogue addresses fashion's ultimate nuisance: care labels. (Honestly, we're surprised they beat The Wall Street Journal to this one.) Sarah Harris writes in the "Vogue Spy" section, "Labels, not just the ones on sheer clothes but those that always seem to poke out from T-shirt necks/waistbands/the ends of scarves (the list goes on), are one of fashion's great irritants." She's right — labels make life so hard. Take, for instance, when the joy experienced after the purchase of a new Jil Sander blouse is dashed when you notice a care label "the size of a Post-it" note showing through. Or when you buy a bra and hardly ever wear it because the damn label feels like "sandpaper" against your skin. And nothing cheapens a $2,000 Chloé jacket like the three polyester labels sewn in. But as the co-owner of a hip London boutique explains, clothes have to have labels, especially $2,000 ones. "[M]anufacturers need to cover their ass. If something goes wrong with a garment and it gets sent back to them, they lose money, so they over-emphasize washing instructions with a billboard-sized tags to absolve themselves of responsibility." Sneaky.
So since we're stuck with these awfully inconvenient things, what's the proper etiquette when you encounter someone whose label is — banish the thought — showing outside their clothes?! Harris sees tucking in another's label as a moral obligation. So she was shocked when, after introducing two friends to each other, and one tucked in the other's showing label without asking, the tuckee was angered by the tucker's intrusiveness. Oh, the scandal! But another friend validated Harris's pro-tuck stance:
She tells me her own label horror, involving bikini bottoms, a holiday in Marrakech and an afternoon spent tanning her back. "I returned to the hotel to discover a white rectangular patch the size of a large postage stamp where my label had poked out. It took days to fade," she recalls.
Pssst, British Vogue! Seinfeld called. It wants its "nothing" back.
Imagine this, but the opposite.Photo: Getty Images
While the rest of the NBA has been busy digesting the Celtics' historical championship run and gearing up for the Olympics this off-season, the Nets and Knicks have been looking farther ahead — to 2010, when Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James can opt out of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent. The two New York teams are widely acknowledged as the leading suitors for LeBron's hand. The Knicks' new GM, Donnie Walsh, made the first big splash of the Isiah-clean-up era by hiring Mike D'Antoni, the player-friendly former Suns coach whose high-paced style will, one assumes, be an asset in luring James. Meanwhile, the Nets took care of some housecleaning, shipping out forward Richard Jefferson for Bucks center Yi Jianlian and acquiring the necessary cap space to offer James a max contract in the process.
Now an odd third party is threatening to crash the race: According to a source close to the player, ESPN is reporting, James would consider playing in Europe for an offer approaching $50 million a year. The ridiculous sum is within the realm of possibility because European clubs don't operate under a salary cap. Theoretically, a premier squad like Russia's CSKA Moscow or Greece's Olympiacos — who have apparently already contacted James, without discussing financial details — would slap together an offer just for the prestige of having a player of his caliber without considerations to turning a profit on the deal. Similar things have happened in other sports. Remember when the internationally meaningless Los Angeles Galaxy hired David Beckham away from Real Madrid?
The NBA-players-to-Europe story line has been the league's most intriguing recent subplot. A cavalcade of international players has returned to foreign teams this off-season, encouraged by the strong euro and the fact that European clubs pay all their players' taxes and housing costs. But it's promising American guys like Josh Childress, who spurned an offer from the Atlanta Hawks to sign with Olympiacos, and Brandon Jennings, a top NBA prospect forgoing his college eligibility for a year with Virtus Roma in the Italian league, who have really opened up the conversation.
Would LeBron really abandon the league he grew up dreaming of dominating? Even for $50 million? Probably not, which is great for New York, but ultimately too bad for LeBron. Then the following scenario could never play out: LeBron agrees to go to Europe for $45 million a year provided the payment come in giant-check form. Then he could leave the giant check in the bathroom for people to come over and ask, "Oh, man, where'd you get that sweet novelty check, Spencer Gifts?" At which point LeBron James would calmly explain, in his newfound fluent Greek or Russian, that the check was very much real. —Amos Barshad
1. Kings of Leon, "Sex on Fire"
The idea of having sex while on fire sounds like it would at least be really exciting for a couple of minutes, if not exactly the most pleasurable way to spend some time. This song is pretty good, if you apply copious salves and unguents afterward. [Covert Curiosity]
2. She + Him feat. Jim James, "Magic Trick"
She (Zooey Deschanel) and Him (M. Ward) perform the nifty "magic trick" of getting into a threesome with Jim James (My Morning Jacket) at the Newport Folk Festival this weekend. [Aquarium Drunkard]
3. Bat for Lashes, "A Forest" (Cure cover)
We'll listen to this Cure classic "again and again and again," especially when it's covered in such a shimmery way by Bat for Lashes, for the upcoming Perfect As Cats: A Tribute to the Cure. [Punkreas]
4. The Streets and Muse, "Who Knows Who"
With anarchic lyrics like "fuck all your laws / fuck your power," it makes sense that this song would sound somewhat fucked up. [Cold Cut]
5. Ben Folds and Regina Spektor, "You Don't Know Me"
Folds asks the listener to replace him with a mannequin or a cardboard cutout at one point in this treacly first single off his new album, and at this point, we're not sure the results would be all that different, with or without Ms. Spektor helping out. [Twelve Major Chords] -Ehren Gresehover
In the movie Elegy, a college student (Penélope Cruz) has an affair with her professor (Ben Kingsley). So it seemed appropriate to quiz the boldfacers at last night’s Cinema Society screening about their school-age high jinks. Patricia Clarkson confessed to getting roaring drunk before cheerleading practice, and Peter Sarsgaard says he cut school a lot. Not unexpectedly, Dennis Hopper was kicked out of school at the age of 14 for attempting to set the place on fire. “I got caught smoking, and that was my answer, was to put lighter fluid from the men’s toilet down the hallway and light it," the 72-year-old reminisced fondly. Meanwhile, comedian George Lopez dredged up an apparently repressed memory of being groped by a ninth-grade teacher. “I loved it. And I wouldn’t report her then, and only now am I reporting her to you," the 47-year-old comedian told us, beaming. —Bennett Marcus
Down-to-Earth is his middle name.Photo: Getty Images
HAIR
• Right after we find out Justin Timberlake shunned cologne for a decade comes news that the star forgoes hairstylists as well. That's right — he cuts his own hair. “I don’t like divas and I don’t want to be one. People have a perception that I might be that way.” [Sun UK]
• There's a new Brazilian shampoo called Tutannol that contains ox-marrow extract, which is supposedly the key to healthier hair. But if it doesn't clear Customs and make it to the states, that's really alright with us. [Beauty Brains]
FRAGRANCE
• Prada is launching nine short films to promote Infusion d'Homme, their latest men's fragrance. Pietro Scalia of Black Hawk Down and American Gangster fame will edit all nine into one film to be released in September. [Variety]
MAKEUP
• Are you warm or cool? Figuring that out will help you determine your most flattering makeup shades. If you don’t know already, here are some ways to tell you if you're hot or not. [BellaSugar]
SKIN
• Buying Gillette must've been a good move for Procter & Gamble Co. Its sales are up 10.3 percent. [WWD]
• Pre-treating skin with LEDs can protect against ultraviolet-light damage, claims a recent study published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine. [Derm Blog]
Much is being made over Pineapple Express director David Gordon Green's inexplicable overnight transition from indie auteur (the one behind slow-paced tone poems like George Washington and All the Real Girls) to helmer of a Judd Apatow marijuana-glorifying fart comedy, a job for which he has practically no relevant experience. The other night, Vulture took a rare trip outdoors to catch a screening of Pineapple and what impressed us most wasn't Green's ability to coax funny performances out of Seth Rogen and James Franco (this couldn't have been too hard, right?) but the fact that the movie's action scenes — the ones that Manohla Dargis calls "crudely choreographed and just the kind of big finish a dead-ended writer or two might come up with while searching for a third act and lighting up to a Steven Seagal flick in the wee hours" — weren't nearly as crappy as we thought they'd be.
