Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People

Telltale Games
For PC and Wii

Buy

You know your coffee table needs eye candy.Photo: Courtesy of L'Oreal Professionnel

Photo: Getty Images

Photo: FilmMagic

Apparently, they can still afford flying buses.Photo-illustration: Everett Bogue; Photos: Getty Image

The New York Review of Books Podcasts

nybooks.com

Listen

If that's the case, though, we have a small bit of advice for Barack. When trying to evoke images of Michael Phelps in the water, it's best not to look like you're about to drown.

Box office heat melts summer myths

Women No Longer Forced to Wear High Heels in U.K.; Also, Middle Ages Ends

We don't have to wear these, we just like to.Photo: Imaxtree

'Sexist' airlines, City banks and shops force women to wear high heels to work [Daily Mail]

Artist Yoshitomo Nara Gets a Big Head

Yoshitomo Nara’s Puff Marshie/Kanazawa Version (2006).Courtesy of Cheim & Read Gallery

It’s the End of the Summer: Time to Share Your Nightmare-Intern Stories!

Photo: iStockphoto.com

Eventually, if Sinister Minister wanted to talk to anyone in the office, he would ask Chris to talk to the person for him. If they responded, Chris would have to relay the answer, even if the intern was sitting in the same cubicle — a situation right out of every romantic-comedy sitcom that was ever on UPN. It got so bad that the intern was eventually fired, medium-level-celebrity parent notwithstanding.

Now the summer is almost over, and it's time for employee evaluations in offices all over New York City. In these, the bright young things inevitably talk about how they should have had more "hands-on" experience, and the employers roll their eyes at how the kids never once tried Googling the fucking answers to their questions before asking the company boss in the middle of a meeting. Sometimes, it feels like the interns are the only ones who get to air their grievances. ("Oh my God, I had to make so many copies. In color! And then I had to TRANSCRIBE AN INTERVIEW. I'm, like, dude, I went to Trinity. Fuck this. I should have worked at the tennis club again.")

So today we're inviting you, the real adults who are still working in August, to record your gripes. Tell us your nightmare-intern stories, from this summer or previous ones. Especially if they involve drunken office parties. The ones the interns don’t remember are the best ones of all.

*You'd think nymag.com would give us our own intern: We have to share three interns with the Cut, Vulture, and Grub Street. By the time they get finished blowing out Amy Odell's hair, making Josh Ozersky and Daniel Maurer's lunch, and giving Dan Kois and Lane Brown their scalp and ego massages, they barely have time to give us a pedicure. And they don't even wear matching outfits!

Dvorsky, Gamble, Parker-Namdar, Sherback to Sing Broadway's 'Lost Songs' in VA (Playbill)

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 15 Aug 2008 | 7:13 pm

Georgian ballerina Nina Ananiashvili

Claire Danes, Having Watched ‘Tropic Thunder,’ Takes Autistic Role

Claire Danes and Temple Grandin.Photos: Getty Images, Newscom

In Tropic Thunder's most talked-about — both positively and negatively — scene, Robert Downey Jr. draws a distinction between playing an autistic character and going "full retard," as Ben Stiller's Tug Speedman did in the now-notorious Simple Jack. "Dustin Hoffman," he says. "Rain Man. Looks retarded, acts retarded. Not retarded. Autistic, sure." That HBO announced Claire Danes's biopic of autism-rights advocate Temple Grandin the week of Tropic Thunder's release makes the cable net's PR team either totally foolish or evil geniuses. Danes is a capable actress, and Grandin's story — including her work designing more humane slaughterhouses — is legitimately interesting without the requisite saccharinity usually attending such fare.

The real question: Will the Grandin biopic succeed in breaking the "retard" barrier for serious actresses? Usually leading ladies in desperate search of legitimacy and/or awards follow the Charlize Theron formula of making one's normally gorgeous self look fat, ugly, poor, or all three. On the rare occasions that women do play the disabled or non-neurotypical, it usually results in Radio-like follies like The Other Sister or Riding the Bus With My Sister. A serious actress having the chance to play non-"full retard" gives us yet another chance to answer the question: Can a neurotypical actor ever play someone with a neurological disorder without seeming pompous and self-important at best, or horribly exploitative at worst? It's a question of no small interest to us, as the other week our friend's autistic 11-year-old likened Coney Island to "thousands of microscopic butts," and we want to make sure that kid gets all the movie deals he can handle. -Annaliese Griffin

