|
|
|
|
Strike threat hangs over La Scala gala opening (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 20 Nov 2008 | 11:54 am Disney, IMAX forge five-picture deal - Bizjournals.com
Source: Google News - Entertainment | 20 Nov 2008 | 11:25 am New Star Trek film to be 'sexed-up' - Telegraph.co.uk
Source: Google News - Entertainment | 20 Nov 2008 | 11:23 am Action hot, story not in ‘Quantum' - Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
Source: Google News - Entertainment | 20 Nov 2008 | 11:11 am Winona Ryder Gets Ill, But Not Enough For You To Care - hecklerspray
Source: Google News - Entertainment | 20 Nov 2008 | 11:05 am Lawyer: Michael Jackson to testify in London (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 20 Nov 2008 | 11:02 am Lawyer: Michael Jackson to testify in London
(AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 20 Nov 2008 | 9:43 am Matthiessen wins National Book Award fiction prize (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 20 Nov 2008 | 9:43 am Matthiessen wins National Book Award fiction prize
|
E! Online - It was down to Analeigh Tipton, McKey Sullivan and Samantha Potter—all lovely, leggy and hungry (to win!), but only one could be crowned America's Next Top Model.
After kicking things off with a hot dog-making challenge, the chefs got to work in host Tom Colicchio's kitchen at Craft, but the results were not always pretty.
Unless it was the...
E! Online - Lifetime isn't going to just sit and watch Project Runway pass it by.
Lifetime isn't going to just sit and watch Project Runway pass it by.
The female-favoring cable network has filed suit against Bravo parent NBC Universal, which in September...
Silly interns, appendectomies are for real doctors! Press play above to get an early look at this week's Grey's Anatomy. It seems that Lexie and the rest of her gang of medical wannabes...
• Jennifer Aniston tells the New York Times Magazine she doesn't like the title of her new movie He's Just Not That Into You. She thinks it should be Angie's Very Uncool. OK,...
AP - Out of the darkness, gracefully bent in half and lumbering slowly on all fours, comes a herd of seemingly nude creatures. These are the talented dancers of "The Garden of Earthly Delights," in the latest off-Broadway incarnation of Martha Clarke's theatrical interpretation of Hieronymous Bosch's 1503 triptych about the progression of sin.
Last month, Tom Cruise assisted a fallen photographer in NYC, adding to his long list of "Touched by a Superstar Angel" moments.
Cruise better hold on to his halo, though,...
Here's a Hint: This actress was quick to admit she put on a few pounds for a part in a hit show, but lately she's been looking lean again.
As she was leaving her party in...
Take that, Pacey Witter!
You may have gotten the girl, but Dawson Leery ended up with a totally badass Hollywood career and rock-star life—complete with the flaming nasal cavities...
In the media layoff world, no news is great news. Today’s layoff news is a bit calmer, but we still have some slashed soirees and magazine foldings after the jump.
• Time Inc. was reportedly set to lay off 250 workers today, but we haven't seen reports that it actually happened. What we did hear about was the closing of cute design title Cottage Living. [NYP, WSJ]
• Two longtime staffers at the Star-Ledger of New Jersey have been bumped from editorializing to mail-filing after reportedly refusing to take a buyout that sold away 151 other staffers last month. But is this move really more dignified? [Romenesko]
• ESPN has canceled its annual holiday bacchanal to cut costs. [Romenesko]
• Ziff Davis’ flagship publication, PC Magazine, which blew minds in 1982 when it was founded, will go, fittingly, all digital after January. And seven print staffers were fired. [Technologizer]
NYU Film School may be excellent, but it seems the curriculum doesn’t include Hollywood schmoozing. We assumed that James Franco, who is studying directing there, would be inundated with requests to appear in classmates’ films and to read screenplays, but he claims not to be so popular. “I haven’t acted in any student films yet,” he told us at the Cinema Society screening of his movie Milk. “You would think that more people would ask me to be in their movies, but they haven’t,” Franco said, laughing. He is casting fellow students, however. “I meet a lot of the Tisch actors, so I’ve asked some of them to be in the movies that I’m directing,” the Spider-Man star told us. He’s just wrapped production on the first of three short films required of first-year students in the program, and says he is now working on the second, a documentary.
Who else spilled at last night's Milk premiere? View our Party Lines slideshow to hear from Josh Brolan, Alison Pill, Rainn Wilson, and more.
While you were watching Gossip Girl Monday night, a bunch of theater folks wrote, directed, and staged six one-act plays in the span of 24 hours to benefit the Urban Arts Partnership. The night afforded the opportunity to watch many an absurd situation: David Cross and Rosie Perez fake-fucking on a pile of stuffed animals, and Elijah Wood and Pablo Schreiber (Liev's hot younger brother) slinking around the stage wearing adult diapers. But our favorite moments came from Farragut North playwright Beau Willimon's one-act about two laid-off Lehman Brothers bankers hitting on tourist girls in Germany. Mostly because it included these lines between Julia Stiles and Alexie Gilmore:
Alexie Gilmore: "At least I don't have a tramp stamp on my lower back."
Julia Stiles: "That is a work of art!"
Alexie Gilmore: "How is a giant tattoo of the Olsen twins a work of art?"
