AFP - The last remaining survivor of the Titanic disaster is auctioning mementoes from the doomed liner to pay for her hursing home fees, a newspaper said Thursday.
 MovieWeb | 'Star Trek': New Movie, New Frontier Entertainment Weekly - Director JJ Abrams has set a course to make the Enterprise cool again; here's the inside scoop on his surprising, idealistic odyssey, which may end up with Kirk and Co. JJ Abrams gives glimpse of new 'Star Trek' film EXCLUSIVE: New ‘Star Trek’ Movie Photo With Kirk, Spock, Sulu And ... |
 E! Online | Bon Jovi: We Don't Approve Of Sarah Palin's Use Of Our Song At Her ... AHN - Los Angeles, CA (CNS) - Jon Bon Jovi joins the increasing number of enraged artists taking aim at Republicans for using their songs in their campaign without approval. Bon Jovi Raises (Mc)Cain Over Palin Tune Bon Jovi complains over Republican rally song |
'Project Runway' recap: The final long walk Entertainment Weekly - By Kate Ward "I think it's bulls---." So were the final words from super-villain Kenley after she and her kooky hats were auf'd from the runway and - like every other non-Jeffrey villain in Project Runway history - awarded third place during last ... Two Out, One In on Project Runway Leanne's the last one left standing on 'Runway' |
AP - DJ AM was back on the decks for the first time since surviving a fiery plane crash.
AP - Janet Jackson took the stage to exploding fireworks, clouds of smoke and the sounds of some early hits Wednesday in her first concert since she was sidelined for two weeks by a bout of vertigo.
 Zap2it.com | Summer's big flicks now available on DVD Ithaca Journal - ‘Tis the season for the summer fare to come out on DVD. Here are a few recent releases: * “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” - Like Marion Ravenwood, we waited a long time for Indy to come back to us—and though nothing could be as ... Most recent 'Indiana Jones' makes better rental Indiana Jones: A Long Time Coming |
 CBC.ca | Migraine-hit Jackson resumes tour BBC News - Singer Janet Jackson has returned to the stage, having called off several gigs on her tour after suffering migraines linked to vertigo. Video: Jackson Back in Action Janet Jackson resumes tour after bout of vertigo |
 ABC News | Nancy Reagan hospitalized with broken pelvis Los Angeles Times - Reagan fell at her LA home last week and, after 'experiencing persistent pain,' went to the UCLA hospital, her spokeswoman says. Video: Nancy Reagan Has Broken Pelvis Nancy Reagan in Hospital After Fall |
'Crusoe' no classic, but not a wreck Chicago Sun-Times - BY TERESA BUDASI tbudasi@suntimes.com As I recall, Robinson Crusoe didn't have a wife when he became shipwrecked back in the 1600s; nor did he grow up motherless. 'Crusoe' adaptation doesn't work Chuck Barney: Can 'Crusoe' lure viewers to his island? |
The show went on for the Material Girl, even in the face of divorce.
Mere hours after her rep confirmed that she and Guy Ritchie were parting ways after almost eight years of marriage,...
The beats go on.
In his first gig since surviving a fiery plane crash, DJ AM is back doing his thing, spinning tunes at a pre-show in support of Jay-Z's splashy reopening...
The clothes changed a few times, but the attitudes remained the same.
Leanne said Kenley's looks were too "Holly Hobby" and amateurish for Bryant Park, while Kenley said that...
That's it. You watched the Project Runway finale, you read the recap and felt the warmth of Tim Gunn's embrace. Now it's up to you. Were you totally thrilled with the outcome, or...
Love doesn't have to do without Janet Jackson anymore.
The 42-year-old pop diva performed as if she had never heard of a thing called vertigo as she finally resumed her Rock Witchu...
To know where you're going with Madonna, Mr. Rodriguez, it's best to know where she has been, love-wise. With the Big M being the most recent Hollywood scheduled divorcée (officially,...
We had a few good days, didn't we? But like a crap boyfriend that you know is never going to do you right, the market abruptly swung back into its old patterns today, with the Dow declining 733 and the S&P tumbling 9 percent, the worst low since 1987. Not that anyone is really that surprised. “Broader economic recovery will not happen right away,” Mr. Bernanke said in a speech to the Economic Club of New York earlier today. "I don't just think we're going to test the lows," one analyst told The Wall Street Journal. "I think we're going to violate them and break lower in a big way." And it won't be as fun as it sounds. “To some degree, we’ve moved on from the old crisis to the new crisis," a senior index analyst at Standard & Poor’s, Howard Silverblatt, told the Times. "The credit crisis has been addressed to some extent, but now there’s the recession, unemployment, and rising manufacturing costs in the pike.
"The economy is going to play itself out. There is no silver bullet,” Mr. Silverblatt said. “There isn’t going to be any short-term gratification on the way up.” Sigh. We take it back. At least with a crap boyfriend you get the short-term satisfaction.
Where there's smoke, there's usually fire.
Hot on the heels of David Duchovny's revelation that he required treatment for a sex addiction, he and his wife of more than 11...
At last weekend's 30th-anniversary party for Diesel, we polled the attendees about their birthday wishes. Pharrell's ideal party involves Cinnamon Toast Crunch and watching The Smurfs, and Patrick McDonald will buy $795 Paul Smith boots no matter what day it is. "Even if I wind up in a soup line, I’m wearing those boots," he claims. That might happen! See other contingency plans from the likes of Lindsay Lohan, members of Franz Ferdinand, and others by viewing our Party Lines slideshow.