In Pineapple, Rogen and Franco flex their acting muscles as a pair of stoners on the run from hit men and drug lords (including Darryl from The Office, hilariously), and (spoiler alert) the movie climaxes in a fifteen-minute shoot-out in a barn. Obviously Green is no John Woo, but the scene is lucid, well paced, and nowhere near as stupid-looking as one might reasonably anticipate, especially considering that it includes shots of Rogen firing an automatic weapon. There are explosions, bleeding injuries, and some passably impressive stunt work, not bad for a freakin' Judd Apatow movie. Surely it helps that Rogen is fat and slow-moving, but we could actually tell what was happening the entire time — more than we can say for the action sequences in this summer's biggest hit, The Dark Knight.
In Knight (which we loved, honest!), poorly lit punching and kicking are edited together, seemingly at random, into an incoherent, motion-sick scramble. It's only when we see Batman still standing over toppled enemies that we can tell he'd actually been winning the whole time. But that movie was directed by Christopher Nolan, who'd already made a violent superhero movie and ostensibly should know what he's doing, while Pineapple Express was directed by Green, a guy who'd never shot an explosion in his life. Sure, the action in Nolan's film is more ambitious, but the fact that Green's is infinitely more coherent and suspenseful is … well, sort of funny, right?
The NBA's schedule was released today, and the FanHouse has gone and counted the number of times each team will appear on national TV this season, either on ABC, TNT, or ESPN. Not surprisingly, LeBron James's Cavs, Steve Nash's Suns, and the defending champion Boston Celtics — oh, how it pains us to say that — will be on the most, with 25 appearances each. But what about the Knicks? Well, they won't be on very much. Actually, not at all. Despite playing in the biggest media market in the country, Mike D'Antoni's squad won't be appearing on a national broadcast once. (Unless, we suppose, they make the playoffs. Ha! Just kidding.) We guess this means more Walt Frazier on the local MSG broadcasts, which is always a good thing. But how ever will the nation be exposed to the excitement of Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph attempting D'Antoni's up-tempo "Seven Seconds or Less" offense? Banner ads, perhaps? —Joe DeLessio
East Village: The punk-rock band playing Tompkins Square Park last Sunday had a permit but got ticketed for being too loud, while a band on East 7th Street playing Duran Duran and TV theme songs were told to pack up but not ticketed, even though they apparently lacked a permit. Cue too-loud version of Alanis's "Ironic," right? [Vanishing NY] Howard Beach: Sanitation workers have to clean up coconuts, flowers, and colored flags left on the shore as religious offerings by Hindus. "In Hindi, we call it puja," explains a Guyanese fisherman. "In English, we call it 'littering,'" retorts the anonymous Queens Crap blogger, showing his nativist colors again. [City Room/NYT via Queens Crap]
Park Slope: Congratulations to 8th Street, between Eighth Avenue and Prospect Park West...you've been named the Greenest Block in Brooklyn! [Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn] Tribeca: Is it really any surprise that this collection of Rich People Rooftops are all either here or in Soho? We love the photographer's reasoning, though: "You have to love to get, so I love these bitches." [Flickr] West Bronx: Jennifer 8. Lee, you can write a whole book about Chinese food, but you can't even tell us why this apartment building is "the birthplace of hip-hop," though you lead your story with that claim? For shame. FYI: It's because the building — which was just pulled out of the Mitchell-Lama program (hence the article) — was where DJ Kool Herc threw the first hip-hop party, in 1973. [NYT] West Village:Tons of famous people, including "Sid Viscous" [Ed: sic, but kinda appropriate, right?] and "Vin Deisel," have lived on Bank Street, and now, per this over-the-top Craigslist ad, you can, too, even if this $2,225 one bedroom "won't make the cover of Better Homes and Gardens"! [Craigslist via Curbed]
Today's release of Pineapple Express isn't only an event for its star and co-writer, Seth Rogen, or its producer, human comedy factory Judd Apatow. It also launches the career of its director, indie auteur David Gordon Green, in a brand-new direction. Not only is he better at staging fight scenes than Christopher Nolan, he applies his own brand of dreamy widescreen realism – previously seen in low-budget gems like George Washington and All the Real Girls — to a stoner action-comedy, complete with explosions.
Green follows Superbad's Greg Mottola — best known for his 1996 feature The Daytrippers — as indie directors whose careers take sudden right turns thanks to Apatow. What other auteurs could benefit from the Apatow touch — and how would they shake up the Apatow formula?
At last night's premiere, Green himself suggested Tom McCarthy, a perfect choice. Not every modestly successful indie director is right, though: Wes Anderson's obsessive tendencies make him a poor fit with Team Apatow; Richard Linkater already basically made an Apatow movie with School of Rock. We looked through our DVD collection and came up with a few more names.
Getty Images
Nicole Holofcener
Why Team Apatow could help her: The writer-director of such relationship-based gems as Walking and Talking and Lovely & Amazing has never seen her talky dramedies take off, despite a fabulous ear for dialogue and a willingness to embrace life's difficult moments
Why she could help Team Apatow:Knocked Up and other Apatow comedies have always taken heat — sometimes from their own female stars — for not exploring women with the spirit in which they portray men. Holofcener might be the person to finally bring some relevant and spiky female characters to the Apatow oeuvre.
The dream project: Imagine an ensemble marriage comedy co-written by Judd and Nicole, starring Paul Rudd, Catherine Keener, John C. Reilly, and Emily Mortimer.
Getty Images
Andrew Bujalski
Why Team Apatow could help him: The breakout director of the mumblecore movement has watched as his highly praised movies — like Funny Ha Ha and Mutual Appreciation — have attained viewership as modest as the movies themselves.
Why he could help Team Apatow: As millionaire producer Apatow has become more and more ensconced in his California coterie of stars and collaborators, there's a real danger that he might lose all touch with the underdog; former Freaks and Geeks writer Mike White has already bemoaned Apatow's "comedy of the bullies." Bujalski's lo-fi technique and knack for telling stories about truly ordinary people might really help.
The dream project: A Williamsburg-set scruffle comedy about three former college roommates trying to make it in the big city, starring Michael Cera and a cast of unknowns.
Getty Images
Catherine Breillat
Why Team Apatow could help her: Over her career, Breillat — director of such sexually provocative fare as Fat Girl and Romance — has specialized in never making the expected move. After her Asia Argento–starring period drama, The Last Mistress, what would be more unlikely than a studio comedy? And her penchant for the transgressive suggests a comic director hidden under the outrageous auteur.
Why she could help Team Apatow: The sex scenes in Knocked Up ("It's doggie-style, it's just a style, we don't have to go outside or anything") touches on the rich veins of discomfort and comedy in the sex lives of the contemporary American; why not explore those themes with one of the few serious directors willing to shoot explicit sex scenes?
The dream project: Like Tell Me You Love Me, but humor-full instead of humorless.