Julia Stiles: "I respect them, all right? They worked very hard to get where they are. Plus, I'm a Gemini, so it makes sense."
And this one line about Stiles's character's first time in bed with a black man:
Julia Stiles: "He came over to borrow a highlighter. Next thing I knew, my panties were off and I was sitting on his face."
Man, art is so universal.
The Dow closed below 8,000 for the first time in five years today, dropping 427.47 points to 7,990. The broader Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index was 6.1 percent lower, and the NASDAQ was down 6.5 percent. Shares of beleaguered lender Citigroup fell 23.4 percent. “It’s painful,” Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at Standard & Poor’s, tells the Times. “A lot of people have pulled a lot of cash out. They’re sitting on the side. It’s all I hear all day: ‘Where can I hide?’” According to The Wall Street Journal, the day puts “an exclamation point on an idea that … had only been whispered around trading floors and offices. Nothing is working.” [NYT, WSJ]
Vanita Salisbury, who organizes our 21 Questions feature, came upon this Gap ad of Seth Myers and Will Forte in sweaters and touching and recognized it for what it was: porn. Seriously, Playgirl would never have folded if they'd just filled it with pictures of dudes in sweaters. Anyway, we are running it even though the Gap isn't paying us to, because it is that good. Happy holidays, ladies and gays!
A few times over the past few months we've observed that Rachel Maddow, in her normal, not-televised state, looks a little bit like Ira Glass. And apparently we're not the only ones who have noticed. The This American Life host himself agrees! "We do look like each other!" Glass told us at the Moth Ball last night. "Which is fine with me, though I feel like she's, like, an adorable woman in her thirties." Apparently, Maddow and Glass are friends, which could not be more progressive-radio-perfect unless one of his producers married one of her producers — which totally happened. Apparently, at the wedding, Maddow and Glass ran into one another and (this part is conjecture) did that whole Parent Trap thing where they moved their hands in unison to test whether they were looking in a mirror.
Anyway, Glass says he loves "that Rachel Maddow" and feels "an intense loyalty" to her. He watches her show almost every night, and his only regret is that saying she looks like him might not actually be a compliment. "I would never want to say anything that would cause that woman any pain," he said. "And I feel like, if I could look that adorable and beautiful and pretty, that would just make me feel great."
Related: The Dr. Maddow Show [NYM]
Kanye West, 808s & Heartbreak
Official Release Date: November 24
The Verdict: We can't specifically recall anyone ever asking for an album of Kanye-sung, Auto-Tuned R&B songs about some model who ditched him, but now that 808s & Heartbreak is actually here (it leaked in full this morning), we have to admit, it's not (technically) the worst thing we've ever heard. Lead single "Love Lockdown" is still the best track — even if it doesn't quite match the awesome, ridiculous power of R. Kelly's remix — but "Say You Will," "Amazing," and "Paranoid" really aren't bad either ("Robocop" is, though!). Remember, though, the album isn't in stores until Monday, and stealing other people's intellectual property is wrong.
The Times review of The World Is What It Is, a biography of the Trinidad-born literary giant V.S. Naipaul, highlights a few choice anecdotes about the 76-year-old author, who is a legendary asshole: Naipaul making a scene at 10 Downing Street, dismissing George Lucas at Francis Ford Coppola's house, and frequenting prostitutes. But they're all trumped by this one, about Naipaul's mistress, Margaret Murray: "[She] liked to entertain Mr. Naipaul by mailing him life-size drawings 'of his erect penis, done in dark brown felt-tip; the penis wore sunglasses and a lime green cowboy hat.'" [NYT]
In a video unearthed today, Al Qaeda number-two Ayman al-Zawahiri said that Barack Obama (like Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell) was a "house negro." That brings the membership of the club of people who have willingly and unrepentantly used racist slave rhetoric to describe our future president up to two. Hey Ralph Nader, let us know how the first chapter meeting goes, okay? [AP]
Stephen Colbert’s “Another Christmas Song” is — as a song by Stephen Colbert called “Another Christmas Song” would suggest — a dose of heavy sarcasm administered with a jolly wink. "Make it a part of your holiday canon," Colbert belts in his best Broadway voice over a perky (yet purposefully generic) big-band sound. "Make it a part of my retirement plannin'." The cornily subversive dad in you will love it and probably the forthcoming A Very Colbert Christmas, too.
Once infested with wealthy hedge funders, Greenwich, Connecticut, is now infested with an entirely different species: "Visit this town and it soon becomes clear that things aren't quite what they used to be. One recent weekday morning, the only creature strolling the showroom floor of Carriage House Motor Cars was a tiny mouse." [Reuters]
Forty years later, it still makes you cry. Bobby Kennedy Jr. says, “We brought my father back from Los Angeles to New York and waked him at St. Patrick’s,” standing in front of 100 brothers and sisters and cousins and nieces and nephews — three busloads of Kennedys! — and even though they’re all here for a celebration, the moment is inescapably wrenching. This morning, RFK Jr. was onstage in a park in Astoria beneath one of the footings of the Triborough Bridge; above him and the roadway flapped an enormous blue banner with a photograph of his father and the new name of the span, the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge. The son’s moving and hopeful speech ended with an obvious metaphor — that the bridge connects diverse peoples just as his father’s political career did. But the presence of Bill Clinton and Caroline Kennedy, sitting behind Bobby but far apart from one another, sparked a different and just as vivid image: That of a twisting, crisscrossing, never-ending Kennedy-Clinton highway.