Denis Leary is looking to rescue himself—not to mention his sales figures—from a firestorm of criticism.
In response to comments that his new humorous book, Why We Suck: A...
Britney Spears' Circus is coming to town, and "Womanizer" looks to be the main attraction.
The lead single from Spears' birthday-targeting album, opened at No. 96 based...
At last some big campaign news has been confirmed! Gisele Bündchen will be the face of Christian Dior for spring 2009. The news leaked on her blog, which, unlike some fashion-philes, she doesn't profess to write herself (unless she's pulling a Suede and enjoys referring to herself in the third person, but we're pretty sure that's not her style). According to her blog, Gisele flew to Paris for the shoot. (You can see a shot of her at baggage claim in Charles de Gaulle airport here.) Nick Knight shot Gisele for the spring and fall Dior campaigns in 2004. Dior probably decided to shell out the big bucks for a commercial face this season to encourage consumers to shop. Because one of life's great truths is every girl wants to be exactly like Gisele. Really — what about her life sounds bad?
Gisele Bundchen Scores Dior Spring 2009 [Fashionologie]
You'd like to think that the air in Astoria is redolent of moussaka and pastitsio. But sadly, a bunch of residents say that the longtime, on-again, off-again smell from the Bowery Bay sewage facility is hitting a record high, and they're finding vivid ways to describe it. "It smells like a thousand dogs have done their business in your yard," says one local. And then when the DEP says a new, non-smelly facility will be up by 2012, even NY1 joins in the pun fun: "Residents say they won't be holding their breath." You can just hear Roger Clark saying, "Ba-dum bum." [NY1 via Queens Crap]
AP - "The Secret Life Of Bees" teases with talent. How can a movie populate a house with Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson and NOT give us a song?
AP - Poppy, the perpetually sunny heroine of "Happy-Go-Lucky," finds that her beloved bicycle has been stolen from outside a London bookstore at the film's start. Not only is she not angry when she makes this discovery, but rather she says to herself, wistfully and with a wry smile, that she never even got to say goodbye to it.
AP - Capsule reviews of films opening this week:
When we saw pictures yesterday of a terrifyingly terrific townhouse on the Upper East Side, we had to find out more. Did the house belong to a movie-prop-master? A serial killer living out his urges through a children’s holiday? Donald Trump? Turns out none of the above. Rather, the townhouse belongs to independent financial adviser Richard Medley, his wife Dorinda, and their three kids, ages 13 to 18. When we knocked on the door, they were in the middle of throwing a luncheon for Save the Children, but personal assistant TJ O’Shea was kind enough to answer our questions and crack the door for us to see even more decorations inside (it was AWESOME).
The Medleys have been adorning their house for Halloween for about four years now, collecting more decorations as the years go by. “We get mixed reactions,” said TJ. “Some people come by and say, ‘Oh, this is great,’ and others are horrified.” But the best part is that the Medleys compete — Home Improvement–style — with their friends, the Lasrys. That’s Marc Lasry, No. 317 on the Forbes 400, whose house of horrors is on East 74th near the park. We give him points for sheer number of skulls, but take some off for lack of a hanging slaughtered pig. In the end, we really can’t pick a winner. But we definitely know which two houses we’re trick-or-treating at this year.
The Townhouse of Horrors [AMNY]
AP - Can a nerdy white boy from the suburbs outrun family problems and find his place in life as a hip-hop artist?
MAKEUP
• Word is Isabeli Fontana will replace Natalia Vodianova as the face of Chanel Beauty for spring 2009. [Fashion Spot]
• Is Sarah Palin's streaky blush catching on with Republicans across the country? The HuffPo thinks so: "All once-obscure Republican women seem to have in common: they all reach for blush and a spackle knife when the spotlight swings in their direction." [HuffPo]
• Women are increasingly interested in selling Avon products door-to-door to earn an extra buck. Avon is trying to incentivize them with perks like gas money, free online-sales training, and direct access to financial adviser Suze Orman. We weren't going to consider it, but now that Suze Orman's involved… [WSJ]
• Tim Quinn, celebrity makeup artist and national creative director for Giorgio Armani Beauty, was awarded Makeup Artist of the Year at the Hollywood Style Awards, earning him the "highly coveted title of 'Beauty Tsar.'" Yes, Tsar. [PR Newswire]
• Bobbi Brown is coming out with another book called Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual filled mainly how-to pieces. Because putting on makeup requires studying. [WWD]
HAIR
• Posh's hair colorist calls her "the most generous, warm person. She's considerate, and super nice — not just to me — but to anybody." He also explains in detail how he colors her hair. [BellaSugar]
On September 22, a week after Lehman Brothers said it would file for bankruptcy, a rumor surfaced on DealBreaker about the company's CEO, Richard Fuld, who had yet to make a public statement. "Dick Fuld had audacity to use the Lehman gym [on Sunday] and got punched in the face," said the report, which the Website had received from a tipster. Was it true? "Highly unlikely," the Website said. Still, they published it, because why not? The rumor was a balm to the disgruntled Lehman workers who lost their jobs and savings when Lehman filed for bankruptcy. Anyway, it was just funny gossip.
