Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 22 Aug 2008 | 11:55 am

"Sporty Spice" expecting first baby

LONDON (Reuters) - Spice Girl Melanie Chisholm said on Friday she is expecting her first baby, the last member of the top-selling band to become a mother.
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 22 Aug 2008 | 11:53 am

Ann Taylor Reports Increase in Second Quarter EPS

Company Reiterates Full-Year 2008 EPS Outlook NEW YORK, Aug. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AnnTaylor Stores Corporation (NYSE: ANN) today reported results for the...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 22 Aug 2008 | 11:45 am

Fired Philly TV anchor set to plead in e-mail case (AP)

AP - The end is near for a bitter legal dispute between the three surviving members of The Doors now that the California Supreme Court has refused to take up their case.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 22 Aug 2008 | 9:52 am

Legal dispute among The Doors nears end (AP)

AP - The end is near for a bitter legal dispute between the three surviving members of The Doors now that the California Supreme Court has refused to take up their case.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 22 Aug 2008 | 9:52 am

Legal dispute among The Doors nears end

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 22 Aug 2008 | 9:21 am

Faded rocker Glitter finally arrives in Britain (AP)

AP - LONDON (AP) — A British news agency says that disgraced rocker Gary Glitter has returned to London.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 22 Aug 2008 | 8:51 am

Jamie Foxx, Fran Drescher turn out for Obama party Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale welcomed their second little prince today, E! News has confirmed. Son Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale was born Thursday...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 22 Aug 2008 | 12:45 am

L.A. Times tussle gets personal

Front Page: Ex-staffer Martinez sues publicist Mullens -- Former Los Angeles Times editorial page editor Andres Martinez has filed a lawsuit against his former girlfriend, showbiz publicist Kelly Mullens, stemming from their involvement in a Los Angeles Times opinion section that was to be guest-edited by Imagine Entertainment chief Brian Grazer.

Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 22 Aug 2008 | 12:41 am

Designer brings haute couture home to S.Leone (Reuters)

Reuters - Women carrying corn on their heads and children selling peanuts stop to stare as a leggy model in a tiny, blue dress strikes a pose outside a steel-doored clothes shop in Sierra Leone's capital.

Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 22 Aug 2008 | 12:30 am

Designer brings haute couture home to S.Leone (Reuters)

Reuters - Women carrying corn on their heads and children selling peanuts stop to stare as a leggy model in a tiny, blue dress strikes a pose outside a steel-doored clothes shop in Sierra Leone's capital.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 22 Aug 2008 | 12:30 am

Gavin Purcell joins 'Jimmy Fallon'

Front Page: G4 veteran named co-producer of 'Late Night' -- Upcoming NBC gabber "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" continues to fill out its production team, tapping Gavin Purcell to join the show.

Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 22 Aug 2008 | 12:30 am

Tila Tequila's Girlfriend: Not the Right Kind of Fine

This probably isn't the kind of shot that Tila Tequila was talking about. Courtenay Semel, daughter of former Yahoo! mogul Terry Semel and current girlfriend of the equal-opportunity...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 22 Aug 2008 | 12:10 am

Rocker Costar on Funny Overload and Bad Music

Comedy newcomer Josh Gad, who costars with Rainn Wilson in The Rocker, spilled all kinds of dish when we met at a guitar shop this week. He talked about how to keep it together when surrounded by...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 21 Aug 2008 | 11:45 pm

Past echoes in the present in 'First Breeze' (AP)

AP - "The First Breeze of Summer," a powerful drama written in 1975 by Leslie Lee, is nearly as relevant today as it was three decades ago.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 21 Aug 2008 | 11:37 pm

If Patrick Robinson Made the Gap So Great, Why Does No One Shop There?

So everyone's raving about Gap's new designer, Patrick Robinson, and all the really great things he's done for the chain's clothes and branding. Indeed, how many times have you seen or heard about their new celebrity ad campaign, starring Sean Avery, Liv Tyler, and Julia Restoin-Roitfeld? But, as Eric Wilson notes in today's New York Times style section, the customers aren't exactly flooding in with the same gusto that fashion folks are lavishing Robinson with praise. Like this one:

“I just about died when I went in the store,” said Jennifer Black, the president of Jennifer Black & Associates, a research company focused on the apparel industry. “I don’t know how traffic’s been, but from an aesthetic perspective, I think it looks great. For me to be taken aback is kind of a big thing.”

Come to think of it, we haven't actually set foot in a Gap in ages. Have the company's stores become as inviting and amazing as Black says? Should we allot some of our H&M shopping time to the Gap? There was only one way to find out: We went shopping. We know — our job is hard. But the source of Gap's problems hit us as soon as we walked in — the store displays are actually not that great. Things looked dowdy, pants were wrinkled, the lighting was bad, and the music wasn't fun. It didn't make us want to shop. And if we don't want to shop, there's a problem. So Gap, get some brighter colors in, buy some steamers, and play happier music. And call us if you need any more consulting, okay?

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 21 Aug 2008 | 11:35 pm

DeAnna's Tips for Landing the New Bachelor

If there's anyone who knows what it takes to get a proposal from Jason Mesnick, it's DeAnna Pappas. "You definitely have to do something to put yourself out there to get...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 21 Aug 2008 | 11:30 pm

The buck stops here in sobering docu "I.O.U.S.A." (Reuters)

Reuters - Just when you thought documentaries had effectively run out of subjects chronicling the various ways in which our country has messed up, along comes "I.O.U.S.A" to draw attention to yet another inconvenient truth.
Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 21 Aug 2008 | 11:25 pm

Anna Faris keeps formulaic "Bunny" hopping (Reuters)

Reuters - It might wear its derivative, "Legally Blonde"-meets-"Mean Girls" trappings like a rhinestone thong, but strip away the second-hand attire, and "The House Bunny" still manages to stand on its own two skyscraper heels thanks to the comic force of nature that is Anna Faris.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 21 Aug 2008 | 11:16 pm

Stefani, Rossdale welcome baby

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 21 Aug 2008 | 11:08 pm

Zac Efron Gets All Tweedy With Orson Welles

They grow up so fast, don't they? Looks like Zac Efron raided his professors' wardrobe in this shot from Me and Orson Welles, premiering at the Toronto International Film...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 21 Aug 2008 | 11:05 pm

The Bell Tolls for Thee, Richard Fuld

Cold. Vulnerable. Alone. But not rumpled. Never rumpled! "If you dress sloppy, you think sloppy" is Lehman CEO Richard Fuld's maxim, and he's sticking to it as he sits, knitting his amazing eyebrows together, high on the 31st floor of Lehman's midtown office. Will it be his office much longer? He wonders.