Running for president, Bill had milked his adolescent meeting with JFK for all it was worth; as president, he reveled in his visits to the Kennedys' place in Hyannisport. But the chances of the Clintons establishing the next Democratic White House dynasty took a major blow during the primaries, when Caroline and her uncle Ted endorsed Barack Obama. Ted Kennedy’s decision, in particular, was provoked by his anger at Bill Clinton. Two weeks ago, Ted thwarted Hillary yet again, squashing her attempt to go around him and set up her own Senate health-care subcommittee.
Yet the Kennedys may end up having done Hillary a favor. The push for universal health care is likely to get sidetracked by general economic triage. Without Ted’s block, Hillary would have been less available for secretary of State — a job she may turn out to be even better suited for than the presidency, because she’s more popular and less polarizing overseas, and because she has proven effective as part of a team. This morning Bill was eloquent in his praise of RFK, but uncharacteristically brief when reporters shouted questions about Hillary’s next move. “It’s up to them,” Bill said. But at some point he may want to thank the Kennedys.
Mad Men genius Matthew Weiner has plenty to celebrate these days — his Emmy-winning TV show, the upcoming Bryan Batt reimagining of Les Misérables, etc. — but what he's really excited about is politics: "It's been a great year, not just for the show but the election," he told us at the GQ Men of the Year party in Los Angeles last night (at which Jon Hamm was an honoree). "We finally don’t have to be so upset. We finally have someone who cares about children! Bush doesn’t even care about children, which most human beings do." Still, "it shouldn't have been that close," he said, quoting Don Draper after Kennedy beat Nixon. But when we teased him about being prescient, he stopped us. "You know everyone thinks I’m so smart, but I have a story for you — last year I start talking about the election and writing [references to it] into the show because it’s an election year and finally someone says to me, 'The election’s next year.' So I’m not that smart after all."
AP - Twisted Sister "Live At The Astoria" (Demolition)
Black Friday is next week. (Is it just us, or did the holidays come out of nowhere this year?) And that means it's time to get your gift-giving game plan together, fast, because if the thought of spending your already-strapped, hard-earned cash on other people gives you an anxiety attack, you're not alone. But we're here to help. We created the ultimate gift list for our latest Shop-A-Matic, with 500 items for everyone on your shopping list, all ages and interests. Plus, 400 of those items are under $100. Surely that's a calming thought. Check out our top favorites (out of hundreds!) after the jump.
Red Plaid Funnel-Neck Jacket
Price: $80
Why we like it: The red lumberjack plaid is a bright alternative to dreary coats, and it’s a cheap, trendy gift for a friend/sister.
Givenchy's Very Couture Palette
Price: $65
Why we like it: The palette itself includes wearable shades, so you can make up your entire face in one kit.
Terry Ross Stone Rings
Price: $110
Why we like it: This cocktail ring uses one piece of wire wrapped around semiprecious stones, which is perfect for those hard-to-gift moms/aunts/female relatives.
Brooks Brothers Pajama Set
Price: $75
Why we like it: Soft pajamas are always a hit with the dad/granddads. They’re comfy, affordable, and cozy.
Kate Spade Taxi Mittens
Price: $95
Why we like it: It's the easiest way to hail a taxi. Ever. Just raise a mitten.
Cloth Logic Sweater
Price: $85
Why we like it: The cable knit is sturdy and warm, which is perfect for the boyfriend/brother in your life.
Jo Malone Cologne Collection
Price: $95
Why we like it: This collection features all of Malone's signature scents: Amber & Lavender, Grapefruit, Lime Basil & Mandarin, Pomegranate Noir, White Jasmine & Mint, and Orange Blossom. Yum.
Holly Andres might be the slightly crazy girl who always shows up to your stoop sale in search of the gaudiest objects you can't believe anyone would pay for. Andres takes these objects and transforms her own house into the sort of horror-tinged scenes that would have drawn froth from Lewis Carroll's mouth. Here, we're seeing a book jacket for a nonexistent Nancy Drew novel: The Case of the Spilled Milk. Andres's bonbon-hued photographs are up at Robert Mann Gallery through December 6.