But a few weeks later, the gossip became a news story, when Vicky Ward, a journalist for Vanity Fair and a CNBC commentator, brought it up during Fuld's hearing in front of Congress. "I hadn't meant to get into the whole punching thing," she said later, but she was incensed after another commentator said Fuld seemed "contrite."
“[W]hen I heard that, I was about to jump out of my chair,” she said later.
“I thought it was appalling,” she said on CNBC, adding that she thought Fuld seemed to be trying to dodge blame. “I’m with the guy who apparently the day before Barclays announced they were coming in [to buy Lehman], and Lehman had already filed for bankruptcy, went over to him in the gym and punched him, knocked him out cold. And frankly having watched this I’d have done the same.”
The show’s host broke in. “Have you confirmed that?” she said, about the punching.
“Yeah, I’ve heard it twice,” Ward said. “Two very senior sources, one incredibly senior source,” she said.
We asked about Ward's sourcing. "I’d been told it that morning," Ward told us later. "I was like, You’ve got to be joking … I spoke to a second person who I knew, which again made me think, Christ, if they’re saying this, Jesus … These are quite serious people. It wouldn’t make sense for something like that (to be made up).”
But according to Fuld's people, it was: "It's absolutely untrue," said a spokesperson now representing Lehman in bankruptcy court. "It never happened."
Alex Greenberg, general manager of the Lehman fitness center, backed them up. “The statement that he was punched is not true,” he said, adding that I was the first person to ask. “It’s a matter of fact that he has not visited the club since the bankruptcy. We’re not even open on Sundays.” The knockout was said to have occurred on Sunday, September 21.
In the meantime, the CEO-got-punched story has turned into its own little subgenre. Recently, a similar rumor circulated that Alan Schwartz, the former CEO of the dismantled Bear Stearns, had also been smacked down by an employee.
“When I heard that,” Ward says, “I thought, this is getting out of hand.”
1. Of Montreal feat. Andrew VanWyngarden, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Nirvana cover)
Kevin Barnes & Co. capably tackle Kurt Cobain's little-known nineties curio. [Stereogum]
2. Justin Timberlake, "Steppin' Out Tonight"
We're not sure where, exactly, this new (old?) track came from, but we like it. [Pretty Much Amazing]
3. Trae feat. Bun B and Lil' Keke, "Grey Cassette"
This new one from Trae's Streets Advocate mix tape takes us back to when mix tapes were actual tapes. (It's awesome.) [Cocaine Blunts]
4. Fucked Up feat. Moby, "Blitzkrieg Bop" (Ramones cover)
If you're going to play for twelve straight hours (like punkers Fucked Up did yesterday), you're going to run out of predictable guest stars pretty quickly. Which is probably why Moby was invited. [Pitchfork]
5. Pit Er Pat, "Evacuation Day"
As they make clear on this dubby new track, Pit Er Pat aren't going to sit calmly through this economic apocalypse. [Pitchfork]
It's love that means never having to say you're sorry—not drug busts.
Ryan O'Neal, 67, and his son Redmond, 23, were charged with felony drug possession Wednesday...
According to a fan's firsthand account, the Knicks held an on-court balloon-popping contest during their preseason game last night — presumably as a tribute to Eddy Curry’s utter destruction of one of those giant exercise balls this week. If this is the case, it definitely shows a sense of humor and self-deprecation that we haven't exactly come to expect from the Knicks lately. Next up, we assume: Isiah Thomas comes out of hiding and takes a seat in the dunk tank! [Sports Point]
Let's hope the terrorists don’t read this. Despite our permanent Code Orange state, the heir to the Hermès fashion-house fortune, Mathias Guerrand-Hermes, last night discovered a way to get to the pilot of his Air France flight from Paris to JFK: sheer drunkenness.
According to a complaint filed today in Brooklyn federal court, a little more than three hours into Flight 008, Guerrand-Hermès, who was seated in first class in seat 4B, crossed the aisle and sat on the arm seat of 4E. The woman in 4E woke her husband in 4F, who asked Guerrand-Hermès to back off. Fireworks ensued.
The captain then exited the cockpit, hoping to calm down Guerrand-Hermès. (Um, all things considered, shouldn’t this have been someone else’s responsibility?) Alas, the peace initiative quickly collapsed when Guerrand-Hermès “grabbed the Captain’s genital area.”
The captain shoved Guerrand-Hermès away, and the head flight attendant moved the 36-year-old real-estate investor to an empty seat a few rows back. Before returning to the controls, the pilot asked Guerrand-Hermès to behave, at which point Guerrand-Hermès tried to punch him.
It then took three flight attendants and the captain to restrain Guerrand-Hermès with handcuffs and shackles and tie him to his seat, where a physician examined him, observing that he “smelled of alcohol and was speaking incoherently.” A law-enforcement source says that Guerrand-Hermès’s intoxication stemmed from a combination of “quite a bit of alcohol” and Propofan, a French pain reliever.
After spending Tuesday night in jail, Guerrand-Hermès — who faces a maximum of twenty years in prison, but a guideline range of zero-to-six months — was released on $50,000 bail. He showed up to court wearing white Converse All-Stars (no laces), blue jeans (no belt), a ripped button-down shirt, and a split lip. His attorney, Craig Warkol of Bracewell & Giuliani (yes, that Giuliani), declined to comment.