Claire Danes circles autism biopic [THR]

Summer Fashion Goes Into Mourning

From left: Vika Kuropyatnikova for Dazed & Confused; Liya Kebede and Raquel Zimmermann for Lanvin fall 2008 campaign; Linda Evangelista in Italian VoguePhoto: Courtesy of Dazed & Confused, Courtesy of Lanvin, Courtesy of Italian Vogue

Label Done Waiting for Jared Leto's 30 Seconds (E! Online)

E! Online - It's 30 Seconds to Mars. And about half that to file a lawsuit.

World Trade Center Memorial and Museum to Cost $1 Billion

Photo: Getty Images

Some aging survivors and relatives are worried they won't live to see the day they can celebrate the opening of the memorial. But the worst part is that there's likely to be a lot more bad news coming from the Port Authority going into the fall, as they reevaluate their schedules and budgets. This is just the beginning.

Cost of 9/11 memorial and museum at Ground Zero expected to hit $1 billion [NYDN]
Related: Port Authority Honcho Gunning for World Trade Center Bully Job?

Broadway pressure for 'Billy Elliot'

Author's name matches one on terrorist list

Appreciation: A Low(er)-Key Elvis Anniversary (E! Online)

E! Online - As anniversary years go, the 31st doesn't have the cachet of a 30th, even at Graceland, where the crowd gathering to commemorate Elvis Presley's death was expected to be perhaps less than half of last year's record turnout.

Keifer Sutherland Not Sure the World Is Yet Ready For a Movie That Tackles an Entire Day’s Events All at Once

Photo: Getty Images

"It still amazes me that people actually watching me with a gun didn't just burst out laughing. I can't even play ping-pong, but it turns out I'm good with weapons. I've got enormous hands, like a transsexual, and that's probably why." —Kate Beckinsale on being an action star [WENN via Starpulse]

"Yeah, I gained weight for the part. Sure." —Jack Black on the great lengths he took to get in character for Tropic Thunder [Orlando Sentinel via PopMatters]

"Oh, really? That's a waste of money. That would be like saying… and understand that I'm not making this as a total comparison, but it would be like saying, 'Hey, let's go remake Casablanca!" —Barry Bostwick, the original Brad Majors, on the upcoming remake of The Rocky Horror Picture Show [Bullz-Eye viaPremium Hollywood]

"I remember years ago coming home after a great triumph with Love and Death and the girl in the apartment across still wouldn't go out with me. I was home by myself eating Chinese food out of a bucket, with nothing to do, watching television. It never means anything." —Woody Allen [Reuters viaYahoo]

Jessica Szohr Gets Fierce at the Barneys Warehouse Sale

Jessica Szohr takes the fierce cake. So watch
your back, Siriano!Photo: Getty Images

But Szohr's training for a gold medal in shopping won't detract from her Olympics tube time; she's TiVoing the competition to ogle Michael Phelps at her leisure. "I'm not going to lie, he's kind of cute," she told us. Might we see any Olympics influence on the upcoming season of Gossip Girl? "Probably," she said. "Chuck Bass will be in Speedos very soon!" —Bennett Marcus

Related: Live From the Barneys Warehouse Sale!

Mike and the Mad Dog Break Up at Last

MEDIA
• While America is busy fawning over its newest boyfriend, Michael Phelps, the Western media is irked by how the Chinese government is handling the Olympics. [WSJ]
• Katie Couric will be producing exclusive Internet specials during the Democratic and Republican national conventions. CBS said this is the first time the network will produce live, Web-only programming from the conventions. [Broadcasting & Cable]
• American Media, Inc., which publishes National Enquirer, netted losses in the first quarter, but just reported a $388,000 profit in the latest quarter. Perhaps chief David Pecker should send John Edwards a thank-you note. [WWD]
• Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo is out at WFAN. He sees a future in satellite radio. [NYP]

FINANCE
• Everyone else seems to be doubting Lehman Brothers, but, as of June, George Soros upped his shares in firm from 10,000 to 9.5 million. He must see something in the battered bank. [DealZone/Reuters]
• Oh, how the mighty fall. Salomon Brothers' former chief, John Gutfreund, who was once considered the king of Wall Street, has been caught in the IRS's snare: His Fifth Avenue co-op was hit with a lien for more than $430,000. And last year the state slapped him with a $230,400 tax warrant. Come on, dude, you know how to manage a balance sheet! [NYP]
• Are Russian investments even riskier than Wall Street expected? [NYT]