We were hoping that Sundance might pull off a shocker and open the 2009 festival with HBO's Obama documentary, but this will do: Barry "Dame Edna" Humphries narrates Mary and Max, a claymation film starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toni Collette as "Mary, a lonely, eight-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max, a forty-four-year old, severely obese man living in New York." Director Adam Elliot previously won an Oscar for his lovely short Harvie Crumpet, which you can see here. [Variety]
The folks over at the New York Times' Moment blog are astounded by Justin Bobby's unconsciously astute sense of style: "The scene: Medusa, an Asian fusion lounge. The look: patchy facial hair, chapped lips, black hoodie, black felt wide-brimmed hat, black leather jacket. Critical styling note: J.B.B. wears hat and hood together at once — indoors! And unlike, say, the protagonist in Under My Hood I Have a Hat, Mr. Brescia’s hat is worn over his hood. The effect: Justin Bobby as part Aramis, part Christ from the Tomb, part Zorro, part Dash Snow, part Hasid, part gone-off-the-Depp end. We approve. He’s making a sly reference to the Gothic men’s wear designs of Robert Geller, rocking asymmetrical zippered leather à la Rick Owens and shooting a devilish wink at Anne Demeulemeester … Given the expanse of bad taste that is 'The Hills,' hats off to Justin Bobby’s layered head wear look." [Moment/NYT]
Good news, everybody — we no longer need to worry about the environment! Earlier this week, before attending Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's summit on climate control, a group of Chinese government officials had their pants charmed off by handsome and successful actor Rob Lowe. Lowe invited them to the set of his popular ABC drama Brothers & Sisters and, according to the L.A. Times, "tried to speak Chinese to the delegates by recycling some of his lines from Wayne's World. (They roared with laughter.)" Then he got down to business: "I told them that we need to bring our countries to the table to have a dialogue to figure out how we can solve global warming together." Then the polar ice caps refroze and it snowed in Florida. [LAT]
Reuters - Top fashion designer Marc Jacobs' company agreed to pay New York state $1 million for improper payments made to secure a venue to hold fashion shows, the New York attorney general's office said on Wednesday.
In case you weren't yet aware, the film version of the first novel in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series — about normal teen Bella Swan and the Adonis-like vampire Edward who wants to date (and eat) her — opens Friday. Fans, who call themselves "Twihards," have been rioting in the streets to see their idols brought to life (apparently 1,100 showings this weekend have already sold out). Catherine Hardwicke, director of teen-centric flicks Lords of Dogtown and Thirteen, helmed the film, and she spoke to Vulture about the movie's special effects and curbing her own vampiric tendencies.
Considering you were supposed to be casting the most perfect guy in the world, did the casting process make you nervous?
We definitely checked out all the fan suggestions to see if they were still the right age, or if they were good, or available, or on another show or something. But none of them really worked out, so that's why we kind of found Kristen [Stewart] and Rob [Pattinson]. And, yes, there was a backlash at first, but most people have embraced them, I think.
A main theme of the story is about the tension between the main characters — how do you cast for that?
Well, you nailed it: You do not cast two people separately and then hope that they work. We first had Kristen, because I fell madly in love with her in Into the Wild. I thought she was amazing and so expressive of that longing and that desire. So we had Kristen, and then we kind of narrowed the guys down to like our semi-finals, and at that point, everybody came over to my house and Kristen and I would work on three different scenes with each of the guys, and with Robert it was abundantly apparent that they had sexual chemistry. It was like the first moment they met, you could just feel it.
Which scenes were they enacting?
We did the biology scene in my kitchen. Then we did the meadow scene in the back. Then we did the kissing scene in the bedroom on my bed.
Taxing.
Yeah, four cute guys. I would hate that!
You’ve done a couple of other teenage films as well. Do you feel like you’re in touch with your inner high schooler?
Or I’m just immature. I'm not sure. I try to learn on each project, try to really feel what the characters are feeling. On Thirteen, Nikki [Reed] and her friends would stay over here and have slumber parties, and we'd go surfing and go to museums and run all around. We had a lot of bonding experiences.
In the Twilight books there's very little in the way of action. How are you going to make it interesting for guys when their girlfriends drag them to see it?
Well, there is a vampire baseball game in the book. Some action and fast cars and all that, but there is the one big fight at the end in the ballet studio. Stephenie [Meyer] kind of just cuts away from it because Bella is in this venom haze. So when I read it I'm like, Oh, no, no, I have got to see that fight, and I want to see how two vampires go at it when they have such high stakes. And myself and the stunt coordinator, we acted out all these scenes so many times, wrestling each other to the ground, how would you try to pull the limb apart, coming up with cool stuff. I don't like to watch a movie where it's just kind of like all one note, dee-dee-dee-dee. I want spikes of adrenaline and highs and lows, and exciting tension release.
The baseball game, they're running incredibly fast, jumping higher than trees.
That was the fun part for me. Right away I had an image, imagine two of the guys, [the characters] Emmett and Edward, both just really competitive and running for a ball, and leaping as high as they could in the air and crashing into each other, and the thunderous crash and there’s a bolt of lightning going right in the background. Then, how do you do that? So you have really cool kind of wire rigs, and Andy Cheng, our set coordinator, came up with this cool idea of having this magic carpet that when people walk on it, it would, like, double their speed.
How did you approach the sparkling vampire effect?
That was a big challenge. We ended up going with Industrial Light and Magic. They have obviously great artists. But even then it was difficult because the book is contradictory — it says encrusted with diamonds, which kind of made it look like somebody's face was encrusted with diamonds, like a bad skin condition. And then the book also says his skin's as smooth as marble, so you're like, "Oh my God, marble and diamonds have completely different qualities." I think we finally got something that's quite beautiful and similar to what it feels like in the book, but it was a challenge.
There are three more books after this. Are you contemplating sequels?