He couldn't get the South Koreans to give him any cash, at least not what he thought it was worth. Shares are down 61 percent since June. The Neuberger Berman asset-management division is his only bargaining chip; the market values Lehman's remaining operations at zero. Two top executives flew the coop today. Analyst Richard Bove tersely noted that "the stage is set for a hostile bid to take over the whole company," then told Bloomberg News: "The people inside the firm are in open revolt because Fuld hasn't taken the tough decisions needed to regain confidence. So when a hostile bidder comes along, management will be on his side because they want Fuld out.'' Oh, but that smarts. Angry mob logic, that's what it is. Because getting rid of the top guy doesn't help anymore. It didn't help Merrill. It sure as hell didn't save Bear Stearns. A wave of existential feeling sweeps over Fuld. Remember how they used to love him? When they called Lehman "one of Wall Street's most harmonious firms"? When they said "Dick will never, ever leave"? Oh, those were the days.

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 21 Aug 2008 | 11:00 pm

Bond Finds Solace a Week Later

With James Bond's most artful British nemesis out of the way, he's beginning to get into the holiday spirit. Capitalizing on Warner Bros. decision to strike the sixth Harry...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 21 Aug 2008 | 10:59 pm

Michael Phelps Is the ‘Young Jeezy of the Swim World,’ Asserts Young Jeezy

Doing way more than his fair share on a slow news day, coke-rap titan Young Jeezy has given a tremendous interview to Rolling Stone in which he very reasonably claims, "I'm a big fan of Michael Phelps! He's like the Young Jeezy of the swim world." The rapper sadly admits that he himself can not be the Young Jeezy of the swim world, mostly because he's never been swimming ("Somebody threw me in a pool once when I was younger and I had to work it out, but other than that, no"). But Jeezy says he's already been in contact with the Olympian whose historic eight gold-medal wins are doubtlessly the athletic equivalent of his two double-platinum albums about slinging cocaine. "I reached out and his people got back to me … You don’t go over there and win that many medals, man. Maybe he can lend me one for a video or something."

Young Jeezy: “Michael Phelps Is the Young Jeezy of the Swim World” [Rolling Stone]

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 21 Aug 2008 | 10:45 pm

Bobbi Brown Heads to the Democratic Convention; Armani Gets Sued

MAKEUP
• Bobbi Brown was named as a New Jersey delegate for the Democratic convention to support Barack Obama. She's done Michelle's makeup before, and she'll give each delegate a goody bag in Denver. You know what we always say: Beauty and politics go hand in hand. [WWD]

• The new eye-shadow duos in Shu Uemura's new limited-edition Instinct collection are really saturated and shimmery. Want a smoky eye? This will do it. [Makeup and Beauty Blog]

• Would you buy a $200 lip palette? It sounds like a hefty price tag, but for 42 shades, that comes out to be roughly $4.75 per color. Not so bad … but who uses 42 shades of lip color? [Beauty in Real Life]

FRAGRANCE
• The Spanish city of Granada pressed charges against Giorgio Armani for naming his new fragrance Oranger Alhambra after the city's famed monument. Turns out the word Alhambra is trademarked. Tricky. [Telegraph]

HAIR
• Nicole Richie's best tip for styling hair? Curl with a flat iron, which, this blogger writes, is really hard to do. [BellaSugar]

SKIN
• The British skin-care brand Nude will be sold in almost all Sephoras nationwide. So get ready for an onslaught of "nude" puns when you shop there. [Cosmetic News]

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 21 Aug 2008 | 10:40 pm

Tila Tequila's Girlfriend: Not the Right Kind of Fine (E! Online)

E! Online - This probably isn't the kind of shot that Tila Tequila was talking about.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 21 Aug 2008 | 10:36 pm

A Taste of Japan Fashion Week in New York (Fashion Wire Daily)

Fashion Wire Daily - Japan Fashion Week's Spring 2009 season of collections commences on Sept. 1, but for those New York residents unable to make the journey to Tokyo, Japan Fashion Week (JFW) organized a showcase of some of Japan's most promising emerging designers—Ato, Mikio Sakabe, Somarta, Ylang-Ylang, G.V.G.V., Mercibeaucoup and Ne-Net—at the newly opened Japanese-owned boutique Aloha Rag on Tuesday, Aug. 19, in New York.

Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 21 Aug 2008 | 10:36 pm

Glen Campbell looks forward and back in intimate show (Reuters)

Reuters - Glen Campbell covering Green Day and Foo Fighters?

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 21 Aug 2008 | 10:31 pm

J.Crew Men’s Store Finally Opens, Won’t Sell Us Alcohol

We moseyed over to the opening of the much-buzzed-about Men's J.Crew store this morning. Though originally slated to open at the beginning of May, four extra months of refurnishing the interior were needed to fine-tune the liquor bar–cum–men's haberdashery. This is a far cry from the mass-produced, strip-mall version of J.Crew we all know, mmkay?

For one, the store is collaboration crazy. They're selling black Globe-Trotter luggage made exclusively for J.Crew (it holds a ton — literally, ONE TON) and retails for over a thousand dollars, as well as a few pairs of Selima Optique men's sunglasses made exclusively for J.Crew. They've even teamed up with the Strand bookstore to design a special tote bag for the store, which will play off the bookstore's iconic bag. And J.Crew cherry-picked a number of vintage items like tie clips, crocodile belts, records, and books, all for sale, as well as newer items from brands like Alden, Redwing Shoes, Aesop, and Mister Freedom. Prices vary depending on the goods; a worn-in T-shirt is $24.50, a gray cardigan is $79.50, salvaged-denim jeans go for $150, a vintage croc belt goes for $400, and a navy Duncan coat is a cool $800.

While we're all for this new trend of men's boutiques, we can't help but think the whole package is just too … darn … pretty. As reported earlier, J.Crew kept some of the "Liquor Store Bar" intact (to pay homage to the ol' drinking den and assuage Tribeca's lamenting neighbors, perhaps?), and yes, several bottles of booze were spotted inside. So we had to ask the cute shop boys, can we drink it? "No. But we're selling the glasses!" Sigh. See more photos after the jump.