Given our antipathy toward Lauren Conrad's collection last season, it's metaphorically apt — not to mention pungent — that this time around we got stuck waiting in line next to a Dumpster; doubly so because, in the end, the garbage bin was all we got to see of her spring 2009 line.
The queue to get into Conrad's Tuesday-night show at L.A. Fashion Week snaked out of the tent, down the street, and around the corner, bursting with more people than could possibly fit into the venue, and stubbornly refusing to get smaller. Half the available check-in area was taken up by a makeshift red carpet so that a couple of reality-TV types could pose for photos; the desk itself was tiny and understaffed; and media and others with confirmed seats were stuck waiting for more than an hour in the same interminable line as all the standing-room hopefuls and random passers-by, with no way of differentiating who was there for work and who just wanted to see if Audrina's boobs look that ridiculous in real life. Frustrated reporters angrily sought any kind of PR representative who could help but came up empty. By 8:45 p.m. — when the fire marshal barred any further entry and a cop told us all that "all the PR girls have packed up and fled" — the line had moved only because people dropped out of it. "This is, like, JANKY, dude," an irritated man complained behind us. We agreed, before giving up and catching the shuttle back to our car.
Amusingly, for what a hot ticket the show appeared to be, the only recognizable person we saw — from our perch amidst the refuse — was Heather from season one of Rock of Love With Bret Michaels. Sadly, her hair was down, so we were unable to tell whether she’s still sporting that ill-advised “Bret” tattoo on the back of her neck, but her handlers were working the heck out of the guest line, introducing her to anyone who looked like he might be carrying a tape recorder. Interestingly, we did not detect any sign of Audrina arriving at the venue (although considering our vantage point in Dumpsterville, for all we know she and Lo sat front row and did the tango). But an eagle-eyed spy of ours did notice L.C.'s former bestie joining Spencer, Heidi, and Stephanie Pratt for dinner across town around 11 p.m., followed shortly by man-of-the-hour Justin Bobby — who, in addition to skinny-dipping with Audrina on Monday's The Hills, is also not-really-denying the semi-ridiculous rumors that he hooked up with L.C. (although wisely, she is). Juicy! And regardless of whether Audrina was a Conrad no-show or not even invited, the act of breaking bread with the devil on the same night as Lauren's big presentation is a big ol' acrylic-nailed slap in the face. If you're playing along at home, this means Team Conrad may now consist of only Lo, Whitney, and Brody when he's bored. Pretty soon the poor kid will be accepting applications.
Maybe the allegedly absent Audrina had the right idea: Everyone else outside the Smashbox Studios venue, from what we overheard, spent the entire time swearing they were only attending Lauren's show because they had to cover it for work. "Are you REALLY a fan of her, like, little jersey clothes?" a girl near us asked her friend, with nose-crinkling skepticism. "Well … I'm a fan of The Hills," he admitted guiltily. A few other girls loudly bubbled over at the prospect of seeing the rumored attendees from the 90210 cast, while the journalists around them sighed in frustration and muttered vague things about angry bosses and disorganized PR firms. "There is seriously no press check-in for this? You have got to be kidding me," snapped a tired-looking reporter who wobbled past us to the end of the queue, tripped slightly, grazed the Dumpster with her shoulder — and then glared fire at it as though it had intentionally invaded her personal space.
The utter mayhem prompted multiple aggravated conversations about how to fix L.A. Fashion Week, the primary suggestions being (a) not making your guests stand literally in the trash and (b) focusing on, in the words of one reporter we chatted up, “actual designers.” Needless to say, it’s no wonder the Voguettes don't bother with L.A. Fashion Week; we imagine Meredith Melling-Burke would rather be photographed in Payless mules than hang around Smashbox's Dumpster waiting for her turn at the desk, and we can’t say we blame her. Note to L.C.: If you want better reviews, step one is getting the people who write them into your show with minimal headaches and ranting. Well, no, step one ought to be designing better clothes, but let's start with the obstacles we can feasibly tackle, okay? See you next season. We’ll be the girls out by the recycling.
AP - The Federal Reserve provided fresh evidence Wednesday that the financial crisis is hammering the economy, sending the stock market plummeting as fears of a long recession increase.
Like all reasonable people, we're totally excited about the upcoming Kanye album (also, we just found out about his Twitter feed). But after reading Fader's account of 808s & Heartbreak's apparently bonkers listening party, well… we're not exactly sure what to think. Held in an L.A. art gallery last night, it featured flashing lights, Mos Def, and "approximately forty nude women … wearing face-obscuring masks seemingly made of faux lamb's wool." Of course. What about the music? Apparently, "Love Lockdown" was no one-off experiment — Kanye barely raps, opting instead to sing through the Auto-Tune for nearly the entire album. And if 808s is a disaster, don't worry too much — he's promised another new album in June!
Vanessa Beecroft & Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak Listening Event [Fader via Prefix]
It'll be another four years before you can excuse your weeknight bar-hopping with political engagement, so don't miss the last chance to ingest the issues while surrounded by revelry. For the finale, even more bars, restaurants, and clubs are onboard, as the city gets excited — and intoxicated — about political ch-ch-ch-changes. Feel free to put your own events in the comments!