Of course it’s on everyone’s mind — you know the second book, and then the third and the fourth are actually way more expensive than the first one. You’ve got the werewolf effects, they go to Italy, you’ve got motorcycles, you need more characters and everything. So I think that we kind of calculated that this one would have to do phenomenally well to be able to afford the next one, so we won’t really know that for a couple weeks.
Apparently girls have been asking Robert Pattinson to bite them?
Oh yeah, that was in New York. He didn’t bite her, but actually when we were in Madrid, the reporters were asking Cam [Gigandet] and I to bite him. I don't know why, I just went ahead and did it. I was like, "Oh my God, I better learn how to hold back."
It seems like just yesterday that America’s Next Top Model — the crown jewel of Tyra Banks's burgeoning media empire — anointed the minimally plus-size Whitney Thompson as its victor. Yet here we are again, getting ready to doom another innocent girl to a year of filming "My Life As a CoverGirl" spots in front of the lip-gloss display at the local Wal-Mart. However, in a refreshing change from past cycles, none of the finalists fills us with rage, or even mild confusion: McKey, Analeigh, and Sam would all make satisfactory winners. In fact, for the first time ever, we two can't even come to the same decision as to which girl has the razor-thin edge. Nevertheless, here are our best-guess odds on how things will shake out on tonight's finale.
McKey and Analeigh: Both 2-1. Since we've barely seen their runway walks (thanks to the show's criminal lack of instruction even though the catwalk coach is on the damn judging panel), we're forced to go by appearances. This classic showdown of editorial versus commercial — the kind that makes it really easy for Miss Tyra to natter on for ten minutes about how they are polar opposites while we silently plead with her to wear longer skirts — has us split between equally plausible conclusions.
In the editorial corner there's the edgier McKey, whose quirky, toothy smile might not sell Land's End turtlenecks but is exactly what Tyra means when she says "pretty-pretty" isn't always "model-pretty." Her pictures have improved to consistent greatness, even with the hideous makeover that looks like a drunk stylist ran amok with some shoe polish and a Flowbee. Paulina lauds her regularly, her perfect score would've won the go-see challenge if she hadn't returned late, and she may in fact be Tyra's soul mate: Just as Ms. Banks loves using wretched fake accents, McKey randomly spent one entire episode delivering her interview bites in a poorly affected British tone. For all these reasons and the show's tendency to pick winners who look different season-to-season — Dani(elle) to CariDee to Jaslene to Saleisha to Whitney, for instance — Fug Girl Heather keeps picking McKey.
In the other corner is Analeigh, who oozes CoverGirl from every annoyingly invisible pore. That girl-next-door charm (appropriately aspirational for all those kids Tyra thinks she's influencing) is why Fug Girl Jessica leans her way. Tyra proclaimed Analeigh's first stab at a commercial was one of the best in ANTM history — eleven cycles in, that comment finally means something — and the finale's traditional up-the-nose beauty shots will probably flatter her angelic face more than McKey's more angular looks. Plus, Paulina's skepticism has Nigel and often Tyra leaping loudly to Analeigh's defense (Miss J's preferences are less obvious, due to being minimally coherent). And she's an ice-skater! We can just see "My Life As a CoverGirl" spots in which her makeup stays put through several double Axels.
Sam: 20-1. Poor Sam. We love her and her animated sound bites, but we don’t think she'll pull it off — in part because that personality might be too excitable and wacky for CoverGirl, which has no sense of humor about itself, and also because she generally shows up to judging dressed like she’s en route to her shift at Cinnabon and Tyra hates it when the girls don’t adhere to her definition of model-esque (jeans, tank top, heels — seriously, have these people not seen the show?). Although: Sam has taken some killer pictures. The makeup-free shot Tyra took a few weeks ago easily could be a real ad, and if the judges truly take each girl’s body of work into account, Sam might eke out an upset — especially if McKey tanks her commercial, which is a real possibility. Indeed, rather than the winner feeling predestined, it seems like both final challenges actually may turn out to mean something. Imagine that.
“I see actors in this town who make it big young. They don’t understand the word no: ‘What do you mean I can’t kill this elephant, drop it on a car, set it on fire, and then snort it?’ Well, you just can’t.” —Jon Hamm [GQ]
"Bono took me under his wing and he believed in me. When I made my protest over not getting an award at the MTV Awards a couple of years ago, and nobody wanted to hear anything from me afterwards, Bono and U2 stood by me." —Kanye West [WENN via Starpulse]
"The very simple addition of numbers would make it clear that in 50 years I will not give a shit at all. I will so not care.'" —Harrison Ford thinks it's fine if other actors carry on the Indiana Jones franchise [MTV]
"I can't do anything about their speculation. I'm not Hitler. I can't blot it out. I want people to see the film." —director Bryan Singer on early critics of Valkyrie [MTV]
"I've been wanting to get my photo changed on IMDb for a long time. I'm about six in it." —Haley Joel Osment [WENN via Starpulse]
"Mr. President needs to learn how to bake a cake. That's points for the man of the house — because I did that. I bake cakes and popcorn and cotton candy." —Snoop Dogg gives parenting advice to Barack Obama [WENN via Starpulse]
Remember the summer’s furious speculation over whether Marc Jacobs had married his boyfriend, Lorenzo Martone, in France? It may be that Lorenzo said no, or at least, not yet. After the Cinema Society screening of Milk, which tells the story of California's first openly gay elected official, Jacobs said marriage could be in his future. “I am seriously considering marriage,” he told us. Gesturing to Martone at his side, Jacobs added, “If I can get him to marry me, I would.” Jacobs claimed that this was not just a case of post-Milk pride. “I’d do it in a minute,” Jacobs insisted. He laughed when we reminded him that California is not an option. “I refuse to let anyone tell me who I can and cannot marry, and who I can and cannot love. That’s just bullshit,” said Jacobs. “Wherever we’d have to go. If he’s up for it, I’m up for it.”