Getty Images
Gregg Araki
Why Team Apatow could help him: While the daring Araki — director of Mysterious Skin and The Living End — has never shown any interest in playing the studio game, it's no secret it can be hard to find financing for the movies he makes. One solid comedy hit could take care of that problem for the next couple of years.
Why he could help Team Apatow: Araki could bring visual flair to a genre not typically known for it — and could also give the Apatow homophobic-bromance trope some honest-to-God romance.
Richie "Skittle" Rich and Lydia Hearst.Photo: Patrick McMullan
Rumors that Heatherette designers Traver Rains and Richie Rich were parting ways have been making us fear for the sanctity of glitter. But although Traver has moved to L.A. and he and Richie are working on separate projects, Heatherette is far from dunzo, according to Rich. "It's okay — we're good friends. I love [Traver]," Rich told us at the National Underwear Day party at Espace last night. "Heatherette's just on vacation. We're going to go back to her in a bit." Whew! Glitter and unicorns shall flourish once more! "People want to hear negative things about it, but it's all good. It's all fun." Though Heatherette won't show a collection this Fashion Week, Rich will show his Hot Topic line, Celebutante, at Gotham Hall to coincide with the release of his first CD, also called Celebutante. "Nobody had to tell me what to do so whatever I wanted to do I just went for it. I was free. You know how it is — it's like having an ex-boyfriend that ran away and you're single again," Rich said. "It's like the stepchild of Heatherette, I think." Well, now that he puts it that way, we sure hope he's serious about reviving Heatherette. "I'm like a Skittle. I'm a happy person," he added. So … Celebutante is a Heatherette spawn designed by a Skittle? It's not glitter and unicorns, but we'll take it. —Sharon Clott
(Playbill) Playbill - Two Spoons, Peter Mercurio's play about gay dads on the verge of marriage, until temptation arises, will get its New York City premiere starting Sept. 5 at the Bank Street Theatre in Greenwich Village. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 6 Aug 2008 | 8:55 pm
Romney Leader reports from Copenhagen fashion week
It's intended as a showcase for Danish talent, but at the start of Copenhagen fashion week, a certain American is stealing the show. "So you are here with Paris Hilton?" the man making my falafel sandwich asks me. Though the heiress's high-profile visit to meet with her Danish handbag designers coincides with fashion week, she will likely not attend a single event—and rumor has it that her demands of 50,000,000 Danish kroner (about $10,350,000) just to show up have been universally rebuffed.
The big show of the day was Noir, where I caught up with Iekeliene Stange (above) backstage. "I like my clothing to tell a story," she told me, "composed of many different parts." Here's the current narrative:
Dress: "Random vintage." Scarf: "I got this in Ethiopia." Hat: "Stolen from my boyfriend. It's from a London milliner and there is a pheasant feather attached." Bag: "I bought it while traveling in Papua New Guinea." Vest: "This used to be in my dress-up bin when I was 5. I put it back into rotation." Shoes: "These were my mum's when she was my age."
As for the collection, Noir is considered by many the crown jewel of Danish fashion. Today's Spring 2009 show at City Hall—featuring orchestral accompaniment and a short black-and-white film—was definitely a large-scale production. "Fairies in a rock 'n' roll reality" is how the liner notes described the series of silk goddess gowns and crepe de chine blousons anchored with latex leggings and leather biker jackets. "I was trying to create a feeling of lightness, of floating," said designer Peter Ingwersen. Noir's commitment to an ethical business model (the main line is 60 percent sustainable, while the secondary line, which debuted today, is 90 percent so) proves it can be done without sacrificing aesthetics, an achievement that
should serve as an inspiration to other designers.
To get my mind off my jet lag, I strolled down Strøget to check out Copenhagen's High Street offerings. A coming-soon Abercrombie & Fitch and a just-opened Urban Outfitters are the latest evidence of the city's shift to a global shopping destination. Luella Bartley's capsule collection for UO—a European exclusive—had just hit the floor, but the brutal exchange rate meant the buffalo-check flannel with blouson collar had to stay on the rack. I had better luck across the street at COS, an H&M offshoot that offers sophisticated interpretations of the latest runway looks. An end-of-season
sale meant I snapped up shift with elbow-length sleeves and a leatherlike finish for a steal.
Attention citizens: Does everyone know that cops now cruise around the city undercover in taxis? That's right: The fuzz, the Man, the 5-0, in regular New York yellow cabs. Just now on a rare excursion outside the building, we saw it happen: A taxi morphed into a police car right in front of our very eyes. We mean, it didn't change colors or anything, but all of a sudden, lights were flashing from under the front hood, the siren noise started coming out of somewhere, and it pulled over a blue sedan. Everyone on the sidewalk stared as four giant cops got out. "That is so weird," said a woman on her phone. "I've never seen that before," said New York's photo guy Everett. Neither had we. As only two of the cops could lean through the windows and intimidate the driver, we moseyed over to one of the ones who was just standing there to ask about his stealth vehicle. He looked at us nervously, like he was worried we were about to ask why four white cops pulled over a black dude who didn't really look like he was doing anything. But we just asked about the car. Are there a lot of them around? "There's a good number," he said, and we backed away before being arrested on trumped-up charges.
When we got back to the office, Jessica Coen said she saw a CopCab just the other night. We don't know about you, but we find this kind of alarming. It's just totally unfair. When cops drive cop cars, you at least get a warning. When one pulls into view, you have time to make the decision to eat your joint or not jaywalk or not speed or, you know, stand up straight or whatever. But if cops are riding around in taxis, that throws off the whole system. It's like cheating. Plus, it's going to make us paranoid. Because if cops are in taxis, they could be anywhere. Ice-cream trucks. Pedicabs. Those funny old antique cars. How do you even know to pull over for them? We would have asked the guy in the car today — but he looked kind of busy.
As we've proven mathematically with Vulture's infallible formula for predicting the quality of Judd Apatow movies, the chances of a film being a hit increase greatly when there's an unlikely indie auteur at the helm. It worked when Greg Mottola (The Daytrippers) directed Superbad, and we predict it will hold true for David Gordon Green, whose credits prior to the stoner comedy of the year, Pineapple Express, include two beautifully shot (and slow!) small-town love stories, Snow Angels and All the Real Girls.
But Mottola hasn't returned to the Apatow lair, and at last night's after-party for a special screening of Pineapple Express, sponsored by Three Olives Vodka and held at Tenjune, Green told us he's not coming back either. His next career move? "I'm going to take a nap and a dump," he said. "Then sit back in a hammock and have some root beer. Maybe eat chicken." We're not exactly sure why directors bask in the Apatow glory for one film only (prolonged contact high? The crippling effects of being too close to Apatow's genius? The fact that directing an Apatow hit immediately bumps one's asking salary out of the budget range for any future Apatow hit?), but tradition dictates that Apatow's comedy factory will have to tap a new indie director for its next awesome film.