BELOW 14TH STREET
Mannahatta (310 Bowery, nr. 1st St.; 212-477-1979) makes its political leanings known by complimenting its debate screening with a round of "McLiar Bingo," which allows players to track McCain's lies as he tells them (for rules, see Pinocchio Politics). A special cocktail menu of "Fundamentally Strong" Drinks is being offered as well, and comedian Seth Herzog is providing live, liberal commentary. Obviously, Republicans will feel right at home.
The Village Pourhouse, SideBar (118 E. 15th St., nr. Irving Pl.; 212-677-2900), and Vintage Irving are so determined to bring out your political engagement that they're offering a 10 percent discount on your bar tab if you display your voter-registration card. Obama Mama cocktails will be served, and the debate will be screened on several TVs at all these locations. Begins at 7:30.
The Village Lantern is hosting a debate party sponsored by DagBlog.com, big-screening the action, and handing out Obama buttons to pin down support.
Nolita's Sweet & Vicious is holding a second debate party as the candidates divide themselves by the bar's titular qualities. An optional $25 cover gets you drunk (on unlimited wine and beer) by 9:30, just in case the battle isn't going your way (proceeds go to Obama for America). The bar's TV will be tuned in to the debate, and so will an additional screen in the outdoor garden. Begins at 8.
ABOVE 14TH STREET
The 40/40 Club is upping its debate-party game by beginning the evening with a book signing and political discussion by Brooklyn's Carmen M. Colon, and serving complimentary appetizers, before screening the show.
Even the Museum of Sex is forgoing its dirty values for democratic ones tonight, unveiling Molly Crabapple's painting, Politics, and big-screening the debate.
Mansion is throwing its third, final, and most multicultural debate party tonight, sponsored by NY Latinos for Obama, Investment Professionals for Obama, Jewish Young Professionals for Obama, NY Asian Americans for Obama, and more! Steve Buscemi and Lili Taylor are among those on the host committee. Free! Begins at 7:30.
Ah, enjoy the autumn evening and watch the debate waterfront and center at Solar One (2420 FDR Dr., exit 23rd St.); a scene-ic outdoor space and renewable energy-education center along the East River, where a 30-by-30 screen will broadcast the final battle. Refreshments will be served. Free! Begins at 8:45.
The Fashion 40 Lounge screens the debate on its big screen for political partygoers. Free! Begins at 8:15.
B. Smith's welcomes any remaining swing voters to make up their minds tonight at the restaurant-bar's debate party, which includes raffle prizes, drink specials, and the big show on a flat-screen with surround sound. Proceeds from the night's food and drink sales benefit the Obama campaign, so here's hoping you swing in the approved direction. Free! Begins at 8.
Tonic gives you one last chance to digest the debate at a supersize Times Square sports bar, assuming you don't get vertigo from the image of Mr. McCain multiplied by twenty. Post-debate commentary from all the major networks will be screened following the debate. $10. Begins at 7.
Southern Hospitality has fourteen screens tuned in to the debate tonight and $6 drinks all around. Free! Begins at 9.
BROOKLYN
Williamsburg's go-to bar, Sound Fix, is tuning its big screen into the "mainstream" political debate tonight, while holding rounds of political drinking games. Afterward, however, the bar is hosting a live debate featuring Sparrow, a poet who has run for president in the last four elections to no avail. Drink specials make it all better: two PBRs for $5, and $5 pint-size Bloody Marys and signature Pickletinis are being served. The events begin at 8.
"Mad as Hell" Democrats are hosting a debate-watching party and Obama fund-raiser tonight at Café Shane (794 Washington Ave., nr. St. Johns Pl., Prospect Heights, Brooklyn; 718-940-7476). $10 minimum suggested cover/donation ($5 for students). Begins at 8.
A debate party at Williamsburg's appropriately named Hope Lounge is pulling out all the stops for Obama with a dinner catered by local restaurants, an art exhibit, a silent auction, D.J. sets, and, of course, the debate on a big screen. Half of the night's proceeds benefit the Obama campaign. $50. Begins at 7.
BK for Barack cheers on their man one more time at Moe's. Free! Begins at 8.
Pique Wool-Blend Coat by Old Navy
Price: $90
Why we like it: It's bright pink and $90!
Slim Coat With Yoke by Go Green Go by 3.1 Phillip Lim
Price: $650
Why we like it: Made from organic cotton, this coat is green (literally, too) without sacrificing style.
Olympe Coat by Mayle
Price: $1,010
Why we like it: This is Mayle's last fall/winter season, so this versatile white coat with asymmetrical zipper could be a collector’s piece.
Akon Jacket by Gap
Price: $118
Why we like it: The military detailing just says "tough guy."
Look Out Coat by Oliver Spencer
Price: $782
Why we like it: We could totally see Chuck looking really stylish in this on Gossip Girl.
Shop-A-Matic Coats and Jackets
E! Online - Love doesn't have to do without Janet Jackson anymore.
Apparently Heart isn't the only band that's pissed Sarah Palin is using their music to get crowds amped during her political rallies. Obama supporter Jon Bon Jovi also objects. Palin has been using his song, "Who Says You Can't Go Home" to help marshal that ever-elusive down-home Alaska feeling. The band released a statement today:
"We wrote this song as a thank you to those who have supported us over the past twenty-five years. The song has since become a banner for our home state of New Jersey and the defacto theme song for our partnerships around the country to build homes and rebuild communities. Although we were not asked, we do not approve of their use of 'Home.'"