What would it take for Lorenzo to say yes? “We’re just finding the right moment and the right opportunity, getting to know each other better and better, and make sure it’s the right choice,” Martone said quietly, in a soft Brazilian accent. “But we’re very … proud.”
Last night, popular hipster comedian Robin Williams turned up unannounced at New York's Upright Citizens Brigade's typically student-attended Harold Night to perform with the Bangs team (price of admission: $5). According to UCB's Charlie Todd, Williams played an out-of-work Sean Connery auditioning at a casting call for Hugh Jackman types, and an underage drinker trying to sneak past a bar's bouncer by hiding in his friend's hoodie. "He really rose to the moment," says Todd. "It was surreal to see him with his head under my friend's shirt."
A lawyer involved in the Project Runway lawsuits filed over the show's move to Lifetime says decisions about the show's fate probably won't be made until the early spring. That could make shooting the finale at February Fashion Week impossible. Insiders also say negotiations for an out-of-court settlement are not taking place, indicating parties involved in the suit (NBC, the Weinstein Co., and Lifetime) must truly hate each other. Meanwhile Bravo is racing to finish its next fashion reality competition show, now tentatively titled The Fashion Show, for which viewers instead of judges will pick the winners. [NYT]
Tyra Banks took a break from her never-ending quest to make all young women feel comfortable with their non-model figures to champion a cause that's somewhat newly close to her heart: making the world feel comfortable with transgender people. Yesterday she had her new pet, America's Next Top Model contestant Isis Tsunami, on her talk show. "The moment when I cast Isis as the first transgender finalist on America's Next Top Model was a truly powerful milestone," Tyra congratulated herself. She surprised Isis with the gift of gender-reassignment surgery from the nation's top gender-reassignment surgeon — one of the most staged surprises we've ever seen. But the part before that, where fellow finalist Clarke takes a seat on the couch to explain why Isis freaked her out so much on the show (she's Southern Baptist) was magnificent. Tyra proudly takes Isis's side and tells publicity-hungry Clarke she's a hypocrite for kissing Elina in the hot tub during truth or dare. "Clarke, why don't you just come out and say it's a really big double standard?" Tyra yells with a giant grin. Click through to watch.
We're not sure why this took so long, but Barack Obama's preferred suit maker Hart Schaffner Marx is capitalizing on the president-elect affiliation. They added a box to their homepage that reads, “Dressing Presidential. Pick Your Power Suit. President-elect Barack Obama Found His at Hart Schaffner Marx.” The company will reportedly also launch a "West Wing" collection. WWD seems to think Obama might be the face of the new line, but we think that would just be inappropriate and weird. [WWD]
• John Galliano: “Like Oscar Wilde, I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.” [WWD]
• Raf Simons is designing a spring/summer 2009 collection for Dr. Martens, which will hit stores in January. [WWD]
• Condé Nast's shopping magazine, Lucky, laid off three mid-level editors yesterday. [Fashionista]
• Terry Richardson shot French Vogue's 2009 calendar, which depicts models wearing Louis Vuitton footwear and lingerie. Now that's what we call a gift idea. [WWD]
• Lisa Perry opened a sixties-inspired, 3,000-square-foot store in Soho stocked with her $1,200 Mod dresses. [WWD]
French First Lady Carla Bruni is in the midst of a U.S. press tour to promote her new album, Comme si de rien n’était (As If Nothing Happened). You're probably thinking just what Matt Lauer was thinking when she went on the Today show this morning: Isn't it weird for a First Lady to go on a press tour to promote (gasp) an album? Unexpected, yes. Weird, no. "At the beginning I got worried that people might take it wrong because they’re not used to it," Carla said, explaining that when she met her husband a year ago, the album was already written and she didn't want to cancel her plans to record it. "For a woman these days, I think it’s important to have a job and to keep it. Not that I’m such a feminist, but you know." We know: You are such a feminist, Bruni-Sarkozy. It doesn't have to be a dirty word. Last night Carla went on Letterman and talked about her first date with Sarkozy and meeting the Queen of England and the Pope. Click through to watch.
EVENTS
• Get first dibs on Stella McCartney's spring 2009 collection at the trunk show today. Barneys, 660 Madison Ave., at 61st St. (212-826-8900, ext. 2194); 10–3.
SALES
STARTING TODAY
• Ports 1961 has samples from all seasons in sizes 0 through 14 for up to 80 percent off. Through 11/20. 601 W. 26th St., nr. Eleventh Ave., Ste. 875 (212-414-1050); Wed. (11–5), Thurs. (10–5).