Related: Foodies Lament Tribeca’s New Men’s-Only J.Crew
Men's-Only J.Crew to Open in Tribeca

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 21 Aug 2008 | 10:15 pm

How Awesome Will Zhang Yimou’s Olympic Closing Ceremony Be?

We're pretty sure we haven't watched an Olympics closing ceremony since 1984, when we were 9 and easily amused, but we're sure as hell watching this year's. NBC Sports executive David Neal told the AP that he'd attended a secret rehearsal of the Zhang Yimou–directed spectacular and that it was entertaining and "unlike any other closing ceremony I've ever seen." The ceremony will utilize another 7,000 performers — none of whom, say officials, were in the totally amazing opening ceremony. Sadly, this means no Lang Lang, but maybe they've got a spot for plucky little bucktoothed Yang Peiyi! Also appearing, from London, site of the 2012 games: Leona Lewis and David Beckham.

Nonetheless, we think these are gonna be awesome, and we're definitely watching Sunday night. (Or on the Internet Sunday morning, when they actually happen.) If the ceremony is as good as we think it'll be, we hope the Democrats and Republicans let Zhang Yimou direct their conventions. Could you imagine? Instead of the stupid balloon drop, Zhang would release 2,008 gold-plated doves, which would form a huge donkey in mid-air before assembling themselves into an electoral map. Then thousands of "volunteers" would sprint across the convention floor to clean up after them.

Olympic closing ceremony to feature 7,000 people [AP]

Earlier: Did the Beijing Opening Ceremony Finally Make Opening Ceremonies Cool Again?

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 21 Aug 2008 | 10:15 pm

Olympic Committee Questions Ages of Infant Chinese Gymnasts

Well, we NEVER: The International Olympic Committee has asked the International Gymnastics Federation to formally investigate the ages of two gold-medal-toting Chinese gymnasts, He Kexin and Yang Yilin, following new evidence that the completely prepubescent-looking girls may actually be 14 — two years under the legal age for competition. The IOC is actually questioning the integrity of a host country, and putting its gold medals under scrutiny? It takes some serious dirt to make that come to pass — and serious dirt there was. All it took to unearth it was a hacker, a blog, and a cause:

The widely publicised blog site by hacker “stryde.hax” has detailed documents found in search engine caches that suggest He Kexin's real birth year to be 1994. All of the links to the documents have been rapidly disappearing from live sites, sparking concerns of internet censorship.

Concerns? Of censorship? Regarding top-secret Chinese Olympic stuff? Consider our eyebrows raised. Meanwhile, who IS this stryde.hax fellow? We suspect he's an American patriot deep somewhere within the People's Republic — most likely hiding out in a bunker, his walls covered in Nastia Liukin posters. We salute him.

IOC Wants Gymnasts' Ages Investigated [Epoch Times via Radar]

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 21 Aug 2008 | 10:09 pm

Paris Hilton's Hairy Situation

The Paris Hilton empire just keeps on growing. Guess what's she's coming out with next? Something called the Bandit, which is described in a press releases as "the...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 21 Aug 2008 | 10:00 pm

Japan Invades Midtown Until November, Our Inner Hello Kitty Fan Rejoices

At one point in our young lives we would have sworn up and down that Hello Kitty was Japan’s greatest export EVER, but as we’ve gotten older our tastes have sort of matured — i.e., now we would totally buy a bottle of sake shaped like our favorite feline. So we eagerly marched on over to the Japan C showcase at midtown’s Felissimo Design House. The design fair–trade show–art exhibition hybrid includes wares from more than 70 established Japanese firms, spanning food, beauty, gadgets, home and fashion accessories and various pop-culture trinkets. Now through November 1, each week will feature a different theme focusing on a specific aesthetic, like “High Design” or “Design at Play,” during which a selection of items from each grouping will be available for sale. (Definitely stop by on Mondays to get the best selection.) Even if you’re not in the market for the world’s smallest grand piano, you’ll probably covet Miyazaki’s organic cotton scarves, Mind Wave’s quirky high-end stationery, or Passo Co.’s leather moccasins, dyed with organic wine. Prices range from about $7 for a key chain to $200,000 for a dress (gulp), and most items are expected to sell out quickly. See more images after the jump.

Runs through Nov. 1. Felissimo Design House, 10 W. 56th St., nr. Fifth Ave.; 800-247-5655.

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 21 Aug 2008 | 9:50 pm

B.O. looks to equal record

Front Page: 'Death Race,' 'Rocker' opening wide -- With just two weekends left to go, the summer 2008 domestic box office is all but assured of finishing on par with last year’s record-breaking take of $4.16 billion -- an unexpected victory for Hollywood and theater owners.

Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 21 Aug 2008 | 9:44 pm

South Slope Gets Its Own Tower of Toys

City Island: If the Neptune Inn eatery here is indeed bulldozed, New York will lose the restaurant's beloved murals of the Twin Towers (which supernaturally began peeling right after 9/11!), the Virgin of Guadalupe, and some unidentified guy in a hat. And that would be a shame, because it's not like this isle of fried fish has its own Guggenheim or anything. [amNY]
East Village: Best Sentence Ever from this story on hood photographer Lorcan Otway: "Otway’s photos capture everything from the fast-action danger of a young man trying to resuscitate a friend who had overdosed on heroin … to a young 'crusty' woman, looking tenderly at her pet rat." Writer of that sentence, please don't tell us you laughed like we did when you wrote that. Earnest is better! [Villager via EV Grieve]
South Slope: Under an evergreen in front of a home on 12th Street is a "Retirement Home for Well-Loved Stuffies." Basically, it's a big, heartbreaking pile of discarded stuffed animals, kind of like the Island of Misfit Toys from the 1964 stop-motion TV classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. But this is real, and if you listen real hard around here at night, you can hear the stuffies weeping and moaning. [IMBY]

Tottenville: Here on Staten Island, a hobbyist horticulturist has transformed a septic-tank facility into a verdant paradise, complete with statuary from the 1939 World's Fair … and eggplants with (frighteningly detailed) faces on them. Come on, click through and take this journey with us. [SI Live via Queens Crap]
Williamsburg: A 'burger seriously hates on the hood's guitar-shaped bike rack, and all the other thematically shaped new racks around town, designed by David Byrne: "Oh, aging rock icons. How you inevitably lose your edge and charmingly putter about in irrelevance with inflated egos thanks to a media that shits itself every time you undertake the most menial of projects." [Williamsburg Is Dead]
Woodside: This is the home of Danielle Bremner, 26, "the number one female tagger, possibly in the country, definitely in New York," who just got busted on charges of $100,000 in graffiti damage in every borough but Staten Island. And she's wanted for the same shit in Europe! [amNY]