LAW
• The American Bar Association voted to endorse a version of "merit selection" for federal judges, meaning that lawyers want to strip judicial-selection power from future presidents. [WSJ]
• Rumors were swirling about Shearman & Sterling — but it turned out none of them were too juicy. [Above the Law]
• JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley pony up $7 billion in the banks' auction-rate-securities settlement with A.G. Andrew Cumo. Laywers at Clifford Chance and at Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett worked on the deal. [Law.com]

REAL ESTATE
• Tinseltown producer Paula Wagner just laid down $4.5 million for a ninth-floor loft in the same Tribeca building where Time Warner chairman Dick Parsons has a 2,241-square-foot spread. [CityFile]
• A 35-story indoor-ski mountain at a Long Island resort? Really? [NYS]
• Mark your calendars: The opening days for the new Citi Field and Yankee Stadium have been announced. The Mets will take to the field against the San Diego Padres on April 14, and the Yankees will try fending off the Cleveland Indians on April 16. [NYP]

Gerry Rich exiting Paramount

Which Olympians Could Be Anna Wintour’s New Arm Candy?

James Blake, Jonathan Horton, and Park Tae-Hwan — all worthy of the Bob.Photo:

James Blake, tennis: If Lady Bobbington wants to swap one ace for another, what better candidate than super-hot, Harvard-educated Blake — who surprisingly knocked off Federer in the quarterfinals today? And who cares about a gold medal when front-row seats to Oscar De La Renta are on the line?

Jonathan Horton, gymnastics: The U.S. team's surprise bronze came mostly thanks to his inspiring routines and enthusiasm. Anna could use that kind of fire in her life. Or her purse — if she can't score wee Jon a seat, A-Dubs could just tuck him away in her handbag. He wouldn't even need a makeover: The way menswear is going, Horton's regulation elastic-waist stirrup pants are probably runway-bound.

Park Tae-Hwan, swimming: The Korean suffered an embarrassing disqualification at the Athens games when he just 14, but has already won a silver and a gold in Beijing. Clearly, someone with such capacity to bounce back after adversity can handle Anna's slings and arrows. Also, he’s deliciously buff and barely legal, which ought to get her some column inches in "Page Six."

Tom Daley, diving: Okay, this kid isn't legal — he's 14 — but we're not suggesting anything improper here. We just think, if U.K.-born Anna were feeling especially patriotic, she'd do well to adopt the precocious Brit so he'd dive for us instead. Just picture her bouncing tiny Tim on her knee during a Zac Posen show. The heart, it melts.

Benjamin Boukpeti, slalom kayak: He won Togo’s first-ever Olympic medal, so he’s experienced in charting uncertain ground, and is obviously capable of negotiating the rocky waters of The Bobbed One’s love. He also has wicked guns, which could lead to an intriguing increase in tank tops in Men’s Vogue.

Mariel Zagunis, Sada Jacobsen, and Rebecca Ward, fencing: This brainy trio, which swept the individual saber medals, would make an awesome security brigade against the paparazzi (or, for Bee, handy suitors in Manhattan bars). Anna would relish scrapping their baggy, spacesuit-esque white jumpsuits in favor of something slinky and impractical by, say, Stella McCartney. Like Wintour's Angels, but with blades.

Ryan Lochte, swimming:Thanks to NBC’s daytime Olympics coverage, we recently learned that the U.S. swim team's second-hottest medalist does not shy away from excessive bling, including a faux grill he sports for laughs. Imagine the good times he and Anna could have in Vogue’s accessories closet.

Phil Dalhausser, beach volleyball: While we don’t doubt Anna is capable of staring down André Leon Talley all by herself, surely sometimes she wishes she didn’t have to stand on a chair to do it. And that’s where a six-foot-nine boyfriend could help. Plus, we’d be interested to see how A-Dubs handles dating someone who has to shop at the Big and Tall store.