Earlier: McCain Campaign Could Give a Damn What Heart Has to Say About Anything
Related: Sarah Palin's Heaven [NYM]
Twenty-eight-year-old actor Jason Ritter is in the midst of his own one-man October surprise. This Friday, he hits theaters in two vastly different roles: In the low-budget indie Good Dick, he stars opposite longtime real-life girlfriend Marianna Palka, also the film's writer-director, as a Los Angeles video-store clerk who draws an emotionally deadened young woman out of a claustrophobic cocoon of hostility and sexual antipathy. In Oliver Stone’s W., Ritter — who, as the son of the late John Ritter, knows a thing about family legacies — portrays Jeb Bush. Ritter spoke with Vulture about Oliver Stone, playing Jeb Bush, and his relationship with Palka.
When did you become aware that Marianna was working on Good Dick? Was it an idea you talked about before she went off and wrote it?
She just sort of started disappearing into the room where the computer was for hours at a time. I would try to open the door, bring her some tea, and take a peek at the screen. I didn't even know that she was writing a screenplay. She was very private about it. I didn't know if it was a play or some kind of manifesto. [Laughs] Then she just emerged a month and a half later with a 60-page script.
You’re almost like a human piñata for much of the movie. Are you that patient in real life?
Marianna's pretty awesome, so in real life I haven't had to deal with most of the stuff that my character has. I think one of the things that is most cathartic about this film is that the fact of the matter is you cannot change another person. And it’s sad, because the person who loves the abusive person is always waiting for that day. We've had a lot of people come up to us and say that they've been in a relationship like that, on both sides.
You also have a role in Oliver Stone's W. Did you study any tape for your role as Jeb Bush?
I watched everything that I possibly could and read some books about both the Bush family and one mainly about Jeb. There was a big recommended reading list, but since I only had one scene in the film, and that's in the 1970s, my main interest was what his life was up to that point. My scene is one of the most well-documented moments in almost all of the books about the family, when George Bush came home and challenged his father to a duel. So I hope Jeb appreciates my work! [Laughs]
Based on that reading list and other stuff, what's your impression of his relationship with his brother, and their respective relationships with their father?
It's really interesting, because Jeb was the golden boy of the family, and everyone thought that he was going to be the one who would be the senator, and then president. Jeb was extremely bright, really dedicated. He had a tiny, little rebellious period where he joined the Socialist group at school and smoked a little weed and told his dad that he wanted to be a conscientious objector in the Vietnam War. But, in the end, he really protected the legacy of the family, whereas I think our president had a much tougher time upholding the outward image of the family. He was the black sheep pretty much. There was one memorable moment at a big governors' dinner, I believe, where there was an exchange between George W. and Jeb, where George W. says, “I didn't grow up wanting to be president of the United States,” and Jeb says, “I did.” And George W. says, “Yeah, you did. Anyway…” Ouch!
What about your impressions of Oliver — earlier in his career, he used to be regarded as a mad genius, but there's the sense that he's mellowed a bit. Did it seem that way on the set?
He did seem pretty mellow. It's a high-octane job to be the director, especially of a movie like this, so you might imagine that he's a lot more stressed out. We did a rehearsal and he started to bring everyone in, and Josh Brolin said, “Actually, I'm just having a problem with this one thing…” And so he sent everyone back out and stayed and heard Josh out, which doesn't always happen. I was pleasantly surprised.
Fashion Wire Daily - There's no denying that Lauren Conrad is a true Hollywood success story. The 22-year-old who made a name for herself as the reality television star of "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County" and "The Hills" has grabbed hold of that celebrity status and run with it, straight to the fashion world. She started her own eponymous clothing line, signed on as the spokeswoman for Mark cosmetics, and is even creating hair accessories these days.
Chrissie Miller says she's been dressing the same since she was a kid, with a good pair of Levi's and a perfect T-shirt. But when it came to shopping for casual tees, the simplest things were the hardest to find. So she made them herself. Miller's line, Sophomore, capitalizes on affordable basics for men and women. The pieces are simple, contemporary, and yet edgy, capturing the chill essence of the downtown scene (Jen Brill and Bijou Phillips starred in her look books, and Cass Bird photographed them). We caught up with Miller to talk trends, urban inspiration, and what you can learn from films about groupies.
If you could describe the woman who you want to wear your clothes, what would she be like?
There are pieces that are basic enough for my parents to wear and others that are more young and edgy. We're the cheapest thing at the most expensive stores — which I love. I love that you can go to Opening Ceremony and find something that's $60.
Jen Brill in Sophomore's fall 2008 look book.Photo: Cass Bird
What's the first designer item you ever bought?
Betsey Johnson! Going to her store on 60th Street was very exciting as a teenager. She had this period in the nineties that was a lot of black sheer tops. A lot of people were buying her flowery stuff, but I was more into her more gothic seventies-looking stuff.
What trends do you personally like for fall?
Dark colors and dark metal, tights with long T-shirts, oversize blazers, beat-up penny loafers, and zipper skirts.
A look from Sophomore's spring 2009 collection.Photo: Colin Simmon
Who are your favorite designers?