So who would Green pick as his successor? Tom McCarthy, director of The Visitor and The Station Agent. "He'd do great. He'd be a great fit," said Green. According to Green, directing an Apatow movie requires a love of "improvisation and collaboration -- being able to loosen up and have a good time and let the cameras roll and stuff, and pray for happy accidents." Duties might also include, as Green discovered, abstaining from pot smoking in order to maintain a position of authority, and taking care of crazed young Method actors like James Franco who actually ram their heads into trees to maintain realism. In some ways, Green says, Apatow saved him from his film-school precociousness. "It's therapy. For me it was a dose of therapy," he said. And as Green racked his brain for more names to throw our way, we began to wonder if naming McCarthy was really the compliment it at first seemed. "I'm trying to think of the real stiff directors, that do heavy, dramatic movies and need to loosen up a little bit," he said. As for Green, he admitted that Apatow had only loosened him up so much. His munchie of choice: "a really big salad." —Jada Yuan
We hope your walk to the gym in January won't look like this.Photo: Courtesy of Stella McCartney
With the Olympics less than two days away, now feels like a great time to talk exercise clothes. So: How are yours? Still sweating it out in T-shirts from your high-school lacrosse team that are so worn out the designs have come off? We know it's not just us! But being sweaty and stylish is possible. And decking out in Stella McCartney's Adidas duds are one way to do it. Her fall 2008 collection hits stores this month, offering apparel for dancing, running, tennis, golf, and winter sports. If nothing else, stuff like this ought to motivate you to get your holiday-cookie-softened rump out of the house and into the gym this winter. Because when the thermostat dips below 45, who doesn't need all the motivation she can get?
Like the MisShapes themselves, Tuesday night's party in honor of the female member of that DJ trio was shrouded in mystery. There were reports that the evening was in honor of Leigh Lezark's upcoming appearance in a powerful mall fashion brand's fall campaign; I heard it was to celebrate a movie she had just starred in; and one report even speculated that the night was about her debut in a new rock band. Turns out the reason for the congregation of nearly every young twink with a trilby hat, suspenders, vintage T-shirt, and tight black jeans (or some variation thereof) was much simpler: It was Lezark's birthday (though look for her in the fall Gap campaign). "I don't know how it got so twisted," said a Nini Ricci-clad Lezark from her perch next to her boyfriend, actor Max Minghella. "It's my birthday. So I'm not even working tonight." She wasn't, but her partners in crime, Geordon Nicol and Greg K., were spinning tunes for a gaggle of her friends, including Jessica Stam, Byrdie Bell, Heidi Mount, Genevieve Jones, Charlotte Ronson, and Bonnie Morrison. Although held in the bourgeois world of the Rose Bar in the Gramercy Park Hotel, things were decidedly downtown and Lezark-appropriate—at one point Mick Rock found himself ashing a cigarette into an iPod deck. "But that's what's so great about Leigh; she can do her anything anywhere," Stam said of the birthday girl.
After he sunk into massive debt, but before he passed away, James Brown flooded the market with concert discs that didn't do him justice. But this three-disc set remembers the Godfather of Soul in his prime, onstage at the Apollo and the Boston Garden in 1968, and, finally, captured in an extended cut of the documentary The Night James Brown Saved Boston, about his insanely charged performance following the MLK assassination.
Tomorrow night the seventies rock musical Hair will celebrate its opening night at Shakespeare in the Park. There will be nudity in this revival, directed by Diane Paulus, but not on the part of stars like Spring Awakening's Jonathan Groff or All My Children's Patina Renea Miller. Instead, all the stripping at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park will be left to chorus members. Still, imagining about all other those toned Broadway dancers and singer who will be baring it all got us to thinking.
Later, when we were finished "thinking," we got to wondering. Would we get naked in public here in New York? Would you? Since we can't ask all of you individually, we asked your representatives: the celebrities and socialites of New York! Below we've assembled some of the responses from some of the city's most prominent residents — old, new, and perverted — for your reading, and "thinking," pleasure. Simon van Kempen's responses are particularly choice. Tell us your own thoughts (or stories!) on civic nudity in the comments.
ANN DEXTER-JONES New York: Ever been naked in public? ADJ: No, and wouldn’t think about it. I’m probably too English to think that way.
WILL FERRELL New York: Any people you want to see nude? WF: I'd love Bloomberg. I mean he'd be the first one, he's in charge. If the mayor does it, everyone will follow.
ANTHONY HAYDEN GUEST AHD.: "The only time I’ve been naked in public is when I’ve been having sex. Don’t you think we should be having this conversation in a more private setting?"
KELLY KILLOREN BENSIMON: KKB: Wooo! Nudity! Well, I've never been photographed nude before, ever. I'm like the only model that hasn't. So, I actually love being in my bikini, I'd love to be in my bikini more than anything else. But the one thing I don't like about summer is that people are literally taking off their clothes. And the thing about winter is that people really make an effort to be dressed. That's what I like. New York: Do you think there should be a place in New York where people can walk around naked? KKB: Um, no. I think we should leave science to science.
KIRSTEN DUNST New York: When it gets balls hot out, do you think about taking it all off? KD: No, because I would have my picture taken. New York: If you could, is there one place in New York you would do it? KD: I would probably say topless in Central Park. New York: You've seen girls topless there? KD: Yeah! New York: Does that ever give you civilian envy? KD: No. I can go on vacation somewhere where I can do it. New York: Out of curiosity, where's that? KD: I can't say; otherwise, they'll know where I do it. New York: Europe? KD: No, it's not Europe. It's on the East Coast somewhere.
SIMON VAN KEMPEN (banana-hammock-wearing husband to Real Housewife Alex McCord) SVK: There's a beach in New Jersey where you can go nude, and I think there's a beach in Fire Island where you can go nude. I don't understand the American hang-up about nudity. It shouldn't be just those with beautiful bodies who can show them. We all have them. We were founded as a puritanical country with the Pilgrims and so on, and we have to cover up and so on. But we all have one. We all know what the bits look like, so why be so afraid of them? As far I'm concerned, I'll let you in on a secret. When we filmed in St. Barts last year, Alex and I got a lot of stink. I was in a Speedo, she was in a thong. We covered up for the cameras. So, that's the thing. Nudity, there shouldn't be a problem with it. We all have a body, and we get undressed at night or get in the shower. Nudity doesn't equal sex, and that's the problem that a lot of Americans have. It's only sexual when it becomes sexual. If you demystify nudity, you wouldn't have so many strip clubs, you wouldn't have so many guys getting ripped off and getting lap dances because it's not sex. It's a wonderful thing. New York: Where do you feel comfortable being naked? St. Barts? SVK: When in Rome, do as the Romans do. On the beach in the Hamptons, I'll wear board shorts. On the beaches of St. Barts, I'd either wear Speedos or not wear Speedos or board shorts. I'm comfortable doing whatever. Blending in. Basically do as the Romans do. New York: Is there anyone you'd like to see naked in New York? SVK: Only my wife. New York: Anyone you don't want to see naked? SVK: Possibly Ramona Singer.
Ugly Betty's ANA ORTIZ New York: Is there anywhere in New York you would feel comfortable going naked? AO: Probably on some rooftop somewhere. The highest rooftop. I did the musical Hair, so I’d say probably onstage at the Delacorte is the best play to get naked.
Socialite EMMA SNOWDON-JONES and Bachelor LORENZO BORGHESE LB: I think New York Magazine should do a huge naked section. I think in 1,000 years it's all going to be a joke. People are going to be like, 'They were so conservative, they were wearing clothes.' And it's only going to get hotter. ESJ: Your dog is often naked, too. They have no problem being naked. LB: I think there will be a big naked population in New York, I'd say 200 years from now. New York: Do you think there should be parts of New York where people can walk around naked? ESJ: No. LB: I think it's a little, I don't know. Have you looked at Americans naked? ESJ: You can find them on newsstands! Naked Americans. New York: But that's not the average person walking down the street. LB: I don't want to see the average American naked on the street.