Michael Phelps, swimming: An obvious choice, but also the most likely. The only thing tougher to argue with than Phelps's dominance is the glory of Phelps's abs. He's cute, he's well-spoken, and with that swim schedule, he's clearly not a commitment-phobe. Anna and Bee may come to blows over this one, but as long as he keeps wearing his aquatic tighties, we'll be fine with either outcome. —The Fug Girls

Related: It's Time to Ogle the Hot Bodies of Our Olympic Athletes
The Cut's Complete Coverage of Roger and Anna's Great Affair

For more of the Fugs' sporting knowledge, check out their complete archive.

Obama Agrees to Roll-Call Vote for Clinton. Does That Make Him a Sissy?

Photos: Getty Images

• Chris Cillizza thinks it was wise of Obama to agree to the roll-call vote, since it's "always better to appear magnanimous than small." The vote also prevents the "the one major potential problem" that could ruin the convention, which "would be signs of disunity permeating the ranks of convention delegates and party officials." [Fix/WP]

• Michael Goodwin says Obama "stands guilty of appeasing Clinton by agreeing to a roll-call vote for her nomination," proof "that he's playing defense at his own convention." Obama will receive no extra support for his magnanimity, yet he appears "weak and ratifies Clinton's sense of entitlement to share party leadership and the convention spotlight." [NYDN]

• Dick Morris claims that the Clintons have managed to push Obama around "with no real leverage." This "begs the basic question: Is Barack Obama strong enough to be president?" [Pundits Blog/Hill]

• Madeleine M. Kunin, Clinton's former Vermont chair, applauds Obama's decision, because "[b]y giving Hillary Clinton her place in history, Obama has demonstrated that his key character trait — generosity of spirit — is not only admirable — it works." [HuffPo]

• An anonymous Economist blogger is skeptical that the gesture will create unity or "make many annoyed Hillary supporters much happier (or less self-righteous)." It's also hard "not to see the submission of Mrs. Clinton’s name as a sign of weakness on Mr. Obama’s part." [Democracy in America/Economist]

• John Nichols doesn't expect much more than "good theater...a little dramatic tension at an otherwise overmanaged convention." The vote will give Clinton's die-hard backers an "outlet" to "make a statement about the historic significance of a woman getting as close as the former First Lady did to the nomination and the presidency." [Beat/Nation]

• Melinda Henneberger suspects this "will not lead to the 'catharsis' [Clinton] keeps talking about, and I'm not positive that catharsis is the goal." The die-hard Clinton supporters aren't going to "wake up the morning after Hillary's name is placed in nomination and have a whole new lease on Obama. And my guess is, Hillary knows that." [XX Factor/Slate]

• Rick Klein and friends note that, while "Obama can afford to be gracious, even to [Clinton], since he'll leave Denver with the only prize that counts," the move also "ensures that the nominee's showcase event will be about something more than the nominee himself." [Note/ABC News] —Dan Amira

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

Better With Age? Madonna Reinvents 50

Which Other Olympians Should Listen to Lil’ Wayne Before Competing?

Photo: Getty Images

1. He Kexin — "Shorty Bounce"
Reports of underage gymnasts on the Chinese team have recently focused on Kexin, who was apparently listed as 13 years old by the country's official news agency, Xinhua, just nine months before the Olympics (gymnasts must be 16 to compete.) Kexin and the rest of her adorable gold-medalist moppet teammates should have tuned out the detail-obsessed haters with "Shorty Bounce" the only Lil' Wayne song we know that's a vague takedown of a former American gymnastics champion. Everybody now: "Yeah, stop, pause, make 'em Dominique Dawes/ flip a bitch n**** when the shotties go off."

2. U.S. Men's Basketball Team — "Pop Bottles"
The “Redeem Team” has already taken the refrain of “Pop Bottles” — “First we take shots, and then pop bottles” — to heart, running through weaker competition to a perfect record in the quarterfinals, staying focused on the larger challenges ahead. In order to stay focused for their first big showdown with Spain tomorrow morning, they should probably ignore the second part —“Flirt with the hoodrats, and then pop models.”

3. Irina Karavayeva — "Sportscenter"
In the intro to this cut off his Dedication 2 mixtape, Weezy lets us know, “I like sports, dog, basically that’s what I’m trying to say. That’s what I’m into. Sports, sports, sports. Every sport… I got a favorite player in every sport.” Which means he's maybe the only person alive who's aware that trampoline is an Olympic event. Russia's Karavayeva, who won the first-ever Olympic gold handed out in the sport in Sydney and is a favorite once again, should be bumping this hard.