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 21 Aug 2008 | 9:35 pm

Radiohead Still Oddly Silent Over Beefs With Hold Steady and Silver Jews

On Sunday, bespectacled, cirrhosis-livered Hold Steady guitarist Tad Kubler set off a music-blog firestorm by brutally slagging off Radiohead during an interview with BBC's Radio 6. "I think they've lost the plot," he said. "I like them as a rock band, all the buttons and sequencing and stuff like that I don't really care for. I'm a fan of rock music, and what they're doing now I don't think is very good." But Kubler wasn't the only boozy indie-rock titan to weigh in with a negative opinion of Radiohead this week! On Monday, Silver Jews leader David Berman told Pitchfork, "You can go through the whole new Radiohead album and try and tell me what they're saying, and all you'll get over and over again is things are miserable, don't try, things suck … Never before has there been a 'greatest band in the world' who had so little to say about anything."

The list of things Radiohead have nothing to say about evidently includes the Hold Steady and Silver Jews, as neither Thom Yorke nor any of the various Greenwoods have responded to either attack. There's currently no mention of any beef on the band's official blog and a search on Hype Machine indicates that no dis tracks have yet been recorded. Are they simply too big for this? Or are they holed up in Oxford right now putting the finishing on a Nigel Godrich–produced ironic cover of "Chips Ahoy!"? God, we hope so. Come on, guys, it's the slowest news week of the year!

Steady vs Radiohead [BBC]
Interview: Silver Jews [Pitchfork]

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 21 Aug 2008 | 9:30 pm

Afternoon Fix: Sienna Miller Served Satan's Pie

• Sienna Miller's house was vandalized last night with the word slut and what the Sun tabloid surmises to be "the sign for Satan" (though it might just be the international...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 21 Aug 2008 | 9:15 pm

Whitney Port to Go to Diane Von Furstenberg? And Bring Cameras With Her?!

Earlier we reported a rumor surfaced that Whitney Port would leave People's Revolution during this season of The Hills to do in-house PR at another fashion label. Fashionista is now reporting rumor has it she's going to Diane Von Furstenberg. What? YES. The amazingly lovely DVF, for which our hearting knows no bounds.

Now DVF reps told Fashionista they "can't confirm" anything. But! The plot thickens: Cut spies have recently seen reality-TV producers over at the DVF office. It seems they're in negotiations to appear in some reality show or other. When we heard DVF was going to be on reality TV, we could scarcely believe it. But we never, ever would have imagined it was The Hills. Or maybe it's Whitney's new spinoff show? Either way, we say BRING IT. We wouldn't mind seeing how all those fabulous clothes get made.

Whitney Port to Leave People's Revolution; Going to DVF?! [Fashionista]
Earlier: Whitney Port to Leave People’s Revolution?

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 21 Aug 2008 | 9:10 pm

NBC thriving with 24/7 Olympics

Front Page: Network benefits from multiplatform coverage -- In its 24/7 airing of the Beijing Olympics, NBC has been both lucky and good.

Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 21 Aug 2008 | 9:02 pm

Emmy Scoop: Melrose Place Reunion?

Reunited and it feels so good. Get ready for some of your ol' favorites to come together at the Emmys next month. I just got word that producers are putting together cast...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 21 Aug 2008 | 9:00 pm

Team Obama Hit the Ground Running With McCain ‘Houses’ Gaffe

You could imagine Barack Obama lying awake last night, frustrated by his dwindling momentum and tightening poll numbers, the worst rut his campaign has been in so far, just wishing, praying, that John McCain would commit some horrendous, game-changing gaffe. And then he probably woke up this morning, did a thousand push-ups as usual, made sweet love to Michelle, and was drinking a glass of raw eggs when a gleeful campaign aide burst through the door with the news: When the Politico asked McCain in an interview if he knew how many houses he himself owns, McCain replied, "I think — I'll have my staff get to you. It's condominiums where — I'll have them get to you." Traditionally, the politically expedient answer to such a question is a number, and preferably a low number at that, especially, of course, during a housing crisis, and — most crucially — if you've spent the last month mocking your opponent for being an elitist celebrity who is out of touch with America's needs. When you have so many houses that you need your staff to look into it for you (the McCain campaign now says "at least four"; the Obama campaign says seven), those arguments might lose some steam.

Of course, the Democratic machine was called to arms faster than Vladamir Putin could invade a former Soviet republic. An ad featuring the comment was ready almost instantly, and Obama was hammering the point home at a campaign event in Virginia, tying it in to McCain's pseudo-joke at Saddleback Church that you need $5 million to be considered rich. Furthermore, the campaign is "deploying high-profile surrogates in sixteen states across the country" to hold (somewhat gimmicky) "press conferences in front of homes to draw attention to the issue," Jonathan Martin reports. In short, the Democrats think they have a political winner on their hands, and they won't rest until the meme that "Out-of-touch John McCain doesn't know how many houses he has" permeates the public's consciousness. Sure, it's not the most relevant issue, and most people should already realize that United States senators are almost uniformly wealthy (one of the poorest is Joe Biden … hmmm), but a perfect gaffe like this doesn't come around too often. It's the stuff dreams are made of.

McCain unsure how many houses he owns [Politico]
Obama Counts McCain's Houses [NYT]
Earlier: Voters Souring on Obama As Never Before

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 21 Aug 2008 | 9:00 pm

Sheryl Crow to Single-handedly Hand Election to McCain

Husky-voiced jingle writer Sheryl Crow is giving away copies of her new album to the first 50,000 fans who register three friends to vote. The effort, for Rock the Vote, is presumably meant to register the young (and progressives who share Crow's politics), but do you know a single person under the age of 30 who would lift a finger for a Sheryl Crow album? And they're giving away digital copies, so there won't even be a physical CD to sell for beer money. All this means is that 200,000 new middle-aged voters with boring taste will weigh in this year — and given McCain's slim lead among 30-to-49-year-olds, this should be just enough to put him over the top. Should one sun-kissed balladeer wield so much power?