Big news! Variety reports today that Pulitzer Prize–winning, Tony-earning, all-around-awesome play August: Osage County is being adapted for the big screen. Playwright Tracy Lett is attached to write the screenplay, and Jean Doumanian Productions (All the Real Girls, Bullets Over Broadway) and Steve Traxler will produce. But who will play the Westons? "So many actors and stars have come to see it on Broadway, and we've gotten inquiries," Doumanian tells Variety. "People are enthusiastic about the film version." Maybe they'll follow Ang Lee's lead and cast the actual theater actors? But who should play matriarch Violet: Tony winner Deanna Dunagan or 80-year-old phenom Estelle Parsons? You know, we don't even care. We really wanted to see this thing again anyway, and compared to the cost of seeing it on Broadway, movie tickets will be a steal. —Lori Fradkin
In the world of fashion, pretty people and clothing lines constantly emerge begging the world to "Look over here!" It's all one big game and the pieces on the board are stunning attire, gorgeous faces, scantily clad figures, Coca Cola bottles — the usual. But Tara Subkoff knows how to really get the world to pay attention to her new Bebe line: lesbianism. So obvious, yet so not, right? She's shooting a promotional film starring Lydia Hearst to play in Bebe stores. Hearst already dished about the film in Page Six Magazine, but why stop there when there's so much more publicity to be had? Subkoff captured Hearst smooching Aubrey O'Day of Danity Kane outside Butter on Monday night for the short film, and today it wound up in "Page Six" in the newspaper. Genius! At least someone remembers the power of Britney and Madonna from their former glory days.
But what's been fascinating us lately is the appearance of that same character, Alison Poole, in books by McInerney's friend Bret Easton Ellis. She appears briefly in his American Psycho and plays a major role in his lesser-known Glamorama. It's this literary-journalistic parallel that's sort of making us insane — since we know so little about Rielle Hunter and the true story of her relationship with Edwards, we are free to imagine all sorts of things. It sometimes seems like that's what the Enquirer is doing, though at other times their reporting seems all too real. In an oddly parallel way, Ellis took creative freedom with Rielle in his writing, turning her at times into a victim and into a monster.
In American Psycho, Poole appears as a drugged-out, casually willing victim of murderer-rapist Patrick Bateman. Warning — some of the text following is graphic and disturbing. This section is after Bateman performs a violent sex act on Poole:
"I suddenly remember, painfully, that I would have liked to see Alison bleed to death that afternoon last spring but something stopped me. She was so high — "oh my god," she kept moaning during those hours, blood bubbling out of her nose — she never wept. Maybe that was the problem; maybe that was what saved her. I won a lot of money that weekend on a horse named Indecent Exposure.
Um, yeah. And:
"You were hanging out with that bimbo Alison something … Stoole?"
"Poole, honey," I reply calmly. "Alison Poole."
"Yeah, that was her name, " [Elizabeth] says, then with unmasked sarcasm, "Hot number."
"What do you mean by that?" I ask, offended. "She was a hot number."
Elizabeth turns to Christie and unfortunately says, "If you had an American Express card she'd give you a blow-job."
In Glamorama Poole's characterization is amplified, but only slightly more nuanced. She's the coke-addled, sex-fiend girlfriend of a jealous club owner who happens to also be sleeping with the protagonist of the novel, Victor Ward, who is a model and promoter. Once again, the first time readers meet her is during a sex scene. After which, she berates Ward for not breaking up with his other girlfriend, a supermodel:
"You're having dinner with her?" she screams.
"Honey, I had no idea."
Alison walks out of the closet holding a Todd Oldham wraparound dress in front of her and waits for my reaction, showing it off: not-so-basic black-slash-beige, strapless, Navajo-inspired and neon quilted.
"That's a Todd Oldham, baby," I finally say.
"I'm wearing it tomorrow night." Pause. "It's an original," she whispers seductively, eyes glittering. "I'm gonna make your little girlfriend look like shit!"
Alison reaches over and slaps the controls out of my hand and turns on a Green Day video and dances over to the Vivienne Tam-designed mirror, studying herself holding the dress in it, and then completes a halfhearted swirl, looking very happy but also very stressed.
Later, Poole loses it at her boyfriend Damien's club opening after a rival for Ward's affections, Lauren Hynde, sets her off:
Alison's totally wired, sucking on a joint, greedily chatting away with Ian Schrager and Kelly Klein, then Damien looks away from me and watches too as Lauren says something that causes Tim Hutton to raise his eyebrows and cough while Uma's talking to David Geffen. Her eyes gleaming, Lauren brings [a] cocktail napkin to her lips, kissing it, wetting it, and I'm holding my breath watching everything and Alison whispers something to Kelly Klein and Lauren leans away from Tim and with the hand holding the cocktail napkin pats Alison on the back and the napkin sticks and Damien makes a strangled noise.
On the napkin is one word in giant garish purple letters: CUNT.
Alison glances up briefly. She pushes Lauren's hand away.
Next to me, Chloe's watching too and she lets out a little whimper.
Damien lurches from his table.
Lauren's laughing gaily, walking away from Tim Hutton in mid-sentence. And then he notices the napkin on Alison's back.
Before Damien can get to Alison she's already reaching behind her neck and feels the napkin and pulls it off and slowly brings it in front of her face and her eyes go wide and she lets out a giant mama of a scream.
She spots Lauren making her way out of the dining room and hurls a glass at her, which misses Lauren and explodes against the wall.
Man, don't you miss the early nineties? There's no way Ellis (or McInerney) could have predicted that Rielle Hunter would find her way into the national spotlight for a different kind of flameout. But now that it's happened, doesn't it make your head kind of want to explode?
Deborah Hamon’s American Girl (2007).Courtesy of DFN Gallery.
Deborah Hamon’s cocky summer girl cuts an imposing figure in her sporty blue shorts, but on a second glance you'll realize that something's amiss on the tarmac here. The idealized everygirl we see is just that — Hamon's painted her into a photograph. She's one of the "Dangerous Women" hanging in a group show at DFN Gallery through August 29. This is where Julie Taymor should be looking for her MJ. —Emma Pearse
The must-have fashion week accessory seems to be the charity tee. Last season, Vogue staffers were hawking T-shirts for a worthy cause (7th on Sale). At this year's Copenhagen fashion week—which kicks off today; watch this space for coverage—the Danes are using the same ploy to raise money to fight eating disorders. The shirts, which have slogans such as "Eating Is the New Black," were designed by Klaus Samsøe & e-types. May Andersen and Oliver Bjerrehuus are featured in the accompanying campaign, which grew out of the Ethical Charter to protect Danish models that was established last year. Talk about fine Daning.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson
Photo: Sacha Maric/Courtesy of Danish Fashion Institute
When Jane Friedman stepped out onto the roof deck of a glorious neo-Gothic building off Central Park West yesterday evening, she saw herself in the faces of dozens of the most powerful people in publishing. Literally. At the semi-official party for the recently departed CEO of HarperCollins, everyone greeted the Once (and Future?) Queen of Publishing wearing identical Jane Friedman masks. Gary Fisketjohn, Michael Pietsch, David Young — most of the big names at most of the big houses had donned the mask of Jane. It was a surreal twist on the surreal midnight departure of one of publishing's most charismatic and powerful corporate heads, both a gentle bit of mockery and a subtle confirmation that the cult of Jane endures.
The festive mood carried with it a slight undertow of regret: at the harsh circumstances of her dismissal, at the fact that her former employer maybe should have been throwing this party, at the conspicuous absence of Brian Murray, her longtime protégé and replacement as HarperCollins's CEO (he happened to be on vacation).