4. Anastasia Davydova and Anastasia Ermakova, "Black Democrats"
In the synchronized swimming duet, the connection between the two athletes is so important that twins often compete alongside one another. It can’t hurt Russia’s Anastasia Davydova and Anastasia Ermakova, currently favored in the competition, to study up on Wayne’s eternal bond with fellow M.C. Juelz Santana. The two often collaborate, but have perhaps never sounded better together than on this track, their take on Nas and Jay-Z’s "Black Republicans."

5. Kimberly Rhode, "Shooter"
This one basically writes itself. On Wednesday, Italy’s Chiara Cainero beat America's Kimberly Rhode and Germany’s Christine Brinker in women’s skeet shooting. The competition actually came down to a shoot-off, and we can’t help but think if Kimberly had been rocking with some “Shooter,” off Tha Carter II — “I take you to the shootout, baby, win lose or draw / And then they ask who when where how / And, my reply was simply pow!" —she may have pulled this thing out after all. —Amos Barshad

Lil Wayne Is The Music Of Champions, Ask Michael Phelps [Hip Hop News]

Dunzo: Sean Avery’s Celebrity Styling Company

Lauryn Flynn and Sean Avery.Photo: Getty Images

This is all quite tragic, because it sounds like the two were serious about getting their celeb-styling factory off the ground. Style.com reports Avery and Flynn had registered the company name AveryFlynn and scoured the West Village for office space with plans to get a Website up by Fashion Week. Where will New York's famous people be without the styling expertise of these two at the ready? Who will show men in this city that wearing shorts with dress shoes and no socks is a stylishly shrewd choice? What will Paris Hilton do when she lands in New York needing clothes and no one wants to help her? Go around nude?! See, this is what happens when people choose sports over fashion — everything starts falling apart!

blasblog: burberry is in with flynn [Style.com]
Related: Celeb Intern Sean Avery’s Next Career: Celebrity Stylist

Jennifer Love Hewitt Loses 18 Pounds in 10 Weeks

Madonna helps redefine 50

Donald Trump Rescues Ed McMahon From Foreclosure

Record producer Jerry Wexler dies

Steven Alan Opens in Brooklyn Tomorrow; ‘Gossip Girl’ Mannequins Imminent

We're betting Doutzen's wings are in the mail.Photo: Courtesy of Victoria's Secret

• Gossip Girl costume designer Eric Daman is turning the characters from the show into mannequins for Henri Bendel's windows. They'll be unveiled on Tuesday wearing clothes by designers like Anna Sui, Peter Som, and Gryphon. [WWD]

• Doutzen Kroes's new Victoria's Secret advertisement is in the latest issue of Elle. [Models.com]

• American actor Alessandro Nivola will play Arthur "Boy" Capel to Audrey Tatou's Coco Chanel in the upcoming film, Coco Avant Chanel. He's learning French for the part. [British Vogue]

• Is Chanel Iman dating R&B singer Ryan Leslie? The two were spotted at Da Silvano together and arm in arm at a Vibe magazine party the night before. [NYDN]

• Kate Moss's autumn/winter Topshop collection will hit stores September 9. Oh goody. [Topshop]

• Giorgio Armani will stay on as the designer of the off-field wardrobe of London's Chelsea Football Club soccer team. Isn't that kind of like clothes-cheating on Italy? [WWD]

• Elvis Week is taking place in Memphis right now. It's expected to bring in $40 million in revenue and give Memphis retailers a boost. [WWD]

• The terms "fashion forward" and "wardrobe malfunction" have made it into the cheeky Chambers Dictionary. [British Vogue]

Wife, lovers tend dying man in 'Sweethearts' (AP)

Britney Spears, Jonas Brothers Get MTV VMA Nods

Harry Potters's 'Half-Blood Prince' Film Moves to Summer

After Stumbling, Spears Scores VMA Nod

Jerry Lewis: Gun in Baggage Was a Gift

Report: Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi to Wed This Weekend

Singer to McCain: Don't Run On My Song

VMAs once again to include Britney

Kate Winslet: Sex Scene With Leonardo DiCaprio 'Weird'

Musician talks about his love-hate relationship

Jade Goody

Appeals Court: Phil Spector's Retrial Can Proceed