AP - With an eclectic slate of stars led by Mexican alternative rock group Cafe Tacuba and Colombian rocker Juanes vying for top honors the Latin Grammys were making their Houston debut Thursday by showcasing the diversity of Latin music.
You could tell they were up to something. Photo: Getty Images
A juicy piece of gossip recently came our way: We hear Pamela Anderson will star in the next Vivienne Westwood campaign, shot in a trailer park. That's a head scratcher! We thought the most exposure she got these days was making nude cameos on The Girls Next Door. However we took a look at the photo wire and found oodles of pictures like the one at left of Pam rubbing up on Viv backstage at Westwood's spring 2009 show in London in September. As for the trailer-park bit, well, no one wants to look at, like, mansions these days. And as for Pam herself, we think she's an excellent choice. After Daisy Lowe landed two big campaigns, we would like to see as many curvy girls as possible in spring 2009 ads. Who will they think of next?
Meanwhile, former Al Gore chief of staff Ron Klain has agreed to serve in the same role for Joe Biden. Klain is a former Supreme Court clerk, associate counsel to Bill Clinton, and chief of staff to Janet Reno. He also was instrumental for the losing Democrats in the 2000 Florida recount, when the ruthless Bush troops outmaneuvered the Gore team and landed in the White House, so one imagines he won't be along for this particular "friendly" visit with the Cheneys.
According to music-business conjecture, angel-voiced American Idol runner-up David Archuleta is on track to sell around 240,000 copies of his new album this week, which should be good enough for a No. 2 position on the next Wednesday's Billboard 200 chart. Taylor Swift is expected to move 600,000 copies of her Fearless, but right now we are just trying to focus on the positive. [HITS Daily Double]
Reuters - Executives hoping that the weak consumer embrace of high-definition discs will strengthen during the holiday season thanks to clarity on format and hardware issues suddenly face this rude awakening: It's the economy, stupid.
EVENTS
• Kit 228 presents Laura Dawson's holiday collection and new handbags by Yana, with 15 percent off the new lines and savings throughout the store. 228 Elizabeth St., nr. Prince St. (212-965-8110); 6–9.
• Dylan Lauren, owner of Dylan's Candy Bar, debuts her Re-Treat Bath and Body Collection, a new line of candy-inspired body lotions and shower gels. Sephora, 1500 Broadway, nr. 44th St. (212-944-6789); noon–2.
• The Radio City Rockettes unveil the newest collection of Madame Alexander Rockette dolls at FAO Schwarz. The Rockettes will also autograph the Candy Cane Rockette doll, sold exclusively at the store. 767 Fifth Ave., at 58th St. (212-308-6094); 11–1.
SALES STARTING TODAY
• Mike & Chris tops, bottoms, fleeces, bags, and leather goods are up to 75 percent off in the line's first-ever sample sale. Through 11/15. 447 W. 36th St., nr. Tenth Ave., fifth fl.; Thurs.–Fri. (10–7), Sat. (10–3).
• Iris has Marc Jacobs satin sandals for $417 (originally $695), Viktor & Rolf suede bootees for $540 (originally $900), John Galliano studded sandals for $684 (originally $1,140), and other designer shoes for 40 percent off. Ongoing. 827 Washington St., nr. Little W. 12th St. (212-645-0950); Mon.–Sat. (11–7), Sun. (noon–6).
• Sweaters, jackets, and coats from Trovata, Rag & Bone, Rogan, A.P.C., and Nice Collective are 40 percent off at Zoë. Through 11/18. 68 Washington St., nr. Front St., Dumbo, Brookyn (718-237-4002); Tues.–Thurs., Sat. (11–8), Fri. (11–9), Sun. (12–6), Mon. (11–7).
• A Lela Rose paillette-embroidered tank, once $1,295, is now $295 at the sample sale. Through 11/14. 224 W. 30th St., nr. Seventh Ave., thirteenth fl. (212-947-9204); Thurs.–Fri. (9–6).
• Try Me & Ro for delicate options of silver, ten-karat, and eighteen-karat jewelry for up to 75 percent off. Through 11/14. 13 Crosby St., nr. Howard St., second fl. (646-747-5900); Thurs. (noon–7), Fri. (10–7).
• Blouses are $25 to $35 (originally $268), skirts are $35 to $45 (originally $448), leather jackets are $115 (originally $998), and other Lafayette 148 New York items are up to 80 percent off during their fall warehouse sale. Through 11/15. 148 Lafayette St., nr. Howard St. (877-523-1488); Thurs. (9–8), Fri. (9–7), Sat. (10–5).
• Twinkle by Wenlan has clothing and outerwear up to 70 percent off. Through 11/13. 545 Eighth Ave., nr. 38th St., seventeenth fl.; Thurs. (10–8).
• Cotton bralettes are $25 (originally $105), cotton panties are $20 (originally $66), and swimwear sets are $40 (originally $195) at the Araks sale. Other lingerie and swimwear is up to 90 percent off. Through 11/14. 137 Grand St., nr. Crosby St., fifth fl. (212-982-5652); Thurs. (8:30–7:30), Fri. (9–6:30).
• Ricky's NYC has 50 percent off select Mattese products and hair brushes, as well as 20 percent off all appliances and most professional hair-care products through the month of November. Click here for store hours and locations.
• Band of Outsiders, Cheap Monday, Shipley & Halmos, Wayne, and more are 50 to 75 percent off at the News showroom. Through 11/15. 495 Broadway, nr. Broome St., fifth fl. (212-925-9700); Thurs.–Fri. (10–6), Sat. (10–5).
ENDING TODAY
• Butter, Tibi, and Something bleu footwear are having a sample sale. Through 11/13. 307 Seventh Ave., nr. 28th St., Ste. 2307; Mon.–Fri. (10–7), Sat.–Sun (closed).