Isabel Marant for great basics, more fancy T-shirts. She has a T-shirt that I wear all the time — it was $200 and made of linen. Balenciaga I find to be really exciting, it always hits me. And Proenza Schouler feels like it's on the mark every season. I love Opening Ceremony's shoes and Margiela's bags and shoes.
Where do you shop in the city?
Opening Ceremony, No. 6, Curve, and I Heart.
What’s one thing you really want to buy right now?
I really want the Balmain fringe boots! But, they're too expensive — over $1,000.
What's the one thing you can't live without?
A good pair of jeans. I have a pair of Levi's that I've had since high school. I think they're a 517. I love that silhouette. Not too high-waisted, only a little past a bellybutton, tight, and a little bit wider than a straight leg. It's one of those things that whether in or out of style, I'll always wear them.
The finalists for the 2008 National Book Awards have just been announced! For fiction, the nominees are Aleksandar Hemon's The Lazarus Project, Rachel Kushner's Telex From Cuba, Peter Matthiessen's Shadow Country, Marilynne Robinson's Home, and Salvatore Scibona's The End. For nonfiction, a bunch of really depressing-sounding books. Winners are announced November 19. [National Book Foundation]
It's so awkward to be a part of other people's flirtations. You know, you're out with your friend who's kind of a ho, and the two of you get into a conversation with some dude, and all of a sudden the two of them are in this gross back-and-forth and you're just standing there, like, "Uhhhhh." That was probably how listeners on a conference call about JPMorgan’s lending practices felt this morning when Oppenheimer cougaress Meredith "I skin them with my bare hands" Whitney started playing hardball with Jamie Dimon after the JPMorgan CEO said he sees the loan market returning to normal in the future.
Ms. Whitney, who has a “perform” rating on JPMorgan’s stock, then asked: “If you really believed that, you would be gunning credit card lines, right?” “We are not speculators,” Mr. Dimon shot back. (No one on the call challenged him on this point, or at least not audibly.) “We are buying slightly more risky assets and we are growing our business, so we are not panicking.” Mr. Dimon continued: “Obviously we are trying to modify what is going on — we are not going to say ‘Yahoo, this is over,’ and go extend credit — like we did — without fear. If you are not fearful, you are crazy.” Then from Ms. Whitney: “I’m fearful, thanks.” “We know you are,” Mr. Dimon replied, his smile coming through the conference call. “We are waiting for you to reverse your position.”
Philemona Williamson is taking up Judy Blume's cause: painting restive teenagers caught somewhere between sadness and surliness. Looks like these two young ladies were asked to pose for some magazine and they were all, like, "I'll show you what obnoxious looks like."
Olympians from the Beijing Summer Games are riding high on endorsement deals, but let's not forget about our wintry athletic friends. Last night we ran into figure skater Michelle Kwan, clad in a dress by Olympic uniform designer Ralph Lauren, at the 29th Annual Salute to Women in Sports Awards Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria. We asked if she has her own clothing line in the works, like gymnast Nastia Liukin. And what do you know? She does. Kwan disclosed she's been approached to do her own line but wouldn't reveal by whom. Perhaps the ink's not dry yet? "I've been talking about a line for younger women — athleticwear, inspired by yoga and exercise and fitness," she said. We hope her stuff has the same glittery flair as those skating leotards. Yoga classes are just so muted these days.
Amid shocking charges that Beyoncé pilfered dance moves in her new video comes more bad news today: She's releasing an album by her alter ego! Her upcoming I Am will be a two-disc set, with one CD, I Am Beyoncé, featuring ballads and the other, I Am Sasha, containing upbeat tracks. Sasha is apparently short for Sasha Fierce, a persona Mrs. Jay-Z's been working on for at least the past three years (in a 2005 Vanity Fair interview, she blamed Fierce for her performance at the Grammys that year). To promote the album, she's launched a Website asking the question "Who Is Sasha Fierce?" Our guess? Someone who's never heard of T.I.P. or Chris Gaines.
Beyonce Vs. Her Alter-Ego Sasha: Videos From Two-Part “I Am” Album Hit the Net [Rolling Stone]
Great Moments In Pop Videos Ripping Off Other People's Choreography [Idolator]
Friday night's episode of Jeopardy! will inexplicably feature a Mad Men category. At last, your chance to hear Alex Trebek say, "I'm sorry, the correct answer was, 'What is the finest piece of ass I've ever had?'" [Jeopardy!]
On Friday night, at the Hammerstein Ballroom, New York celebrated its 40th anniversary with indie-rockers Grizzly Bear and the National, well-dressed comedy troupe Stella, and several thousand of our closest friends. If, for some crazy reason, you weren't one of them, our Jada Yuan and Jonah Green were there to document the mayhem. Enjoy!
At this week's Cinema Society premiere of Filth and Wisdom, Madonna's directorial debut, Marc Jacobs showed up wearing a skirt. However he paired it with boots and socks rather than the high heels he wore to his Louis Vuitton show in Paris. He said those were by Rick Owens. "I don't always wear high heels," he explained, adding he feels empathy for women who do. "I always get nuts when women go, 'Oh, men don't know what it's like — women in heels, women in skirts, women in dresses — what it's like to suffer for fashion.'" He continued, "Although I've always wanted to be taller, which is the real reason I wore them, I also thought I can show that I, too, will suffer for fashion." How did he fare? "It wasn't really suffering at all. It was a pleasure to be able to achieve a look that I wanted to look like." Jacobs added he has no problem walking in heels and his feet hurt at the end of a long day even if he's wearing sneakers. "I like wearing skirts and high heels and stuff like that. I don't see it in a way that it's like women suffering. I see it in a way it's like women get to have all the fun." Touché.