HarperCollins's number two, Michael Morrison, was in attendance and came with a prepared speech. A low murmur went up as he ascended the deck stairs. What would HarperCollins's highest-ranking delegate at the party say? "Bear with us, because I know how you hate to be the center of attention," he told Friedman (in fact, at least four reporters had been invited), and he assured her he'd save the juicy stuff for her "real retirement party." Much praise was showered on her status as an industry cheerleader, and there was much ribbing of Jane's claims of inventing the author tour, the audio book, and maybe even the alphabet.
Friedman's own speech was classic Jane: effusive, full of reminiscences of her publicist days at Knopf (making Robert Caro read in Rochester on Yom Kippur!), and a little bit defiant. She didn't know if she'd be asked to speak, but wrote a speech down just in case. She was delighted that at a time when everyone is on vacation, "we have la crème de la crème here on this wonderful, wonderful deck." Then she turned serious. "Books mean civilization, and we need books, and you're all here as part of that group," she said, and urged them to stay atop the barricades. "I am not done. I am not done by a long shot!" Cheers all around.
This morning, HarperCollins announced that, notwithstanding a very weak third quarter, it had managed a 3 percent sales growth for the recently ended fiscal year — putting the lie to at least one purported reason Rupert Murdoch might have decided to let Friedman go as abruptly as he did. At the party, Hachette CEO David Young advised us not to sweat it. "Don't try to make sense out of nonsense. You'll just go mad." —Boris Kachka
With this year's awful movie season nearing its zenith, we've decided to start getting excited about next summer's films. No, not Transformers 2 or, um, 4 Fast 4 Furiosiest — we're actually psyched about Taking Woodstock, "an adaptation of the memoir of Elliot Tiber who played a role in helping the historic 1969 music fest unfold on his neighbor's farm," and who memorably pitched the idea for the movie to Lee in the green room of a San Francisco television station.
In a time when Hollywood seems completely out of original ideas, director Ang Lee has taken the novel approach of casting mainly theater stars — and we think the results could be amazing. The movie is set to feature Tony winner Jonathan Groff as Woodstock organizer Michael Lang, Mamie Gummer as his assistant, Tony winner Dan Fogler as a local theater-troupe head, and — though not a Broadway star, no stranger to the stage — comedian Demetri Martin as Tiber himself. Plus, it's kind of like a theatrical reunion: Zoe Kazan will reteam with her Things We Want co-star Paul Dano to portray a hippie couple. And Jeremy Shamos (who was in 100 Saints You Should Know with Kazan and Hunting and Gathering with Gummer) is also in the mix. Sold? Well, then this is just icing on the cake: Liev Schreiber (who gave 2007's Most Exciting Performance, in Talk Radio) is reportedly in talks to play a transvestite! Dude!
We kind of love all these actors, perhaps because they haven't been overexposed in the tabloids but also because we've seen a bunch of them perform live and think they're really pretty talented. Lee has never been afraid to take risks before (see Lust, Caution), and we applaud him for once again thinking outside the box. Summer 2009 can't get here soon enough. Until then … peace! —Lori Fradkin
So why, oh why, did Harper's Bazaar go through with this Tyra–as–Michelle Obama business? We're not sure. This is purely speculation, but what if it's because the real Michelle Obama turned down the cover because she doesn't want to come off as too high-fashion or out of touch with The People? Hey, it happened with Vogue and Hillary Clinton. That could explain why someone at the mag may have thought, Wait! We can just have Tyra Banks pose as Michelle Obama and it will be ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME! Hey, no reason to go empty-handed when Tyra Banks can give you something. To wit: In this video from the shoot, a Harper's Bazaar editor says, "We're so interested in politics and we wanted to have our own take on it…" And if you can't have the actual politician's wife, why not have a model dressed like her? Just a theory.
On another note: In the video, Tyra repeats her White Castle reference toward the end. With the male model on her arm, she says to the camera, "Michelle and Barack Obama? Y'all might be going to the White House — I'm going to White Castle because I'm starving. And I'm bringing my superfine male model Roman here who stood in for Barack. But you know what? Roman, you're fine, but Michelle's man is finer than you."
Lydia Hearst showed up to host the National Underwear Day at Espace in a lingerie-inspired Marc Bouwer lace gown. But as the hostess of the evening, she had to change before making her stage welcome speech. So she cut off reporters and sneaked behind a black curtain, right behind the red carpet. We followed, stalkerishly. Then a weird thing happened: "They're with me," the publicist said. And we were. Within moments we were behind the black curtain helping Lydia change. Her stylist freaked at the sight of us, but Lydia didn't seem bothered. We were surprised by her perfect posture — the girl didn't flinch. Rather, as if on cue, she lifted her arms and down came her dress. She was wearing a nude strapless bra, Myla since she just became the spokeswoman of the brand. Fearing we would be escorted from the premises, we didn't look down. Once she was safely enclosed in a sequined, short cocktail number, we cleared our throats and asked our one very important question: Was Amelia, her Gossip Girl character, going to become a regular? "That was very, very, very much fun. Unfortunately, I turned it down." She turned it down? WHAT? "And I will not be coming back. No, no." Why not? She was gone before we could ask. She's probably pissed about the role — they should have written her in as a lingerie model. Interior designer was so p.c. —Sharon Clott
There's the Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls: blending her voice with singing partner Emily Saliers on songs such as "Closer to Fine" and "Galileo" and writing songs that tap into the duo's shared folk-oriented touchstones. And then there's Ray's other side.
AP - "Highway to Hell Dispatches From a Mercenary in Iraq" (Broadway Books 273 pages, $24.95), by John Geddes: It's a chatty British page-turner that describes a lot of "slotting along a dual carriageway." Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 6 Aug 2008 | 5:47 pm
FINANCE
• The market surged yesterday as a result of gas-pump demand dropping 2.2 percent in a month. Traders were surprised by consumer demand reclaiming its main role in the oil-price equation. "It's keeping pension funds from buying and holding oil," one energy analyst said. [NYP]
• Mortgage provider Freddie Mac reported an $821 million loss in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury has hired Morgan Stanley for $95,000 to advise them on the futures of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. [NYT, DealBook/NYT]
• Blackstone's second-quarter profits fell to $99.9 million. "Our balance sheet remains strong, and we are extremely well positioned in the current environment," said Stephen Schwarzman, Blackstone's chief. [DealBook/NYT]
REAL ESTATE
• Oil and auto billionaire Boris Berezovsky, who fled his native Russia in 2001 after he was found guilty of embezzlement, sold his 30th-floor apartment in the Trump International building on Central Park West for $7.55 million. [NYO]
• Fifth Avenue, where the average apartment price is $7,500 per square foot, is the third-most-expensive residential street in the world. Monaco's Avenue Princess Grace ($17,750 per square foot) and Hong Kong's Severn Road ($11,200 a foot) top the list.