• At the Strenesse sale a gray tweed jacket is $288 (originally $980), a fuchsia wool scoop-neck dress is $247 (originally $825), and a mohair-jersey mock-neck tunic is $165 (originally $550). Through 11/13. 50 W. 57th St., nr. Sixth Ave., eighth fl. (212-920-1211); Mon.–Thurs. (10–6).
• Zimmermann's white floral triangle bikini is $41 (from $165), and Brette Sandler's floral bandeau bikini is $40 (from $158) at the Salon 9 sample sale. Also find swimsuits, caftans, and more from Birdie Joe and Red Carter for 50 to 70 percent off. Through 11/13. 241 W. 37th St., nr. Eighth Ave., Ste. 923 (212-354-9220); Tues.–Thurs. (11–7).
• Get 30 percent off full-priced merchandise, like Kova & T's high-waisted skirt (was $363, now $254.10) and Current/Elliot's skinny jean (was $216, now $151.20), at shopbop.com with the code EARLYGIFT. Through 11/14.
STARTING TOMORROW
• Dresses, tops, skirts, jackets, and more from Goldenbleu, Lewis Cho, Christopher Deane, and The ProportionofBlu are 50 to 80 percent off. Through 11/15. 200 Park Ave. S., at 17th St., Ste. 1608; Fri. (10–8), Sat. (11–5).
• Selima Optique has specs and shades from Gucci, Prada, and Blinde, along with selections from its vintage collection, starting at $20. Through 11/16. 7 Bond St., nr. Lafayette St., (212-677-8487); Fri.–Sun. (11–7).
• Samples of stylish jackets, dresses, and sweaters are $50 to $300 at PHI. Through 11/15. 71 Greene St., nr. Spring St. (212-966-0076); Fri.–Sat. (11–6).
ENDING TOMORROW
• Embroidered tops are $125 (originally $350), skirts are $85 (originally $260), and other fall merchandise is up to 60 percent off at the MINT Jodi Arnold sale. Through 11/14. 230 W. 39th St., nr. Seventh Ave. (212-997-0270); Wed.–Fri. (9–6).
• Men's and women's apparel and select toys will be 60 to 70 percent off at Kidrobot's sample sale. Through 11/14. 261 W. 36th St., nr. Eighth Ave., second fl.; Tues. and Thurs. (10–7), Wed. and Fri. (10–6).
• Hit the Ted Baker sale for deals on men’s trousers and sweaters (both for $350), women’s winter coats (now $250), and men’s sweaters (four for $350). Through 11/14. 215 Park Ave. S., nr. 17th St., twentieth fl. (212-354-7310); Wed.–Thurs. (11–7), Fri. (9:30–2).
• Jeans are $30 (originally $185), tops are $20 (originally $100), and jackets are $50 (originally $150) at Miss Sixty and Energie's sample sale. Other merchandise is up to 90 percent off. Through 11/14. 435 Hudson St., nr. Morton St., Ste. 400; Wed. (noon–3), Thurs.–Fri. (9–3).
• A stretch flannel dress with metal beading from Rebecca Taylor is $175 (originally $430), a silk printed camisole $95 (originally $220), and other pieces from the fall 2008 collection are up to 65 percent off. Through 11/14. 145 W. 18th St., nr. Seventh Ave.; Wed. (1–8), Thurs.–Fri. (10–8).
• Feminine and lacy lingerie by Pfiff is more than 75 percent off; bras are $15 (originally $65 to $85), and panties are $9 (originally $28 to $45). Through 11/14. Pfiff Showroom, 152 Madison Ave., nr. 32nd St., Ste. 805.; Wed.–Fri. (11–6).
• A Lela Rose paillette-embroidered tank, once $1,295, is now $295 at the sample sale. Through 11/14. 224 W. 30th St., nr. Seventh Ave., thirteenth fl. (212-947-9204); Thurs.–Fri. (9–6).
• Cotton bralettes are $25 (originally $105), cotton panties are $20 (originally $66), and swimwear sets are $40 (originally $195) at the Araks sale. Other lingerie and swimwear is up to 90 percent off. Through 11/14. 137 Grand St., nr. Crosby St., fifth fl. (212-982-5652); Thurs. (8:30–7:30), Fri. (9–6:30).
Here Kitty:Meryl Streep will play the lead in a New Line's cat-tastic adaptation of Vicki Myron's book Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World. Streep will play Myron, a librarian who watches her small town get transformed by a kitten who becomes her library's mascot after wandering in through the after-hours book-return slot. Pamela Gray is onboard to write, and moms everywhere are onboard to drag their kids to this. [Variety]
Alright, Alright, Alright:David O. Russell is in negotiations to direct Matthew McConaughey's big dumb comedy The Grackle. The story follows a New Orleans barroom fighter (McConaughey) who hires himself out to settle disputes for those who can't afford a lawyer. We anxiously await the leaked behind-the-scenes footage of Russell pounding McConaughey's head in with a surfboard. [HR]
Moon Man:Steve Carell has signed on to voice the title character in Universal's computer-animated family flick Despicable Me. Carell's character is a loathsome man named Groo whose plot to steal the moon is interrupted when a group of clingy orphans come under his care. Producer Chris Meledandri (Horton Hears a Who) has brought on a star-studded cast of funnymen (and women) to work with Carell, including Jason Segel, Kristen Wiig, Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Russell Brand, Jack McBrayer and funniest funny woman of all Julie Andrews! [Variety]
Bummer Time:Michael Moore's next film, which was supposed to have a foreign-policy scope, will instead focus on the economy. The untitled project will deal with the end of the American empire, and Moore hopes it will have a general non-partisan tone, divorcing it from a political movement. Because both liberals and conservatives should be able to spend the little money they have on seeing a film that reminds them how poor and meaningless their lives are. [HR]
Tempting:Chris Cooper has joined Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons in Julie Taymor's "gender-bending" adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest. Cooper will play Antonio, who usurps Prospera, Duchess of Milan (Mirren). Production of the island drama is set to start next week in Hawaii, which is quickly becoming America's go-to spot for performing island-based, gendering-bending dramas. [HR]
Being James Bond isn't easy. Daniel Craig has the scars to prove it. The "Quantum of Solace" star earned a few stitches and bruises for his troubles. But what's emerged is a James Bond for the 21st century.