Crow offers free music to voters [Variety]

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 21 Aug 2008 | 8:45 pm

The Private Life of Jacob Weisberg

As our eyes glanced over Deborah Needleman's editor's letter in the big summer issue of Domino recently, our hearts stopped at this sentence: "For my family, summer is all about hosting friends. Come May, we're dragging out an old metal table to set under the oak tree for lazy breakfasts, long suppers and countless birthday parties." An ordinary person might see this as a generic shelter-book tableau, but it set our imaginations on fire. Needleman, after all, is married to Jacob Weisberg, King of Slate. If that oak tree and that old metal table could talk!

Granted, Weisberg isn't the first wonky-writer guy to shack up with a lifestyle-focused lady journalist. (Remember when Columbia J-School dean Nicholas Lemann and former House & Garden EIC Dominique Browning were knocking boots? No? Maybe you aren't a total dork, then.) But it is the first time we've had such insight into what such a pairing must be like. Every time we crack open Domino, the editor of "the guide to living with style" tells us something new about her life with the author of In Defense of Government, and we can't help but envision it as it must play out: The former Marty Peretz protegé, recumbent on four-billion-thread-count Pratesi linens, declaiming on the impotence of Ehud Olmert, the crisis of neoliberalism, and why Malcolm Gladwell makes so much more damn money per speaking engagement than he does. Did he remember, his wife asks, to pick up the artisanal cachaça for the caipirinhas she wants to serve when Mike Kinsley swings by this afternoon?

We dug into the back issues to bring you some of our favorite moments from what we imagine life chez Needleberg (Weisleman?) is like:

"At Domino, beauty is about seasonality—a really luxurious bubble bath to ease us into winter's cold or a candle that reminds us of a fireplace and mulled wine" (November 2007). Hairy, yellow-ish writer's toes poking out of the bubbles, Jake kicked back in the Waterworks tub with a pencil and the galleys for Bushisms XIII.

"My 6-year-old, Nathaniel, is all power heros and Legos, but when we put him into a linen dinner jacket and pinstriped trousers for a cousin's wedding, he turned into a different child" (September 2007). Papa Weisberg, pacing briskly in the parking lot outside the wedding, cradling his iPhone — he couldn't not take a call from Bob Rubin — while Little Lord Fauntleberg stumbles after him, struggling to keep up.

"... about six months ago, when my husband and I were in the middle of a major renovation of our Dutch Colonial in upstate New York..." (October 2007). The bespectacled Rhodes scholar stammeringly complies with his wife's demand that he inform several hulking members of Local 7 that they have installed the rainshower showerhead in the wrong bathroom.

To us, these suggest the raw materials for a graphic novel: The Private Life of Jacob Weisberg. Serious book-deal inquiries only, please.

Related: Deborah Needleman's Muted Tribeca Loft

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 21 Aug 2008 | 8:30 pm

Meet the New Guy: Patrick Petitjean

French hunk Patrick Petitjean has been on our radar since his Numéro Homme cover in 2006. His long, messy locks and grizzly beard was such a welcome change from the all baby-faced boys that every other magazine sports. Since then he's become the face of Prada with Linda Evangelista, and has been styled as a god and even the son of God. Seriously. Photographer Nathaniel Goldberg shot Petitjean as Poseidon, naked and by the sea for GQ Style. And for an Arena Homme + spread he was photographed as Jesus (yes, Jesus). Well, he made believers out of us.

Model Profile: Patrick Petitjean

For more details on the runway's finest, check out our Model Manual.

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 21 Aug 2008 | 8:25 pm

Poster for the 2007 Hollywood movie "Blood Diamond"

Poster for the 2007 Hollywood movie "Blood Diamond." Sierra Leone's new promotion agency would like nothing better than to see the Oscae-winning film banned argueing argues it hampers its efforts to rebrand...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 21 Aug 2008 | 8:15 pm

Photographer André Cypriano’s Line in the Sand

André Cypriano might be the least romantic beachgoer ever: Instead of carving his lover's name, a friendly greeting, or even "HELF" into the sand, he's written a less friendly demand, as if the beach itself is finally having its say. The taunting work is part of a group show at latincollector through September 6.

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 21 Aug 2008 | 8:00 pm

Joe Torre Has a Blog

We kind of miss Joe Torre, and not just because the Yankees appear doomed without him this season. We miss it all — the calm demeanor, the eight-cups-a-game green-tea habit, even the occasional on-camera nose picking. But, thankfully, we no longer have to rely on “traditional media” to keep up with him, because this weekend, Torre started his own blog!

And honestly, this thing is kind of adorable. It’s a cross between a grandfather's observations about the Internet (“I saw one of those little candy Valentine's hearts printed with 'LOL' and thought it was a typo right up until I started reading about blogs and Web acronyms. I mean, WTF(udge), right?”) and the random musings from Larry King’s old USA Today column (“People really DO carry pocket dogs around with them wherever they go. I have no idea where you'd put these little yip-yaps when you go to the restroom”).

Plus, if you can look past the flashy, L.A.-centric design — the blog’s hosted by MLB.com, so Torre likely isn’t doing a lot of Photoshop work himself — he reminds you that he’s still a New Yorker at heart. He bemoans having to drive a car everywhere, especially in Southern California traffic, and he refers to New York as “a town where people buy color-coordinated pepper spray cans,” which is about the funniest line we’ve read all week.

We’re sure Torre’s got some help putting it together (many sports personalities do), but with only three posts under his belt, he seems to have this blogging thing down pretty well. Well, almost. At one point, he writes that “Only about seven percent of LA residents took public transit in '06 (yes, I looked all this stuff up).” Joe, you’re a blogger. There’s no need to concern yourself with “facts.” All you’ve gotta do is share.

Torre's Stories [MLB via Was Watching]

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 21 Aug 2008 | 8:00 pm

The Trouble With Jennifer Aniston’s Boyfriend-PR Strategy

When Jennifer Aniston's fling with noted lady-killer John Mayer ended this weekend, we were bummed — not because we'd booked seats on the Mayerston bandwagon, but because it's exactly what we expected. Consider the math: two Jolie-Pitt pregnancies, and two allegedly serious and tabloid-friendly Aniston relationships that lasted just long enough to ride out the fervor over her ex-husband's glorious new spawn. If you stop and smell the PR, it reeks. Jennifer is a bona fide star, yet her team seems fixated on proving she attracts beefy boyfriends, instead of projecting the image of a self-confident woman who attracts beefy roles. And frankly, we find that strategy questionable.