[NYO]
• Commercial rental rates in Manhattan decreased 2.2 percent in the second quarter and availability is up 8.2 percent — the first time since 2005 that rents have declined and availability is so high. [NYS]
LAW
• A former Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe intellectual-property associate who alleged that the law firm broke a promise to promote him to partner can only seek nominal damages in his claim. He was originally asking for $100 million. [Law.com]
• European law firm Taylor Wessing is accusing Manhattan's Nixon Peabody of attempting to poach partners from its ranks after merger talks between the two firms fell through. [Law.com]
• Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver shelled out at least $50,000 of his own cash to help finance small law firms that specialize in personal-injury lawsuits. [NYT]
"I remember The Happening had just came out and I walked into the editing room with it, the looping stage with John [Moore, director] and he showed me some shit and I was just fucking screaming with excitement. I was so happy that my career was saved. My life, my credibility, my ability to walk down the street was in a hood again … I was fucking screaming at the top of my lungs for like five fucking minutes." —Mark Wahlberg compares the video-game adaptation Max Payne to The Happening [Moviehole]
"If you ask Judd [Apatow], he sees this as an anti-weed movie. I don't know what movie he's watching. I can't imagine any outcome for this movie other than people watching it and wanting to smoke weed." —Seth Rogen on Pineapple Express [A.V. Club]
"The whole time Bob and I were doing Full House, he was also hosting America's Funniest Videos. His entire job consisted of saying 'Take a look at this,' which is what he used to say to Mary-Kate in her dressing room." —John Stamos, roasting Bob Saget [USAT]
"If this record doesn't sell, I'm kind of screwed. I don't know if I can ever do this again — this might be my last record if it doesn't get some attention or doesn't pay off in some way. Now I'm just hoping I can get some choice licenses — I'm actually praying to get my song on a car commercial or something — movies or TV. That's the only way for someone like me to make music these days." — Juilana Hatfield hopes that the iPod marketing people are listening [PopMatters]
"It's just silly because … the way people are talking about it you'd think it was … a Bertolucci movie or something. People are saying, 'It's Woody Allen's steamiest movie.' I'm thinking, 'Woody Allen's steamiest WHAT'?" —Scarlett Johansson hasn't seen the trailer to Vicky Cristina Barcelona [AP via Yahoo]
The new Gap campaign is out, and among the crop of celebrities, media figures, and designers featured is Julia Restoin-Roitfeld. While we certainly approve of the Patrick Robinson-designed collection, our eye was immediately drawn to the claw-shaped bracelet that she's wearing. A bit of digging turned up the information that it's by accessories designer and friend-of-Julia Pamela Love. Now you know.
This picture obtained from the Museum of London shows the remains of a London theatre where Shakespeare's early plays were first staged. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 6 Aug 2008 | 5:36 pm
Pedestrians walk past a movie poster at a cinema in Beijing, in 2007. China is expected to set a record for box office receipts in 2008, boosted by John Woo's epic "Red Cliff," Jet Li's "The Warlords"... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 6 Aug 2008 | 5:31 pm
Former porn star Jenna Jameson is pregnant with the baby of her boyfriend, UFC champ Tito Ortiz, the New York Post's Page Six gossip column reports. Source: FOXNews.com | 6 Aug 2008 | 5:31 pm
Fashion Wire Daily - "I'm curious how many men are actually packing out here on the runway," joked Lydia Hearst, the host of Freshpair.com's 6th Annual National Underwear Day runway show and party on Tuesday, Aug. 5, in New York.
Fashion Wire Daily - "I'm curious how many men are actually packing out here on the runway," joked Lydia Hearst, the host of Freshpair.com's 6th Annual National Underwear Day runway show and party on Tuesday, Aug. 5, in New York.
Last night we bumped into blue faux-hawked Suede from Project Runway at Freshpair.com's National Underwear Day party at Espace. He's already fashion mingling during the show's airtime? We had to hold on to our Hanes! The third-person extraordinaire didn't hit the red carpet, though; rather he stood in the back corner, invited there by his friend, 2(x)ist’s Jason Scarlatti. But surely showing up during the show's air period is breaking Bravo protocol, since we hear they keep their reality stars on a short leash. But he was a good network pet and abided by their rules, stopping in the middle of all his sentences to remind us that he was not allowed to speak yet. Fine, Suede. Fine. But since his fame is almost entirely based off referring to himself in third person anyway, it’s not like he’d actually be talking about himself. Amazingly, however, when he mentioned his winning dress from episode two — the one Natalie Portman went nuts over — Suede's third-person tick disappeared. "I was obviously very excited. I mean, it was amazing. It sold out in like three hours." While in a previously released statement he said "Suede rocked it," in this real-life situation, no third-person enthusiasm came out. Is the self-referential thing just a shtick as we thought? "No, this is me. This is who I am," he told us. Shouldn’t he have said This is Suede. This is who Suede is? In fact, within the entire eight minutes we spoke with him, he didn’t refer to himself in the third person even once. Quite the contrary — we counted 31 instances of "I" and/or "me" uttered. We call bullshit. Guess we’ll have to wait to see more on tonight’s episode. —Sharon Clott
Peripatetic Frenchman Michel Gondry seems unafraid to tackle pretty much any medium: He's directed classic movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, mastered the viral video with his Rubik's cube series, even curated an installation at Deitch Projects based on his own Be Kind Rewind. Now, apparently still annoyed about all his free time, he's written and drawn a 32-page mini-comic called We Lost the War But Not the Battle, the trippy and ridiculous story of four friends called into service to defend France against "beautiful muscular and sexy communist girls."
We Lost the War But Not the Battle, by Michel Gondry
What happens next? It's even weirder than you expect! We Lost the War But Not the Battle is out now from Picturebox.
Tommy Hilfiger was supposed to marry Dee Ocleppo on the private island of Mustique this Friday, but the couple has split! We certainly never saw this coming as Ocleppo has been Hilfiger's best accessory for some time now. Plus, they threw a fancy-shmancy engagement party in June attended by Harvey Weinstein, us, and Anna Wintour (it's not love if reporters aren't there to name it so, after all). The two were planning a private ceremony for family at Hilfiger's Mustique home on the "auspicious" date of 8-8-08, for which Ocleppo had picked out a white Oscar de la Renta dress and everything. Hilfiger and Ocleppo were even planning to fête their nuptials with a black and white ball in New York at the Plaza in October for their 500 closest friends. So much for that. Poor Plaza.
Now I've been to my fair share of movie screenings in this town, and I can say with some authority that last night's Peggy Siegal-hosted New York premiere of "Pineapple Express," a film that many classify as a hybrid of "Half Baked" and "True Lies," was a tad odd. Or maybe "blurry" is a better word. For one, when the director and cast came up to introduce the film, which is typically a quick affair with a few pleasantries at these types of functions, the speeches veered into profane and pro-marijuana territory. As the likes of James Franco, Seth Rogan, and Rosie Perez ("Holy s--t, it's Rosie Perez," was how the producer introduced her) took the stage, there was a "Holy F--k," two "Jesus Christs," one "Get high!," and at least three calls to "Smoke weed!" "We're watching a pot movie," one of the producers explained, "so I'm looking for a little more enthusiasm!" Enthusiasm from potheads is a bit of an oxymoron, no? Anyhoo, at a self-conducted pre-screening poll, I discovered more than a dozen patrons (including socialites, models, musicians, and other respected members of the New York scene) had made personal tributes to the herbal remedies romanticized in the film, so to speak. "Why was only Seth Rogan allowed to get into character?" one of these people asked. "I'm a Method audience member." At the after-party at Tenjune, it was hard to tell if things were getting weirder, or if I just had a contact high. 'Cause I could have sworn I saw Rosie Perez stroll into the VIP area holding hands and getting snuggly with Ed Norton.
Producer Judd Apatow continues his popular assault on common decency in "Pineapple Express," an R-rated celebration of recreational drugs, anti-authoritarianism and mindless violence. The film, a stoner action comedy, can get loopy -- but in a good way.