E! Online - Multiple reliable sources have just confirmed that NBC has given the ax today to My Own Worst Enemy (starring Christian Slater) and Lipstick Jungle (starring Brooke Shields, Kim Raver and Lindsay Price).
It's not about big hats anymore at the CMA Awards.
According to Miley Cyrus, it's all about the hair.
"My daddy said that I should wear it up and put it in a...
Multiple reliable sources have just confirmed that NBC has given the ax today to My Own Worst Enemy (starring Christian Slater) and Lipstick Jungle (starring Brooke Shields, Kim Raver...
Good news for those of you dying to know if George Clooney will actually come back to ER as rumored: You are not alone. The cast is just as clueless as we are.
"I'd love to...
Front Page: Actress purrs for New Line's 'Dewey' -- Meryl Streep is purring over "Dewey," a fact-based film about a stray cat's impact on the town of Spencer, Iowa. The project has landed at New Line Cinema.
The fairy tale is really over now.
Michael Jackson has turned the deed to his financially plagued Neverland Ranch over to a company that he has a partial stake in, effectively ending his...
Front Page: Director in talks for McConaughey comedy -- David O. Russell is in talks to direct Matthew McConaughey in "The Grackle," a raucous comedy for New Line. McConaughey is producing with his j.k. livin' accomplices Gus and Mark Gustawes.
Front Page: Fall season so far lacks blockbuster releases -- When NPD releases October sales figures for the videogame biz later today, the industry will be looking closely to see how much the economic crisis has affected growth in the sector.
Front Page: Stan Lee to produce hourlong series -- Showtime is developing an hourlong project from comicbook icon Stan Lee that tracks the life of a gay superhero.
Front Page: Actor takes on 3-D CG-animated film -- Illumination Entertainment topper Chris Meledandri has kicked off his Universal Pictures-based family film unit with "Despicable Me," a 3-D CG-animated film that has Steve Carell voicing the title character.
The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office has identified onetime American Idol contestant Paula Goodspeed as the female fan found dead in front of Paula Abdul's home Tuesday evening. E! News...
Nothing fake about this news.
Former Daily Show correspondent Rob Corddry has welcomed his second child with wife Sandra, daughter Marlo Stevenson Corddry.
"Mother and...
AP - Between the books already out there and the books signed up for the future, it's boom time for President-elect Barack Obama in the publishing world. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 13 Nov 2008 | 12:53 am
We know he can charm the pants off the ladies, but can Chad Michael Murray also write?
He's setting out to show the world (or at least his fans) that he can this Monday, when his...
AP - Even if you are exhausted after the recent never-ending presidential campaign which seemed to have had a longer run than "Cats" you will find yourself drawn into "Farragut North," Beau Willimon's supremely entertaining dissection of the machinations behind getting elected.
Gosh, yet more Mansion meshuga is going down this week! But what we want to know is, have you been paying attention enough in Bunny Class to decipher which of the following headlines about Holly,...
Despite standout performances by the Eagles and Kid Rock (with Lil Wayne in tow), the 42nd annual Country Music Association Awards belonged to traditionalists, with George Strait and Brad Paisley coming away the big winners last night (Nov. 12) at the Sommet Center in Nashville. Source: Billboard News - Daily | 13 Nov 2008 | 12:00 am
Front Page: Trinh, Howze charged with embezzling -- A former WGA West assistant administrator and another woman have been sentenced to five years of probation and required to pay restitution for embezzling $17,228 from funds set up to pay members for works sold, distributed and aired abroad.
The Enquirer published a startling photo today of what they say is a picture of First Lady–also-ran Cindy McCain in a lip-lock with a "long-haired" dude who "resembles a washed-up '80s rock musician" at a Moody Blues concert two years ago. The Enquirer calls him a "mystery man," but we know that slicked-back do as intimately as we know the platinum ponytail and the skinny shoulders it sits on. Cindy may be eating off his soul patch in the picture, but that is clearly none other than Billy Ray Cyrus. Why else would he invite Sasha and Malia on Hannah Montana if not to secretly smite the man whose septuagenarian wife broke his "achy breaky heart" so many years ago? See: The Enquirer's not the only sleuth in the game.
AP - A Scottish nobleman who wants to be king is not much different from a Japanese feudal lord who aspires to be the shogun or military governor. The hubris that can envelop them crosses all cultural and geographic limitations.
American Apparel is getting sued for something other than sexual harassment, though it's no less shady. An ex-accountant for the label has filed a wrongful termination suit alleging he was fired after he refused to cook the books. Roberto Hernandez says American Apparel CEO Dov Charney "demanded" that he "pad the inventory." This was in 2006 when the company was privately owned and seeking investors — Charney wanted to pad the inventory to entice them. Hernandez refused, and he was fired. Complaints listed in the lawsuit include "infliction of emotional distress," so it's not entirely unlike a sexual-harassment suit. Interestingly, Charney initially asked Hernandez to cook the books when he became furious that the LaSalle firm declined to invest in the company. According to the lawsuit, LaSalle decided not to give money to American Apparel because of "a failed audit and the inappropriate sexual conduct of Mr. Charney." (This suit comes on the heels of five sexual-harassment suits, by the way.) Of course, every legal problem comes back to sexual harassment at that company. Maybe this whole mess could have been avoided if Charney had cleaned up his act in the first place.