Granted, Aniston's in a tough spot. Since her marriage to Pitt imploded, she's been the tabloids' favorite lovelorn punching bag, forever yoked to the glittering Brangelina and unfairly — not to mention archaically — doomed to be branded a dried-up crone until she spawns and/or gets hitched. So the suspiciously convenient timing of Jennifer's long-term relationships could be seen as self-preservation. For every "Brangelina's Baby Joy" headline, we're spared a matching sidebar that cruelly screams, "ALONE IN MALIBU," or "WHY JEN CRIES." We’d want to avoid that, too.

But how does a string of toxic-bachelor boyfriends help? We’re not saying the girl shouldn’t go out and get some, just that maybe she should consider dating someone who isn’t more trouble than he's worth in column inches. Pairing up with boozy flirt Vince Vaughn yielded a DUI for him and yet another round of “Poor Unlucky Jen” for her, once photos and rumors of his cheating emerged. Horndog John Mayer could get "squire for hire" printed on his business card, thanks to his history of lending himself to stars in need of a little tabloid TLC — like his ex Jessica Simpson (the twentysomething version of the tragic spinster Us Weekly wants Aniston to be) and that fling with a post-Timberlake, mad-with-jealousy Cameron Diaz. At this rate, if Angelina gets knocked up a third time, we'll be awash in headlines trumpeting Jen's six-month yachting vacation with George Clooney or hot-and-heavy courtship with Tommy Lee.

Ergo, this weekend's breakup not only didn't surprise us but made us sad for her. Aniston used to be America’s most-loved comic actress. Now, thanks to her counteracting all that Brangelina PR with obviously labored stories — full of suggestive pictures and coy denials — about her own love life, we're barely able to name a single thing she's has done lately that doesn't involve hanging around with a bunch of notorious man-children. Or, worse, signing up to star in forgettable rom-coms with titles that hit a bit too close to home. The Break-Up was bad enough, but He’s Just Not That Into You? Honey, no. There's self-awareness, and then there's masochism.

In fact, until we recently caught a late-night rerun of Friends, we totally forgot Aniston is actually quite charming and talented. If she really wants to prove she's risen from the ashes of her marriage — and who can blame her? — she ought to take a page from Nicole Kidman's book and let a kick-ass career be the best revenge. After all, she can't beat the Jolie-Pitts at their own PR game, but a memorable guest stint (How I Met Your Mother, anyone?), a self-effacing cameo, or even a regular TV gig would do the talking better than the tabloids ever could. Remind us why we took a shine to you in the first place, Jen. They didn't make those "Team Aniston" shirts for nothing.


AND NOW, A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: YOUR PRESSING FASHION WEEK QUESTIONS, ANSWERED BY THE FUG GIRLS!

In just a few days, the world will stop, the tents will go up, and models will stub out their cigarettes just long enough to storm down the runways sporting the spring 2009 collections — and the Fug Girls will be here to document every A-list moment along the way. Ever wonder what The Bob smells like? Or what front-row dweller really has scuffed shoes? Or just how a Fug Girl dodges all the screaming assistants and scalding lattes? Now's the time to find out: For next week's column, they're answering your Fashion Week questions — anything you've ever wondered about the Fuggish experience in the tents (how do they manage to observe all those celebrity tics, anyhow?), now's the time to ask! Put your questions in the comments below or send them to Jessica Coen at jessica (dot) coen (at) nymag (dot) com, and the girls will answer a handful for next week's column.

Related: Since When Is Jessica Simpson a Spinster?
‘Friends’ Movie Practically Definitely Totally Basically Green-lit, Says Some Dude [Vulture]
For more of the Fug Girls, check out their complete archive.

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 21 Aug 2008 | 7:40 pm

Soulja Boy Does Exactly What Any Sensible 18-Year-Old Would Do With $1 Million

Vaguely famous rapper Soulja Boy is currently taking heat for the above Cribs-style video (cleverly titled "Rich Nigga Shit") in which he blows his nose on money and drives a Segway across his carpeted living room. Vulture, however, would like to congratulate him on his lovely home and commend him for doing exactly what any perfectly reasonable person (including us) would do with a modest fortune. A small mansion, Gucci sheets, and a bathrobe with his name embroidered on the back (which, truthfully, looks totally sweet) are hardly Hammer-size expenditures. And if Soulja Boy can't roll like this, what's the point of working in the first place?

Soulja Boy Is Not Really A Boy Of The People [Idolator]

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 21 Aug 2008 | 7:30 pm

The Insider’s Guide to Election Polls

The opening of the Democratic National Convention on Monday will mark the beginning of the most intense period in general-election history, with two conventions, four debates, and a campaign that may stretch into as many as twenty states all compressed into a window of barely more than 70 days.

All of this is going to produce an enormous volume of polling — and even more commentary on what those polls mean. But polls are less accurate than they claim to be: While a typical reported margin of error might be three or four points, the actual average error in polls conducted in this year’s primaries was closer to seven points. Polls were never really intended to be predictive. They establish voter preferences at the time of survey, but don’t account for how those preferences might change. And there are vast and largely unresolved differences of opinion on methodology among pollsters.

In other words, polls require context to be understood, and their results are easy for media commentators to cherry-pick in order to advance a preferred story. Here are twelve key indicators to watch.

Some polls are better than others. The volume of polling typically accelerates rapidly after Labor Day — but more doesn’t necessarily mean better. And often it is the boutique firms, rather than the major brand names, that have tended to have the best results. You can trust polls from smaller firms like SurveyUSA, Rasmussen Reports, Mason-Dixon, Research 2000, and Quinnipiac. But be skeptical of what you see from Zogby — the firm that gave McCain a five-point lead yesterday — American Research Group, Fox News, and even the venerable Gallup.

Six points is the convention over-under. Where there is a convention, there is a convention bump. Each party gets the equivalent of about ten hours of free prime-time coverage between the three major networks (buying that ad time would run them a cool $180 million each). The key benchmark to keep in mind is six points; that has been the average size of a convention bump in the modern era. A convention that produces a bounce of more than six points can be considered a success and fewer than six points a failure.

But beware the convention hangover. This year, however, the convention bounces will be difficult to evaluate. The conventions come back-to-back, and John McCain will probably announce his vice-presidential nominee somewhere in between. Moreover, convention bounces can be fairly persistent, lasting as many as three or four weeks after the event. The first clean read we will get on the post-convention landscape will probably be immediately before the first presidential debate on September 26.