• Delman's high-shaft boots are $219 (originally $595) and croc-embossed pumps are $149 (originally $295). Other fall merchandise is 60 to 70 percent off at the warehouse sale. Through 11/21. Metropolitan Pavilion. 123 W. 18th St., nr. Sixth Ave., fourth fl. (212-399-2323); Wed.–Thurs. (10–7), Fri. (10–6).
• Want Agency’s sample sale features men’s and women’s fall essentials from Acne, Nudie Jeans, and Filippa K. Through 11/20. 33 W. 26th St., nr. Broadway, fifth fl.; Wed.–Thurs. (11–8). Cash only.
• Loden Dager’s sample sale has men’s coats for $200 to $300, Scottish cashmere sweaters from $150 to $250, and other classics for 50 to 70 percent off. Through 11/20. 147 W. 29th St., nr. Seventh Ave., fifth fl. (917-723-2332); Wed.–Thurs. (noon–7).
• Cocktail dresses are $590 (originally $2,950), and contemporary dresses are $65 (originally $345) at the Sari Gueron and Sari sample sale. Other pre-fall and fall merchandise is up to 80 percent off. Through 11/20. 133 W. 25th St., nr. Sixth Ave., fourth fl. (212-792-2258); Wed.–Thurs. (11–7).
• Tocca’s friends and family sample sale has fragrances, candles, and other beauty finds starting at 45 percent off. Through 11/21. 542 W. 22nd St., nr. Eleventh Ave. (212-929-7122); Wed.–Fri. (11–7).
• Wallets are $50 to $100 (originally $185 to $245), clutches are $100 (originally $195 to $395), and handbags are $150 to $300 (originally $395 to $725) at Isabella Fiore's first-ever New York sample sale. Through 11/20. 80 W. 40th St., nr. Sixth Ave., eighth fl. (212-947-9001); Wed.–Thurs. (10–5).
• Beau Brummel’s uptown location is closing its doors, but not before taking up to 80 percent off select suits, coats, and winter knits. Ongoing. 287 Columbus Ave., nr. 73rd St. (212-877-3689); daily (11–7:30).
• Rag & Bone, YMC, Engineered Garments, and all other fall collections at Oliver Spencer are 30 percent off. Ongoing. 750 Greenwich St., at W. 11th St. (212-337-309); Mon.–Sat. (noon–8), Sun. (noon–7).
• A camel coat from Alessandro Dell'Acqua is $953 from $3,810, and a white swing dress is $455 from $1,820. Other fall 2008 men's and women's merchandise is up to 75 percent off. Through 11/21. 30 W. 57th St., nr. Sixth Ave., fourth fl. (212-388-0339); Wed. (4–8), Thurs.–Fri. (10–8).
• Yigal Azrouël's sample sale features tops and knits for $100 (originally $375), pants for $75 (originally $340), dresses for $125 (originally $565), and scarves for $50 (originally $220). Through 11/21. 225 W. 39th St., nr. Seventh Ave., seventh fl. (212-302-1194); Wed.–Thurs. (9–7), Fri. (9–4).
• Bracelets and bangles are $5 to $45 and cocktail rings are $20 to $60 at Noir’s sale. Through 11/21. 350 W. 38th St., nr. Ninth Ave. (212-244-4846); Wed.–Fri. (10–7).
• Qi's annual sample sale has contemporary knitwear marked up to 75 percent off. Find cashmere hats starting at $15 and cashmere coats starting at $100. Through 11/21. 260 W. 39th St., nr. Eighth Ave., Ste. 200 (212-239-8880); Wed.–Fri. (11–7).
• Dsquared2, Maison Martin Margiela, and Sophia Kokosalaki jackets are $200 to $800 (originally $400 to $1,200), pants are $100 to $300 (originally $200 to $400), and shirts and skirts are $100 to $200 (originally $200 to $400) at Staff USA’s sample sale. Through 11/20. 220 W.19th St., nr. Seventh Ave., tenth fl. (646-613-8457); Wed.–Thurs. (10–7).
• Scarves, handbags, and tunics from Bindya New York are 65 percent off; receive a free gift with every $50 spent. Through 11/21. 49 W. 38th St., nr. Sixth Ave., ninth fl. (212-730-8852); Wed.–Fri. (10:30–5:30).
• Filippa K’s punk-inspired jersey, knit, denim, and outwear classics for men and women are on sale, with coats for men and women. Through 11/20. 33 W. 26th St., nr. Sixth Ave, fifth fl.; Wed.–Thurs. (9–7). Cash only.
• Dresses, coats, and separates from Heikejarick are at wholesale prices. Through 11/26. 262 W. 38th St., nr. Eighth Ave., fifth fl. (212-764-0878); Mon.–Fri. (10–7), Sat. (10–6). Sun. (closed).
• Knit sweaters, dresses, and other fall and winter samples from Elizabeth Gillett are priced 30 to 80 percent off wholesale prices. Through 11/21. 242 W. 38th St., nr. Seventh Ave., ninth fl. (212-629-7993). Wed.–Fri. (10–5:30).