Cassell and Favre, not tossing the old pigskin around. Photo: Getty Images
The Jets have feasted on a weak schedule to rise to 6–3 and tie for first place in the AFC East. But no one’s taking them seriously until they beat somebody good. (The Bills and the Arizona Cardinals don't count.) They have the opportunity Thursday night, traveling to Foxboro to meet longtime nemesis New England. It’s the most important Jets game in about two years, and will shape the rest of the season. Before you tune in to WB-11, here’s a primer on the top story lines.
The Oedipal Drama. We’re just more than a year removed from SpyGate, which drove both Gregg Easterbrook and Arlen Specter batshit insane and assured a lifetime of tense post-game handshakes. The ensuing firestorm has cooled, but Eric Mangini and Bill Belichick now despise each other. With this game, Belichick could finally finish off talk that Mangini is as smart as his mentor. The Patriots have hammered the Jets in large part because of the wide disparity in talent between the two teams’ quarterbacks; Tom Brady makes up for a lot of mistakes. But now that the QB advantage has flipped (theoretically, anyway; Matt Cassel has improved vastly since taking over for Brady), if Belichick's boys still beat Mangini's, no one will question who the real genius is.
We Fought for Law … Cornerback Ty Law is at the heart of the Jets-Pats rivalry. He played with the Patriots for a decade, perpetually tormenting the Jets before signing with the latter in 2005, putting together a Pro Bowl season, and generally acting as the only person worth watching on a 4–12 team. He fled to the Kansas City hinterlands for two years and has been sitting out this season, waiting for the right contract to come by. And lo and behold, the Jets signed him this week. Mangini has yet to commit to Law as a starter, but every time he steps on the field, expect the broadcasters to go apoplectic.
It's Gut-Check Time. We'll find out what the Jets are made of in the next three weeks. After battling the Patriots, they'll travel to undefeated Tennessee and host AFC West–leading Denver. If they win Thursday, they preempt the possible death knell of three straight losses. By Thanksgiving weekend, they'll either be printing playoff tickets or looking forward to the draft.
In HD, You Can See the Nosesicles. It’s supposed to be miserable weather, raining like crazy, in Foxboro Thursday night. (Weather.com's “Spectator Index” rates it at one on a scale of one to ten, ten being the most comfortable conditions.) It’s going to be one of those freezing East Coast nights one associates with epic football battles.
Out of Our Heads! This week, the Daily News’ Rich Cimini wrote, “I get the sense [the Jets have] invested a lot into this game, emotionally. [A loss would] be deflating and — dare I say? — devastating. But I know this: This team is very confident. I really get the feeling they believe it's their time.” The psychological acuity of tabloid reporters aside, there is a sense that if the Jets can’t beat the Patriots this week, they’re never beating them. Of course, folks said that before week two’s Meadowlands game against the Pats, who'd just learned that Tom Brady would miss the rest of the season. The Jets lost that one, and yet somehow they’ve trudged onward.
Good Seats Still Available! For some reason — because it's a weekday night game, or the weather forecast — tickets on StubHub are shockingly cheap, especially compared to the Patriots’ other two home games this year. Or maybe it's just that Patriots fans take this “rivalry” less seriously than we do.
Is Brett Favre an Asset or a Liability? For all the Jets’ success this year, Favre has had little to do with it. He hasn't played well in more than a month, and one could argue that he's delivered only one vintage Favre game (the blowout against Arizona). His free-form ways have clashed with Mangini's conservative ball control, and while that hasn't cost the team anything yet (even if Favre's late-game interception against the Bills was as horrible a pass as he's ever thrown), it seems destined to at some point.
So far, Favre has not been the story. But he will always become the story. (And apparently wants to be. When he said, earlier this week, “I know exactly what this game means, the weight it carries,” he directly opposed Mangini’s attempts to downplay the rivalry.) And he's even more eager to get the Jets in the playoffs now that it appears his former mates in Green Bay are fading — no better way to prove your former employers wrong than to eclipse them. But when Favre tries to make something happen, he tends to make mistakes. The Jets can keep the game close and hope he doesn't give it away late. Favre can become a true Jet this week with a win. Or he can fritter away all the goodwill Jets fans have for him.
Santa's in there. And he's cheap. Photo: WireImage
Macy's would like you to believe that everything's dandy at their Herald Square headquarters, but alas, no one is exempt from a tanking economy. The third quarter just closed, and Macy's lost a reported $44 million, a sharp the contrast to the $33 million profit the company boasted last year at this time. However, the CEO says that this is no indication of future earnings and that 2009 will turn out to be a profitable year. Why? For starters, they just announced Tommy Hilfiger will relaunch his children's apparel line exclusively at the department store next season, with every intention of the line becoming a top seller. It's a plan to bolster sales, but we'll have to wait and see if it works. In the meantime, Macy's, feel free to lure us in with an 80 percent off sale.
Controversial New York City Schools chancellor Joel Klein has been mentioned as a possible secretary of Education in an Obama administration, which is why more than 1,000 locals have signed an online petition imploring Team Obama not to choose him. The petition says he has run the NYC school system "like a ruthless dictatorship," shutting out parents and teachers, putting the focus on tests, and refusing to cut overcrowding and class size. Grade this news a "D" … for drama! [Gowanus Lounge]
The Telegraph yesterday published a list of "Fifty Facts You Might Not Know About Barack Obama," and our friends at Publishers Weekly's Beat blog are wondering about one list item in particular: "He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics." Why did this never come up during the campaign? Is he hiding his comic obsession, like his smoking? Which other comics does he read? Is he into manga? Who does he like better, Frank Miller or Alan Moore? And if he's going to know our nuclear secrets, shouldn't he at least tell us how he feels about Spider-Man's divorce?