Jonas, who suffers from type 1 diabetes, hopes a three-year partnership hes created with Bayer HealthCare will serve as an inspiration to others living with this disease. Source: FOXNews.com | 6 Aug 2008 | 3:38 pm
• Meanwhile, Cartier is suing DKNY for trademark violation for its Tank watches. It contends DKNY is trying to befuddle customers into thinking they're associated with Cartier. [Bloomberg]
• Michael Kors will open 25 Collection stores in Europe over the next three years, starting with Milan. [WWD]
• Daily Candy was just sold for a reported $125 million. [WWD]
• Viktor & Rolf will co-chair the Watermill Concert in the Hamptons in September, at which Rufus Wainwright will perform. [Fashion Week Daily]
• The apartments Project Runway contestants stay in start renting at $3,500 a month for a one bedroom. [Manhattan News]
• The Swedish Fashion Council, the Icelandic Fashion Council, Oslo Fashion Week, Helsinki Design Week, and the Danish Fashion Institute are forming the Nordic Fashion Association. They want to emphasize their commitment to "healthy living" and "sustainable energy." Good for them. [WWD]
• Cindy McCain has gradually been showing more cleavage as the election nears. Sneaky. [HuffPo]
There's Mother's Day, and Father's Day, and National Potato Chip Day, so why not a day to celebrate unmentionables? The folks at Freshpair got well and truly behind that idea with a celebration of National Underwear Day last night. New Myla face Lydia Hearst took on hosting duties, and Diesel, Sean John, and Natori were among the brands sending their skivvies down the runway setup at Espace. And—long story short—if you promise camera crews two solid hours of half-naked models, well, the media circus will indeed arrive on cue. For Hearst, however, the nuttiness was nothing compared to what she's been dealing with lately. "I'm making this film with Tara Subkoff for Bebe, kind of a takeoff on 'Kiss Me Deadly,' but, like, imagine Lindsay Lohan is the main character," she explained. "And anyway, we've been shooting sort of guerrilla style, and at one point, I've got paparazzi crowded all around me and I'm supposed to kiss this girl…" Perhaps a National Meta Scandal Day is in order.
Good morning, indeed: Giddy are we that Alexander Wang is finally launching into shoes and a diffusion line for spring 2009, both of which are, dare we say, affordable. Wang, whose fall show was one of the hottest tickets last season (goooo stocking runs!), is launching just five styles of shoes for his first collection, priced at $125 to $250. The shoes, which he mentioned back in May, will include open-toed platforms with a sky-high heel and thong to "make it more provocative," Wang told WWD. There's also a perforated-leather bootie and a heel with fringe around the ankle.
And hot on the heels (har har) of a successful Uniqlo pairing — we really do love our $60 black dress — Wang's got a new lower-priced label in the works, which is actually a line of tees, starting at $28 wholesale for a tank top and $40 for a T-shirt dress. Called T by Alexander Wang, it includes twelve styles in colors like white, gray, lavender, chartreuse, and cerulean. Wang told WWD, “Necklines are stretched and armholes are strategically lowered so that it looks worn in … It’s like sleeping in a T-shirt and then wearing it the next day. It’s not this crisp little T out of the dryer. It’s draped and kind of wilted." We can't remember the last time we felt excited about T-shirts, but lo — now we are.
Meanwhile, Wang's sales have increased 40 percent since last year, and he knows the pressure's on for his spring show. In a departure from his fall grunge look, his new collection will offer an "athletic–meets–Miami Vice" vibe, according to WWD. Hm, we can't remember the last time (if ever) we felt excited by Miami Vice, either. But again, Wang makes it happen.
Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman is getting a divorce, the actor's Mississippi-based attorney and business partner Bill Luckett told "Access Hollywood." Source: FOXNews.com | 6 Aug 2008 | 2:02 pm
"Eh, you know how it is with sunglasses," says Graz Mulcahy. "You can never find a pair that looks good, and then when you do, theyre too expensive, but you buy them anyway, and then they break." If Mulcahy has his way, his new line of sunglasses, Graz, will put the long-term fix to these familiar woes. The Sydney-based designer was instrumental in the launch of Ksubi sunglasses, and debuted his new brand in Australia this spring; the goal, he explains, is to keep the range small and focused on frames that feel instantly classic. "I'd like people to be wearing Graz in 20 years, the way they wear Wayfarers or aviators. And I'd also like the pairs I make to last long enough that they're still around 20 years from now." In the meantime, the first stateside appearance of Mulcahy's two debut styles of shades is due to arrive at Barneys New York any day now, and optical pairs are in the works.
Gwyneth Paltrow has pinpointed another fashionable trend, and this time it doesn't have a thing to do with the gladiator sandal. In this YouTube video, the London-based actress reminds Americans abroad that just because they don't live in the U.S. doesn't mean they can't vote. The video is pretty appropriate for those working in the fashion industry, which has quite a large number of people living abroad (Paris, dahling) and an even larger number of people who don't plan shooting schedules around politics (Election Day is November 4, btw). The organization behind the video, Vote From Abroad, can help even those who aren't paperwork savvy—you know who you are, fashion people—get things in order for absentee voting. While the site is run by Democrats, the point is to vote, no matter what party you support (and we're not talking about the after-party).
Joss Stone performs in Los Angeles, California in June. Stone is set to get a dressing-down after landing the role of Henry VIII's fourth wife in BBC drama The Tudors, it was confirmed Wednesday. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 6 Aug 2008 | 1:40 pm
A California man identified as an employee of the company that makes the 'Girls Gone Wild' video series has been arrested on charges he groped a woman aboard a bus parked outside a New York bar. Source: FOXNews.com | 6 Aug 2008 | 1:20 pm
The federal investigation into Heath Ledger's accidental overdose death is closed, a law enforcement official said. Source: FOXNews.com | 6 Aug 2008 | 1:20 pm
While relationship questions regarding Bardem were off-limits at the 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' Los Angeles press day over the weekend, Penelope Cruz admitted that kissing Johansson really wasn't anything special. Source: FOXNews.com | 6 Aug 2008 | 1:18 pm
"The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and its sequel, the less elegantly titled "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2," both make a good-natured case not only for equality among women but for equality among a far cattier subset: up-and-coming starlets.
Mary-Kate Olsen has avoided being served.
Law enforcement reps, speaking on condition of anonymity, are saying that the Drug Enforcement Administration has closed its investigation into...
Forget what you may have read—Shia LaBeouf is not facing any major transformation.
The actor, who sustained a seriously mangled mitt in a rollover accident, is not endanger of...
Who says print is dead?
As Cindy Crawford and hubby Rande Gerber soaked up some Mediterranean sun onboard a private yacht docked in St. Tropez, George Clooney stopped by to catch up on...
With all this media coverage of the noisy dent Lauren Conrad and her roomies are making in their cozy Hollywood Hills enclave, a number of neighbors have also been getting more time in the...
Turns out Usher's still a mama's boy.
The R&B hitmaker has dumped Hollywood power broker Benny Medina and rehired mom Jonnetta Patton as his manager, E! News has...
It's official: Christina Aguilera is a working mom.
Just got word that Xtina has been snagged by Donald Trump to perform later this month during a party for his new Trump...
"I'm such a work in progress at the moment, it's crazy, and life wants me on edge, I swear to you. But as long as I don't forget the past, I'm cool. One must always be mindful,...
Nikki Blonsky's brawl with Bianca Golden surprised most people, but not everyone.
More specifically, a well-placed source alleges that Nikki's mother, Karen, has more often than...