• Splendid, Ella Moss, Petit Bateau Kids, and Jacadi Paris have adults, kids, and infant clothing 50 to 80 percent off. Through 11/23. 2 Great Jones St., nr. Lafayette St.; Wed.–Sun. (12–7).
ENDING TODAY
• Dresses and tops by Anne Leman are 50 to 85 percent off. Though 11/19. 333 Hudson St., nr. Charlton St., fifth fl.; Mon.–Fri. (10–6).
STARTING TOMORROW
• ThreeAsFour’s sample sale has previous season’s denim from $4.44 to $44.44 and archival collection pieces for $77 to $666. Through 11/24. 77 Delancey St., at Allen St.; Thurs.–Mon. (noon–8).
• Cotélac is celebrating its first anniversary with a one-day-only sale. A gray mohair sweater is $120 (originally $200), an asymmetrical black wool coat is $375 (originally $624), and a chocolate boiled-wool dress is $207 (originally $344). 92-94 Greene St., nr. Spring St. (212-219-8065); 11–8.
• Theory women’s sample sale has outerwear, dresses, blazers, pants, tops, skirts, and sweaters starting at 60 percent off. Through 11/25. 261 W. 36th St., nr. Eighth Ave., second fl.; Thurs. (10–7), Fri. (10–6), Sat.–Sun. (10–5), Mon. (10–6), Tues. (10–7).
• Theory men’s sample sale has 60 percent off outerwear, suits, sport coats, pants, dress shirts, sweaters, and ties. Through 11/24. 139 Fifth Ave., nr. 20th St., second fl. (212-398-2777); Thurs.–Fri. (8–8), Sat.–Mon. (10–6).
• Max & Chloe's one-day sample sale features jewelry from Blu, Lana, Pade Vavra, and other designers. 122 W. 26th St., nr. Sixth Ave., Ste. 306 (646-290-6446); 4–8:30.
• Gucci Group Watches has Gucci timepieces up to 90 percent off and Bedat & Co. varieties up to 70 percent off. Through 11/21. 125. W. 18th St., nr. Sixth Ave.; Thurs.–Fri. (8–8).
• All merchandise at First Among Equals is 30 percent off during their autumn/winter sale. Find fall clothing and outerwear from Hyden Yoo, Filippa K, Corpus, Cassaves, and more. Through 12/4. 177 Orchard St., nr. Stanton St. (212-253-2202); Mon.–Fri. (1–9), Sat.–Sun. (12–8).
• What Comes Around Goes Around's biannual sample and stock sale has women's dresses starting at $75 (originally $300 to $600), men's shirts starting at $35 (originally $150 to $250), and vintage boots starting at $30. Through 11/23. 351 W. Broadway, nr. Broome St. (212-343-9303); Thurs.–Sun. (11–8).
• Steven Alan men's cotton shirt are $68 (originally $168), Gryson leather handbags are $250 (originally $700), and Demy Lee cashmere sweaters are $125 (originally $375) during the Steven Alan Showroom sample sale. Other merchandise is 30 to 75 percent off. Through 11/23. 87 Franklin St., nr. Church St. (212-219-3305); Thurs.–Fri. (8:30–8), Sat. (12–7), Sun. (12–5).
• Stripe sweaters from Cardigan by Lynne Hiriak are $88, and other items start at 50 percent off. Through 11/21. 594 Broadway, nr. Houston St., Ste. 305 (212-431-8900); Thurs.–Fri. (11–7).
• Dresses, tops, pants, bags, and accessories from Rebecca Minkoff and Nicholas K are 50 percent off. Through 11/23. 33 W. 17th St., nr. Sixth Ave.; Thurs.–Fri. (9:30–8), Sat.–Sun. (11–6).
• Chiffon cocktail dresses are $595 (originally $850), furs are $805 (originally $1150), and party dresses are $264 (originally $528) at Jill Stuart’s fall sale. Through 12/6. 100 Greene St., nr. Spring St. (212-343-2300); Mon.–Sat. (11–7), Sun. (12–6).
ENDING TOMORROW
• All three La Perla boutiques have spring 2008 underwear and fall 2008 clothing 40 to 60 percent off. Cotton bras are $86 (originally $142), lace thongs are $78 (originally $130), and a tweed pencil skirt is $495 (originally $826). Through 11/20. 803 Madison Ave., nr. 67th St. (212-570-0050); Mon.–Wed. (10–6), Thurs. (10–7), Sat. (10–6), Sun. (noon–5). 93 Greene St., nr. Prince St. (212-219-0999); Mon.–Sat. (11–7), Sun. (noon–6). 425 W. 14th St., nr. Ninth Ave. (212-242-6662); Mon.–Sat. (11–7), Sun. (noon–6).
Reuters - With stunning scenery, steamy love scenes, and an adorable Aboriginal child star, the outback epic "Australia" received largely positive reviews after its world premiere but failed to meet all the high expectations.
| World : News Archives | Business | Entertainment | Sports | Technology | Science | Marketplace Audio |
| India : News | Business | Entertainment | Sports | Telugu | |
| Blogs : Humor pages | Norkay's Blog | Kids Stories | Indian Recipes | Database Tech Blog |
| Sundries : World Video Clips | Songs Clips | Indian Video Clips | |