When we last left Jenny Humphrey, her dreams of becoming a fashion designer had gone up in smoke, leaving her on the verge of giving blow jobs for tulle. But this photo of the young Miss Humphrey in a Constance Billiard plaid kilt, taken on-set today, indicates that she's going back to school. Either that, or she's become a Tokyo-style hostess. Click the photo to decide for yourself.
FRAGRANCE
• Van Cleef & Arpels launched a new fragrance called Feerie, a floral, light scent with notes of violet, black currant, and Italian mandarin. A fairy appears on the sapphire bottle, stealing the thunder (or magic dust?) from Paris Hilton's fairy fragrance. [Beauty Banter]
PLASTIC SURGERY
• Skin-care clinics advised an 18-year-old to start getting Botox to improve wrinkles. Who's horrified? She was. [Daily Mail via BellaSugar]
• Speaking of Paris Hilton, the woman may be obsessed with herself, but she doesn't want plastic surgery: "I like the way I look, and I wouldn't want it or need it." [E!]
HAIR
• Lucky bloggers figured out how to save up to $50 on ceramic irons. So go forth and purchase! [Beauty Department Blog/Lucky]
MAKEUP
• The bejeweled Dior holiday compact costs $80. It's not refillable, so, yes, this qualifies as a splurge. [Beauty Addict]
Tom Duane, the only openly gay New York state senator, says that Ruben Diaz Sr. is being "a little bit of a bully" by demanding that Democrats swear to him in writing that they won't try to pass a gay-marriage bill. Earlier this week, Diaz said he wouldn't caucus with them if they didn't. But Duane says that this simply is no longer the way to get things done in Albany, now that Malcolm Smith is in charge.
"It's absurd that Sen. Diaz thinks he can bully his way on this issue," Duane said. "I guess he thinks he hasn't been getting enough attention, so he feels need to bully his way to the forefront, but that's not going to fly in the Senate anymore. He'll get used to things running in a more democratic way."
Smith, the new Senate majority leader, has pledged to delegate more power to rank-and-file lawmakers in Albany, and not to hold complete sway over what makes it to the floor of the Senate. While Duane has pledged to stay focused on the state fiscal crisis right now, he still vows to bring gay marriage before the body in advance of David Paterson's 2010 reelection run. Paterson has vowed to sign such a bill, and Duane is confident that most Democrats, and even some Republicans, will see it through.
On a related note, congratulations to all the gay and lesbian couples who got married in Connecticut today, where their nuptials are now officially legal for the first time. Now get ready for all the New York couples who are going to start heading up there to get hitched all next year — you'll know us because we're the ones not wearing primary colors.
Editor Amy Goldwasser has been reading teenage girls’ diaries for the past three years. Well, sort of. Former New York staffer Goldwasser sifted through more than 800 personal essays to find the 58 authors included in Red: Teenage Girls in America Write on What Fires Up Their Lives Today. Since then ‘Red’ has evolved into a teen-centric multimedia empire: Each girl has a daily blog on redthebook.com. There’s a fashion collaboration with Pepper + Pistol. And a book drive for underprivileged would-be writers. Tonight, Red’s paperback tour kicks off at Housing Works, where authors Maya Popa, 19, Kelly Otterness, 16, Olive Panter, 18, and Zoe Mendelson, 18, and novelist Francine Prose (her new book, Goldengrove, stars a teenage sister) will be discussing “The American Teenage Girl in Fiction and Reality.” Vulture caught up with Goldwasser en route to New York from Los Angeles where she’s been workshopping yet another extension of her empire: Red, the play.
High School Musical 3 raked in $75.7 million in three weeks. Gossip Girl is must-see TV for grown-ups. Twilight is the only thing sustaining the publishing industry. Why are teen girls so popular now?
We’ve always had a mixture of fascination and repulsion and abject terror at being right back there in our own teenagehood. But the current, highly stylized, highly fictionalized idea of the teenage girl is palatable and commercial.
So that's a bad thing, right?
Actually, I’m all for this. It’s fun and can contain tremendous insight — Freaks and Geeks, My So-Called Life. But since when was teen pregnancy cool? I saw Juno on an airplane, and it made me furious. It was the first time I considered swiping a credit card in that phone just to rant to someone.
What surprised you most about the girls’ work?
The two big surprises are that they’re really good at writing satire and they’re really deep. I didn’t get essays about boys and clothes. One 13-year-old wrote about vowing to end female circumcision. Another wrote about the ludicrousness of her teacher turning to the “one black boy” in her fancy Brooklyn prep school for his opinion on the civil-rights movement. I did get a lot of cutting essays and can’t believe the proliferation of that whole anorexia-into-bulimia-into-cutting trend. It’s so familiar to these girls that they're able to identify what kind of knife their friend is using.
Are New York girls different from the other girls you’ve gotten to know?
They cut right to the chase — there’s no bullshit, and they have an incredible ability to self-diagnose their own drama. They also seem better at tricking therapists.
You say this generation of teenagers are all writers since they live on MySpace, or e-mailing and texting. Does all that writing about themselves mean they're healthier because they're so in touch with their feelings?
I do think all this has incredible self-esteem benefits. Every teenage girl in every generation thinks she’s alone with her problems. On the Internet, you get a second shot at finding the right group of friends and a community for yourself. You can live one identity in high school, then come home and have an entirely different one. The Internet’s also created a funny idea of privacy. These girls will read on national TV before they’ll read in their school library or local bookstore. The more public, the farther from home and safer it seems.