Watch the early voting in Ohio. About 20 percent of voters cast their ballots early in 2004, and that number is likely to increase as states continue to liberalize their voting rules. This year Ohio has created a seven-day window beginning on September 30 in which voters may register and vote at the same time. Pay special attention to breakouts of early voting numbers in the polls; these are the only voters that are 100 percent sure to turn in their ballots.

Don’t start panicking until October. The polls typically begin to increase exponentially in accuracy about one month before the election. As such, this is the first time that a candidate can fall too far behind to plausibly catch up.

Watch who’s watching the debates. The final presidential debate, on October 15, is probably the last opportunity to affect voter preferences at the wholesale level; after that, it all comes down to electoral math and ground game. But the debates may also provide some other important clues about the election. Historically, there is a rather strong relationship between the TV ratings for the presidential debates and turnout rates on Election Day, with each additional 10 million TV viewers translating to an increase in turnout of about 1.5 percent. If the audience for the debates is something like 50 million, expect fairly ordinary turnout. But if it’s more like 60, 70, or even 80 million viewers, turnout could be extremely high. That would favor Obama.

Only a five- to seven-point lead in national polls is safe. The one thing that’s certain about the day before the election is that the pundits won’t know as much as they claim to. That is because some elections can break very late. In 1980, for instance, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan were virtually tied in polling just days before the election, but Reagan wound up winning by nearly ten points. In 2004, 9 percent of the electorate made its choice either on Election Day itself or on the three days immediately preceding it — movement that may come too late to be picked up by the polling.

Forget the Bradley Effect… Conventional wisdom holds that preelection polls tend to overstate the performance of black candidates — a phenomenon known as the Bradley Effect, named after 1982 Los Angeles mayoral candidate Tom Bradley, an African-American who narrowly lost his election after having a significant lead in the polls. More contemporary research, however, reveals that this effect disappeared at some point in the early nineties: Voters may still vote based on the race of the candidates, but their preferences will be reflected accurately by the polls. And in the Democratic primaries, it was Barack Obama rather than Hillary Clinton who overperformed his polls, beating his preelection averages by a margin of about three points.

…but beware the Verizon Effect. Nearly half of voters under the age of 30 rely primarily or exclusively on cell phones rather than landlines — and they will be off-limits to many pollsters, who do not include cell phones in their samples. Pollsters have various techniques to attempt to correct for this problem, but they may not be entirely satisfactory — research conducted by the Pew Research Center revealed that Barack Obama gained three points when a supplementary cell-phone sample was included.

Ignore the exit polls. Matt Drudge will leak them. You are allowed to look at them. You are not allowed to take them seriously. Exit polls were never really intended to be used as early indicators of victory — rather, they are meant for post-facto, macro-level demographic analysis. Raw exit polls will not have had the demographic weights applied to them that normal polls get, and their methodology — which involves a bunch of college kids running around with clipboards outside a polling place — is not nearly as rigorous. Unweighted exit polls significantly overestimated John Kerry’s numbers in 2004 and inflated Barack Obama’s margins by an average of about seven points during the primaries.

Watch Indiana early… The canary in the election-night coal mine may be Indiana, which is one of those traditionally red states that Barack Obama is trying to compete in, and where the polls close especially early. If the networks are able to call Indiana for John McCain within 45 minutes of poll close, then Barack Obama is in for a long night. If they’re able to call it for Barack Obama at any point after polls close, then John McCain is in for a long night.

…and Colorado, Ohio, Michigan, and Virginia late. I hate to agree with Karl Rove, but there are four key battlegrounds in this election. If Barack Obama wins any two of those four states, he is very likely to win the election.

Nate Silver is the founder of FiveThirtyEight.com, an independent polling and political-analysis Website.

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 21 Aug 2008 | 7:29 pm

Academy to salute Japan's Kurosawa

Front Page: 'Rashomon' remastered for showcase -- Here's yet another p.o.v. on director Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon": The landmark pic has been digitally remastered and will screen as part of a three-month showcase of the Japanese helmer's works at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 21 Aug 2008 | 7:01 pm

‘The Rocker’ Continues the Curse of ‘The Office’

This week's Rainn Wilson–starring movie The Rocker has debuted, to uninspiring reviews and likely dim box office. New York's David Edelstein echoes most of America's critics when he writes, "Its second-rateness is pleasantly in sync with its unmagnetic hero," and tracking for the movie — which opened yesterday — is reportedly very soft, with some predicting a five-day opening weekend total under $10 million. The Rocker's thudding arrival makes us want to ask: Is The Office cursed? Movies starring Office principals have been consistently bad — and unpopular — since the series became a hit.

Don't believe us? The gruesome evidence, after the jump.

The Office premiered in March of 2005 and was mostly ignored by viewers until the summer success of star Steve Carell's The 40 Year-Old Virgin — and a welcome shift in the show's tone — pushed the second season into the middle of the Nielsen ratings. That's where it's stayed since then, a modest ratings hit and an enormous critical favorite — even as its stars have turned in lousy movie after lousy movie.

Carell's films? Aside from a supporting turn in Little Miss Sunshine — shot before The Office became a hit — he's starred in Evan Almighty, Horton Hears a Who!, and Get Smart. Only Dan in Real Life was any good at all, and that didn't exactly set the box office on fire. But what about Carell's co-stars, that fabulously talented ensemble around him? Even grimmer.

John Krasinski? Leatherheads and License to Wed. Jenna Fischer? Walk Hard, The Brothers Solomon, Blades of Glory, and (okay, the pretty good) Slither. Ed Helms? Meet Dave, Semi-Pro, Evan Almighty. Even Craig Robinson's biggest role in a movie since The Office premiered was, God help him, in Dragon Wars.

Office actors have done a good job choosing cameos or small supporting roles. Rainn Wilson was in Juno — he was awful, but he was in it. Ed Helms was funny in Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. Craig Robinson was awesome in Pineapple Express. But why is it that all attempts to seriously exploit the cred of The Office by placing its actors in starring — or even substantial supporting — roles in movies have thus far ended poorly? It could be that, The Office aside, all these guys have kind of bad taste. It could be that Hollywood isn't sure how to use actors who play such vivid, quirky, and uncinematic characters. It could just be bad luck. Or it could be an actual curse laid on the cast by Ricky Gervais — a curse that apparently also backfired.

Might the Curse of The Office lift soon? Maybe! While we're not exactly looking forward to Creed Bratton's role in the Lindsay Lohan comedy Labor Pains, we do have high hopes for Brief Interviews With Hideous Men, directed by and starring Krasinski. And, of course, there's always B.J. Novak's bewildering yet exciting role in Inglorious Bastards, likely to be the best exploitation movie about Nazi-scalping ever made. Good luck, guys!