Related: Marc Jacobs’s New High Heels, and Other Memorable Fashion Moments
The fine folks at DC Comics are no fools: They've brought grease-painted madman the Joker back to Gotham in a gritty new graphic novel by comics star Brian Azzarello. And if the Joker of Joker seems uncannily reminiscent of a certain box-office-conquering star turn by a certain sadly departed actor, well, that's just good business, isn't it? Luckily, Joker is a pretty exciting and surprising work all its own, taking the chaotic ethos of The Dark Knight's charismatic villain and bringing it to an even nastier place. (Heath Ledger played a rough piece of work, but he never skinned a guy alive.)
Written by Brian Azzarello and with art by Lee Bermejo, Joker comes out October 22 from DC Comics. Check out Vulture's exclusive five-page preview after the jump.
The arrival of Project Runway's fifth-season finale is bittersweet for us: sweet, because this uninspiring season never lived up to its early promise and we're glad to have a break, and bitter because — if the state of the Weinstein/Lifetime lawsuit is any indication — that break might last a little bit longer than we'd like. Still, we at least hoped Project Runway would leave Bravo with a bang; sadly, short of Kenley spiking Tim Gunn's morning latte with gunpowder, it's unrealistic to expect any real surprises. But that hasn't stopped us from laying down some odds on the winner — and hey, we've been wrong before. Twice, actually. So maybe there's room for our jaws to drop after all.
LEANNE MARSHALL: 1-3. Yes, that's right, she's actually an odds-on favorite. Based on the slideshows and our peek at the final runway show during Fashion Week, we'd be stunned if Leanne’s collection fell short for the judges. It's an orgy of intricate pleating and cohesive design, if perhaps monochromatic in palette. But when her first look hit the catwalk, half the audience spontaneously erupted into applause. We even overheard Judith Light being pressed into confessing a strong affinity for Leanne's fanciful and fabulous wedding dress. And, with all due respect to Tony Danza, we all know Judith is the boss. (Parenthetically, it's high time Ugly Betty cast Tony as Claire Meade's next love interest. You're welcome, America.)
View Leanne's collection.
KENLEY COLLINS: 25-1. If Project Runway were a popularity contest, Kenley wouldn’t even be in the finals. In fact, when she emerged to introduce her line, we gasped, “Oh shit,” because we were confused about how many designers were showing and were therefore under the mistaken impression that Kenley had somehow bested Korto and Leanne. But horrifying as that was, it was almost worse to realize that Kenley’s line is kind of charming, or at least fun to watch. Michael Kors wasn’t wrong when he said her silhouettes are derivative, but her feather-trimmed wedding dress is still spectacular and well made, and Kenley’s attention to detail — including her hand-painted fabrics — is impressive. But that may not suffice, because (a) after her snit fits with the judges, we suspect the panel would rather wear Crocs in public than reward Kenley for anything, and (b) Leanne is totally going to win.
View Kenley's collection.
KORTO MOMOLU: 50-1. Korto has an amazing story — escaping with her family from Liberia when she was just a kid — and on a personal level, we’d celebrate if she won. And we did love the short patterned dress, in addition to coveting that green mini she put on ANTM’s Danielle. But “cute” shouldn’t quite cut it when, compared to the other two, Korto's collection just wasn't that interesting or unusual. We also overheard several people at the show comment that they liked the patterned dress Korto herself wore more than anything she sent down the runway, and that spells trouble. But then again, what do we know? We're 0-2.
View Korto's collection.
Earlier: Check out the Cut's previous Project Runway coverage.
Tonight the "Condom Couture" charity fashion show takes place in San Francisco. Ex–Project Runway contestant Jack Mackenroth from season four has designed a wedding dress made of condoms for the event, proceeds from which benefit Project Inform’s advocacy and HIV-treatment information programs. So those unconventional-materials challenges have real-world applications after all. [Blogging Project Runway]
Fashion Wire Daily - Model-turned-actress-turned-fashion designer Caroline D'Amore presented her Spring 2009 D'Amore by Marceau collection on Tuesday Oct. 14, at the Mercedes-Benz Los Angeles Fashion Week in absentia. She's off shooting a new movie, so her partner Laurent Planeix held down the tent and took the bows after their swimwear line wowed the crowd.
The world might have Madonna's divorce on the brain, but we're still hung up on the shoes she wore to the screening of her film Filth and Wisdom Monday night in New York. The platforms with guns for heels were a highlight of Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel 2009 resort collection. But a British anti-violence group found the shoes offensive and has labeled Madge "uncaring."
Lyn Costello, from Mothers Against Murder And Aggression, says, "I am horrified that Madonna can see these shoes as fashion. Celebrities have a massive part to play and an icon like Madonna should have more sense.
"It's uncaring. Surely she reads the news and realizes that young people are dying every day."
Oh, give Madge a break, lady. She's getting divorced while on a grueling world tour, her new movie's getting panned, and hardly anyone's saying anything nice about her clothes these days. Can't she enjoy her footwear?
MADONNA CRITICISED FOR GUN SHOE [Daily Express]
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