Why aren’t they embarrassed about exposing themselves?
They are embarrassed. It made me realize how much adult writers, however confessional, can hide. These girls have to go to school with their subjects the next day. An unrequited crush in the hands of the entire soccer team is tough to face. Which brings me to the parents, especially the New York ones, who have been heroic about supporting their daughters. There’s one piece that ends “What a bitch” about the author’s mother, and there she is, clapping away at the reading.
Admit it, one goes to Coney Island because it's kind of trashy, right? The vibe, the rides, the crowd. It's the seedy, fading, twentieth-century New York that Ben Katchor so lovingly portrays in his brilliant comic strip, Julius Knipl. But now Coney's literally trashy. It seems people are dumping trash on land where rides used to be. "The city needs to act fast to develop an interim plan to keep Coney intact between rezoning" and when the economy gets better for actual rebuilding, opines Gowanus Lounge. We agree. No real trash, only ambient trash, at Coney! [Gowanus Lounge]
Have you been on Google Trends yet? It does this really cool thing where you type in search terms and it creates a graph that kind of pits them against each other and tells you which is the more sought-after thing on the whole Internet. Like a popularity contest! For instance, you can measure "Nick Denton" against "Satan" and see which one is more popular (it's Satan). Anyway, the clevercloggs at Mediabistro have already used it to shame America by informing us that Gossip Girl is a hotter topic than the economy right now, to which we say, obviously, it's probably because Jenny and Dan Humphrey are not total lost causes. We'd guess the news that poor Ben Bernanke's personal searchiness comes in far, far under the fair Blake Lively's even in this, the most important year of his life, doesn't come as a huge shock to him, either. Girls like Serena have been stomping on him for years.
According to Rachel Sklar's Twitter, Saturday Night Live just doubled its number of female cast members with the hires of comediennes Michaela Watkins and Abby Elliott (Chris Elliott's daughter). Elliott was a featured player at the UCB Theatre in Los Angeles, and Watkins can currently be seen on CBS' The New Adventures of Old Christine. This news will likely come as a relief to poor Kristen Wiig, who probably hasn't slept at all since Amy Poehler left the show to have a baby two weeks ago. See Elliott and Watkins in action, after the jump!
Here's Watkins's audition tape, in which she does a not-bad Arianna Huffington:
And here's Elliott as Kirsten Dunst, Drew Barrymore, and Joan Cusack:
Annie Leibovitz went on the Today show this morning to promote her new book, Annie Leibovitz at Work. She's photographed everyone from the British queen to Barack Obama, but she still has to answer questions about the backless Miley Cyrus shot in Vanity Fair that caused mass freak-outs. Annie has no regrets. "I love the photograph. It's a beautiful photograph. To me it's actually innocent," she tells Matt Lauer. "She was ready to take that picture and her audience was not. Maybe she shouldn't have posed for Vanity Fair." [Jezebel]
Given that “Spaceman,” the terrifically danceable new single from the Killers' forthcoming Day and Age, is not only about being abducted by aliens, but follows “Human,” the album's terrifically danceable first single, which is about people becoming party robots, it's fair to wonder whether front man Brandon Flowers is indeed from another planet. It's not even how his lyrics (like "hesitation to this life I give") imply unfamiliarity with normal speech, or that his apparel (like ostrich-feather epaulets and riverboat-gambler neckties) suggests Martian military uniforms. It's how damn well he can write a song, whether channeling Bruce Springsteen (“When We Were Young,” in 2006) or some sort of Terminator dandy (now). This one will lodge itself so deep in your brain you'd think it was inserted there by an alien probe.
Front Page: Parkes, MacDonald ink two-year first-look deal -- DreamWorks has inked a two-year first-look deal with producers Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald.
The IsaBelt bills itself as "the woman's original virtually invisible fashion clear belt." It's basically a clear bra strap that you sling around your waist to hold your pants up so you don't have an embarrassing plumber's-butt situation (or as IsaBelt fears, flash the entire front of your thong to passersby). Because a virtually invisible plastic belt is better than a stylish leather belt. We didn't have the heart to post it here, but click on to watch the 3:30 IsaBelt infomercial, which explains how to adjust the bra strap — er, belt — in detail, to the tune of "Since You Been Gone." [IsaBelt]
Mickey Smith's Money (2005). Photo: Courtesy of Invisible-Exports
Mickey Smith’s polished photographs, on view at Invisible-Exports through December 21, pay homage to the days when hanging at the library was cool. The artist also seems to have stumbled upon the hidden stash of textbooks that our Wall Street buddies never quite got around to reading.
Sarah at Versace's house. Photo-illustration: Everett Bogue; Photos: Getty Images
Republican governors have planned a little get-together to reflect on the recent election and how it went oh so horribly wrong for them. Naturally, they chose to convene in Miami, the city that heals broken hearts faster than tequila shots and male models. Sarah Palin will deliver a speech called "Looking Toward the Future." When the governors aren't sitting around listening to speeches and commiserating, they can take part in extracurricular activities, such as a "Day of Beauty," involving "pampering to include manicures, pedicures, neck and shoulder massages." Palin will probably skip this, but she could sign up for the Art Deco tour, which visits landmarks like "the late Gianni Versace's villa on Ocean Drive." You know what we always say — who needs the White House when you've got Versace's house?