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 21 Aug 2008 | 7:00 pm

Gemma Ward Is NOT Retiring, But Still Not Walking This Season

Earlier this week reports surfaced that Gemma Ward, the baby-faced, blue-eyed, blonde-haired beauty, would be retiring from modeling to pursue her blossoming acting career. But today we have news to the contrary, straight from the model herself.

"I was surprised to wake up this morning and read news of my own retirement. While I am taking some time off currently to rest and enjoy the company of friends and family, I am still very much a (excited and enthusiastic) working model and actress. I'm only 20, for God's sakes."

Hear that? She's only 20. Let the girl have a break! Her agency, IMG, did confirm for us, however, that she will be taking off through the end of September, which means we won't be seeing her on the spring 2009 runways. That said, we'll be watching carefully to see where she plants herself for her modeling reappearance. It's bound to be something big.

Earlier: Is Gemma Ward Retiring?

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 21 Aug 2008 | 7:00 pm

Production halts on 'Sweeney'

Front Page: Fox Searchlight doubts international prospects -- Fox Searchlight has arrested production on Brit cop thriller "The Sweeney" following concerns about its international prospects.

Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 21 Aug 2008 | 6:23 pm

Johnny Sanders Doesn’t Care That His Mohawk Won’t Help Him Get a Job

This week our Video Look Book cameras descended on Johnny Sanders, a student, while he was job hunting and hanging out in Williamsburg. He likes not matching and wearing earth tones and blues. The day we spotted him he wore really old pants offset by brand-new white shoes. His suspenders came from Hollister, and he loves his mohawk too much to get rid of it, even though he acknowledges it probably isn't helping his job hunt. Press play and check out his snazzy socks.

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 21 Aug 2008 | 6:15 pm

Paul W.S. Anderson Realizes Too Late What Is Missing From ‘Death Race’

"But there are aspects to the first movie that we haven't really addressed in this movie. For example, in the first movie, you run people down for points. In this movie, certainly lots of people get run down, you just don't score points. If we did do another movie, I would like to address that." —Paul W.S. Anderson on what we can expect in a Death Race sequel [MTV]

"I was such a huge Six Feet Under fan — I mean, my cellphone ring was the theme song, so I had to change it when I got cast in the pilot because how embarrassing would that be!" —Julie Benz on working with Michael C. Hall in Dexter [Pop Wrap/NYP]

"I'm gonna be 24 this year. It's a progressive age, 24. I was finding myself and finding out the things that needed to be done as far as my career, what needed to be done. Certain moves. I feel like now I'm in a really great place. Cutting my hair, I feel like I'm going to another level. Cutting my hair was a step for me." —Omarion [MTV]

"If this record flops, I'll probably go back to school. I've always liked architecture." —Lily Allen [Paper via PR-Inside]

"I sleep well at night. I'm doing this so I don't have to get a proper job. I just hope I don't get found out." —Kevin Smith [Guardian]

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 21 Aug 2008 | 6:15 pm

SAG leaders reject majors' offer

Front Page: Sheen speaks out against Unite for Strength -- Leaders of the Screen Actors Guild have again rejected the majors' final offer.

Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 21 Aug 2008 | 6:02 pm

Ossetian-born Russian conductor Valery Gergiev

Ossetian-born Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, seen here in 2004,lambasted Georgia on Thursday for its "huge aggression" as he opened a concert in the battered capital of South Ossetia.
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 21 Aug 2008 | 5:53 pm

Duo set for Creative Arts Emmys

Front Page: Harris, Chalke to host awards show -- "How I Met Your Mother" star Neil Patrick Harris and Sarah Chalke of "Scrubs" have been tapped to host this year's Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 21 Aug 2008 | 5:33 pm

Sony shifting 'Solace' release

Front Page: James Bond pic moved to Nov. 14 -- Now that the next "Harry Potter" installment won't be opening at Thanksgiving, Sony and MGM have jumped on the chance to bow its Bond pic "Quantum of Solace" a week later than planned.

Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 21 Aug 2008 | 5:30 pm

'Pearl Earring' to play West End

Front Page: Stage adaptation to open Sept. 29 -- A new stage adaptation by playwright David Joss Buckley of Tracy Chevalier's history-meets-fiction novel "Girl With a Pearl Earring" will play London's West End, starring Adrian Dunbar as Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer.

Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 21 Aug 2008 | 5:22 pm

'Pitchy' Sanjaya New Nationwide Pitchman

The "American Idol" reject makes fun of himself and his hair in a new ad.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 21 Aug 2008 | 5:13 pm

Want to Be a Model? First, Lose 30 Pounds

MTV's "Model Maker" may send the wrong message to girls about weight loss.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 21 Aug 2008 | 4:50 pm

Labels Plan Big Releases for Fall

The season's hottest albums: Jay-Z, AC/DC, Metallica and more Following two fizzled-out fourth quarters in a row, the major record labels have prepared a superstar-packed holiday shopping season, with U2, Beyoncé, Dr. Dre, Metallica, AC/DC, Jay-Z and top American Idol stars dropping albums through the end of 2008, label sources say. For an industry mired in an eight-year slump, with album sales down 11 percent so far this year, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the pre-Christmas schedule is a rare bit of good news. "I'll probably stay guarded [on...

Source: Rolling Stone: Features | 21 Aug 2008 | 4:31 pm

Govt.: Movies Really Do Get Teens Smoking

Largest study to date details influence on teens of smoking in movies and TV.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 21 Aug 2008 | 4:20 pm

The Cheetah Girls: We defy stereotypes

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 21 Aug 2008 | 4:17 pm

Magazine: David Beckham Has Best Abs in Hollywood

David Beckham has the best abs of all the guys in Hollywood, according to In Touch Weekly's new Top 10 list.
Source: FOXNews.com | 21 Aug 2008 | 3:14 pm

Next 'Bachelor' Is 'Bachelorette' Reject

Single father Jason Mesnick, 32, will whittle through women on "The Bachelor."
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 21 Aug 2008 | 2:35 pm

Sheryl Crow gives free music for a purpose

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 21 Aug 2008 | 2:11 pm

Movie paints picture of catastrophic future

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 21 Aug 2008 | 1:25 pm

Jonas Brothers have spectacular debut

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 21 Aug 2008 | 1:13 pm