At its contemporary-art auction, Christie’s is selling “master drawings from a private collection” that turns out to be Lehman Brothers CEO Richard Fuld’s. The Fulds consigned the art late last summer, just weeks before the September 15 announcement by Lehman that it would file for bankruptcy. The sixteen works by artists like Willem de Kooning and Agnes Martin are valued at about $14 million to $20 million. Given the economic climate, in the past few weeks, Christie’s has been calling up contemporary-art sellers encouraging them to be willing to take less for their art, says Christie’s deputy chairman Brett Gorvy. Christie’s guaranteed a minimum amount to the Fulds and won’t say how much, but guarantees generally run about 75 percent. Sotheby’s also bid for the collection, and an insider there says the drawings are “gorgeous” but they valued it lower because “the Fuld name at this moment is not a selling point.”
The Fulds purchased most of the top works from Christie’s, Gagosian, and dealer Robert Mnuchin over the last decade, and one $2.5 million Barnett Newman they bought just last year. Christie’s is offering them just as the art market has turned sour. Last night, at Sotheby’s contemporary-art sale, only two out of three artworks sold, and the ones that did find buyers did so at bargain prices. (Designer Valentino, Eli Broad, Gap founder Don Fisher and Larry Gagosian all did some bidding.) There were no bids for some works by superstars like Roy Lichtenstein and Takashi Murakami. Kathy Fuld is a vice-chairman at the Museum of Modern Art, and some of the works being sold are ones that might have fit in well at the museum; one Arshille Gorky drawing is a study for a painting, Agony, that the Modern has in its own collection.
Front Page: Sketch series ends run after 14 seasons -- Fox is closing the book on "Mad TV" after 14 seasons. Net confirmed Wednesday that the Saturday night sketch series, which had barely escaped cancellation in recent years, will end its run at the end of this season.
Anybody my age turning on MTV and seeing Annie Lennox sing
"Sweet Dreams," that was enough right there. And then when she
started doing songs like "Walking on Broken Glass" or "Missionary
Man," there's just something that's so soulful in those — and
it's not like a put-on, blue-eyed soul kind of thing: It's just
pure power, this gigantic voice. The Eurythmics was her fantastic
voice mixed in with Dave Stewart and his otherworldly, ahead of its
time...
James Taylor has a tremendously rich and beautiful voice, and
he controls it so well. It's easy to get fooled by his
understatement: As beautiful as James' voice is, there's nothing
mellow about a performance like "Fire & Rain" — it's a
song of great depth sung by a man who's experienced the highs and
lows of life, and has the ability to convey them directly and
honestly. It also doesn't hurt that he's up there as a songwriter
alongside Lennon & McCartney,...
In India, fans love A.R. Rahman almost as we love David Archuleta — and he's reportedly sold a few more albums: 100 million records and 200 million cassettes. A huge pop star in South Asia, he's famous for scoring Indian classics like Roja and Lagaan (among the dozens of other films) — and he's recently begun to cross over into Hollywood with Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Bombay Dreams. We spoke with him about his Slumdog Millionaire score — which Fox Searchlight is pushing for an Oscar — and his collaboration with M.I.A.
How’d you hook up with Danny Boyle?
I literally had to leave another film to do this. When Danny met me, he said, “I’ve heard a lot of your stuff’ and he talked about it. That’s about the first time I’ve heard a compliment from a Western director, apart from Andrew Webber. He’s a good human being.
Was it different working with him than a Bollywood director?
Usually, it’s very different. Danny used my stuff in a very different way. I really loved the film, so I would compose pieces to fit the images, so I would do a lot of templates. With this, there’s not many cues in the film. Usually a big film has 130 cues. This had just seventeen or eighteen: the end credits, beginning credits, that stuff.
What were you going for?
A lot of things. I had to do stuff from modern India, eighties Hindi film soundtracks, mixing modern India and the old India.
What did Boyle suggest?
He wanted something very pulse-y. He said he hated sentiment, hated cello. No cellos! He said, “Never put a cello in my film” — he was funny. I worked fast, like him. It took two months of planning, two weeks of completing. Usually it takes six months with the musical films I’m doing in India.
The soundtrack really drives the film. That seems like something Boyle has in common with Bollywood. Do you think so?
What’s good about [Boyle] is that he likes how Indian films mix music. You push it and it comes out. We wanted it edgy, upfront. He said every piece of music was going to be a piece by itself. Normally some directors suppress music — they always want the effects to be loud and the music to be softer. Danny wanted it loud.
And you worked with M.I.A. on a new track.
We met before but never worked before. M.I.A., she’s a real powerhouse. Somebody played me her CD and I thought, Who’s this girl? She came here and knew all my work, had followed my work for ages. I said "Cut the crap," this "my idol" crap. You have to teach me. We started working in India, then we e-mailed the track back and forth. She did the vocals in England. I did the rest in India.
How does the film’s Mumbai compare to the real thing?
For me, it’s not about India at all. It’s about human emotion, how we suppress so much and it all comes out. It’s a human film, not about India at all. The soundtrack isn’t about India or Indian culture. The story could happen anywhere: China, Brazil, anywhere. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is on in every damn country.
Dior Homme designer Kris Van Assche hired Jeff Burton (the photographer, not the race-car driver) to shoot the latest ad campaign for his own label. Van Assche praised Burton for his "unique and radical" approach — his specialty is reinterpreting pornography for consumption in a contemporary, seductive way. Burton shot the campaign in a laundromat in Los Angeles with three male porn actors. "Jeff and I discussed a wide range of subjects such as creativity, doubt, pride, shame, family, vulnerability, respect and freedom," Van Assche says. "I didn’t involve myself in the shoot, though — I wanted to maintain the viewpoint of a witness or spectator." We'd say they turned out quite an interesting campaign. Who needs models when you've got porn stars? See the images in the slideshow.
According to Defamer, Fox's SNL competitor, MADtv, won't be returning for a fifteenth season next year. Regrettably, we have never actually seen it. [Defamer]
You could say that being yelled at by Janis Joplin was one of
the great honors of my life. Early in my career, Lindsay Buckingham
and I were in a band called Fritz. There were two gigs we played in
San Francisco that changed everything for me: One was opening up
for Jimi Hendrix, who was completely magical. The other was the
time that we opened up for Janis at the San Jose Fairgrounds,
around 1970.
It was a hot summer day, and things didn't start off well...
Bavaria's state library will hand over 75 books belonging to German author Thomas Mann, seen here in 1952, that were stolen by the Nazis to an archive in Switzerland, the library announced Wednesday. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Nov 2008 | 6:32 pm
Hollywood stars Sigourney Weaver, seen here in October 2008, and Michelle Yeoh will be honoured at this year's Marrakesh international film festival which starts Thursday. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Nov 2008 | 6:27 pm
We love when designers team up for new collaborations, especially when said pairings benefit charity. Six Scents, a series of perfumes designed by six designers and curated by Seven's Joseph Quartana, launches tonight at the New Museum. The fragrances — by Alexandre Herchcovitch, Bernhard Willhelm, Gareth Pugh, Jeremy Scott, Preen, and Cosmic Wonder Light Source — are limited edition (only 2,000 of each were made), so expect a mad dash for bottles. We have to admit, so far we're partial to the Preen, Herchcovitch, and Jeremy Scott scents.
Collectors and fragrance fiends, get ready to line up: The perfumes go on sale Friday or Monday at Seven in New York and are $85 for individual scents, $510 for the set. But a percentage of the proceeds go toward funding for the Designers Against AIDS, International AIDS Awareness Education Center in Antwerp, Belgium. So you can feel good about opening your tight wallet right now. Other stores include Oak, New Museum Shop, Woodley & Bunny, Opening Ceremony, TG-170, and Aedes De Venustas, but we suggest calling and checking stock availability. For those outside of the New York area, you'll have to wait until mid-November to find the scents at specialty shops. (Hint: If it's a cool boutique, it'll carry it. Colette and 10 Corso Como, we're looking at you.) Wouldn't these make great stocking stuffers for the fashion girl and boy in your life? (Seriously, Mom, hint hint.)
British actor Saha Baron Cohen depicting his movie character Borat in 2007. Borat, the spoof blundering reporter from Kazakhstan, actually boosted tourism in the central Asian country, a Kazakh tourism... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Nov 2008 | 6:19 pm
When Yo-Yo Ma throws a party, the guest list is full of luminaries: James Taylor, Diana Krall and Alison Krauss. He's celebrating his new album, his first meant for the holidays: "Songs of Joy and Peace."
French woman Stephanie Vergniault, seen here in 2006 and who accused makers of the George Clooney film "Syriana" of plagiarising a script she wrote has lost her lawsuit, a Paris court ruled Wednesday. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Nov 2008 | 5:02 pm
Oscar-winning Scottish actress Tilda Swinton, seen here on November 06, 2008, will lead the international jury at the 59th Berlin Film Festival February 5-15, organisers said Wednesday. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Nov 2008 | 4:50 pm
Front Page: Cites breach of contract over financing slate -- Citigroup and Ryan Kavanaugh's Relativity Media exchanged lawsuits Wednesday over Citi's attempt to renegotiate terms of their five-year slate financing deal involving Sony Pictures Entertainment.
A pay slip, dated 1911, from a Liverpool hospital which lists a scullery maid called E. Rigby, which was sent by Beatles bassist Paul McCartney to a charity in response to a request for funds. McCartney,... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Nov 2008 | 4:11 pm
Top video game maker Activision Blizzard on Thursday launches a new extension of its record-breaking "World of Warcraft" which already has a claimed 11 million players worldwide. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Nov 2008 | 4:06 pm
Indian actress Shilpa Shetty waves after being voted the winner of Celebrity Big Brother in January. Channel 4 is to revive Celebrity Big Brother, which was taken off-air following a race row involving... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Nov 2008 | 2:57 pm
After his recent split from country cutie Taylor Swift, Joe Jonas has moved on to a new romance, People magazine is reporting. Source: FOXNews.com | 12 Nov 2008 | 2:29 pm
Actor Stephen Baldwin isnt one to renege on a bet just ask Miley Cyrus who dared him to get a tattoo honoring her television alter ego Source: FOXNews.com | 12 Nov 2008 | 1:27 pm
In most households, photo albums sit on shelves or in drawers for years on end collecting dust. But Jonas Cuaron turned his collection of family photographs into a feature film.
It's not about big hats anymore at the CMA Awards.
According to Miley Cyrus, it's all about the hair.
"My daddy said that I should wear it up and put it in a...
Multiple reliable sources have just confirmed that NBC has given the ax today to My Own Worst Enemy (starring Christian Slater) and Lipstick Jungle (starring Brooke Shields, Kim Raver...
Good news for those of you dying to know if George Clooney will actually come back to ER as rumored: You are not alone. The cast is just as clueless as we are.
"I'd love to...
The fairy tale is really over now.
Michael Jackson has turned the deed to his financially plagued Neverland Ranch over to a company that he has a partial stake in, effectively ending his...
The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office has identified onetime American Idol contestant Paula Goodspeed as the female fan found dead in front of Paula Abdul's home Tuesday evening. E! News...
Nothing fake about this news.
Former Daily Show correspondent Rob Corddry has welcomed his second child with wife Sandra, daughter Marlo Stevenson Corddry.
"Mother and...
We know he can charm the pants off the ladies, but can Chad Michael Murray also write?
He's setting out to show the world (or at least his fans) that he can this Monday, when his...
Gosh, yet more Mansion meshuga is going down this week! But what we want to know is, have you been paying attention enough in Bunny Class to decipher which of the following headlines about Holly,...
