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Movie review: Wizards of 'Australia' - Utica Observer Dispatch
Source: Google News - Entertainment | 26 Nov 2008 | 12:44 pm Alexis Stewart: The Un-Martha StewartMartha Stewart's daughter and her friend don't hold back on unscripted show.Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 26 Nov 2008 | 12:08 pm Holiday movies offer escape from economy's gloom
(AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 26 Nov 2008 | 11:24 am Burke crowned 'Dancing with the Stars' queen (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 26 Nov 2008 | 11:24 am Burke crowned 'Dancing with the Stars' queen
(Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 26 Nov 2008 | 6:49 am U.S. judge sentences noisy offenders to Barry ManilowNEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge has hailed as a success a new form of punishment for people who go to court for being too noisy -- an hour of listening to Barry Manilow or the theme tune...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 26 Nov 2008 | 5:13 am Senators pushing for return of equal-time rulesLOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The Fairness Doctrine, which forced broadcasters to offer equal time to both sides of controversial issues, was abolished in 1987, paving the way for talkSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 26 Nov 2008 | 5:06 am Reality rules NBC's midseason scheduleLOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - NBC announced a partial midseason schedule Tuesday that includes a heavy dose of reality and a lack of scripted dramas.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 26 Nov 2008 | 5:04 am Reality rules NBC's midseason schedule
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E! Online - Ellen DeGeneres knows how to put a possible baby-carrier in a corner.
E! Online - You might not think Ne-Yo and Barbra Streisand have many fans in common.
Remember the America's Next Top Model challenge where Tyra made the girls pose with things like tarantulas on their faces? Turns out that's a real-life modeling application, or whatever you call it. In the just-released behind-the-scenes video footage of the 2009 Pirelli calendar shoot in Botswana, which took place in May, Isabeli Fontana undergoes possibly worse bug-to-face torture with some sort of freaky giant grasshopper, and even sheds a tear mid-shoot because of the trauma. Peter Beard shot this year's calendar, which boasts an all-star model cast, including Mariacarla Boscono, Malgosia Bela, Lara Stone, and Daria Werbowy. A behind-the-scenes video on Spiegel reveals the models endured getting splashed with muddy water by full-grown elephants, clutching bird carcasses to their chests, and standing on high tree limbs all while wearing hardly more clothing than a loin cloth. The calendar isn't sold commercially but given as a corporate gift to important people, like celebrities. Click on for the disturbing footage and remind yourself why it's good not to be a model. You can view the NSFW photos that made the calendar here.
Making Of Pirelli Calendar [Spiegel Online via Jezebel]
Behind the scenes of the 2009 Pirelli calendar in Botswana [Sassybella]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: daria werbowy, isabeli fontana, lara stone, malgosia bela, model tracker, models, peter beard, pirelli calendar
Beyoncé has had us scratching our heads since she started promoting her new album. First, she glued that metal glove to her hand, then wore avant-garde looks by Gareth Pugh and Thierry Mugler that were much less fierce than bewildering. Whether you like her recent fashion choices or not, they're not going to be forgotten anytime soon. One might say she's making history! Indeed, many a diva before her has made fashion history with her wardrobe choices, from Madonna in her iconic Jean Paul Gaultier cone bra to Mariah Carey's sexpot breakout in her "Honey" video to Britney Spears's sparkly black underthings at the Video Music Awards last year. Recall a few iconic moments in diva fashion history with us in the slideshow.
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: barbra streisand, best things ever, beyonce, britney spears, cher, christina aguilera, courtney love, cyndi lauper, gwen stefani, janet jackson, jean paul gaultier, jennifer lopez, madonna, mariah carey, mia, mtv, rihanna, slideshow, tina turner, versace
HAIR
• New Bond girl Olga Kurylenko showed up to the Tokyo premiere of Quantum of Solace in a Chanel gown with cornrows but softened the look by tying the braids in a satin-ribbon bun. [Beauty Counter/Style.com]
• Messy updos are in for the holiday season. [Beauty Banter]
MAKEUP
• Makeup artist Jake Bailey of Max Factor suggests a metallic eye paired with a nude lip for a winter evening look for just enough shine without looking like a disco ball. [Beauty Girl Musings]
• Hilary Duff's makeup artist, Rachel Goodwin, says she loves to work with the starlet because she doesn't "cheapen herself" with makeup. But for her new video, she painted Duff's lips a deep, glossy red, layered gold shadow on her eyelids, and heavily lined her peepers. Logical. [We Love Beauty]
• Hello Kitty's pairing with M.A.C might be all the rage in the beauty world now, but M.A.C is also releasing a new Monogram collection, including copper hues for the lips, eyes, and face. [Musings of a Muse]
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: beauty marks, hair, hilary duff, makeup, olga kurylenko
Name: Simon Rich
Job: Writer for Saturday Night Live and some other stuff.
Age: 24
Neighborhood: Brooklyn Heights
Who's your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
Either my mom or José Reyes.
What's the best meal you've eaten in New York?
Some weird fish thing that my friend Monica made.
In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
Experience terror.
When's the last time you drove a car?
If this is about the hit-and-run on Montague and Clinton on the 14th, I already told you people, I was watching TV with my roommate Clay.
When's bedtime?
It’s up to the ladies. Am I right, New York Magazine blog?
What's your favorite medication?
Penicillin. It’s saved over 200 million lives, including my own, like, three different times. It also saved my brother’s life one time. I don’t know why you’re even asking this question when the answer is so obviously penicillin.
What's the last thing you saw on Broadway?
God's prophet, King Elijah. I couldn't believe that he was just hanging out on a public street. The really crazy thing is that, two blocks later, I ran into God's other prophet, Cronos. What are the odds?
Times, Post, or Daily News?
For quality you can trust, choose the New York Times, America's paper of record. Subscribe now and save 50 percent on your first twelve weeks of home delivery.
Who is your mortal enemy?
Count Montero Donaldo.
What's your drink?
Dr. Lincoln’s Health Tonic, for my tired blood.
Do you give money to panhandlers?
I don’t like your tone, New York Magazine blog.
Would you still live here on a $35,000 salary?
Okay, okay, I get it! I’ll start giving money to panhandlers.
How often do you prepare your own meals?
Never, because my butler does it. You happy now, New York Magazine blog??
Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?
Is the new Time Squares the one that has fewer murders? I like the one where there are less people being murdered.
How much is too much to spend on a haircut?
$40,000. That's just ridiculous; no one needs to spend more than that on a haircut.
What's hanging above your sofa?
A Caleb Beyers original! Visit his Website.
What do you think of Donald Trump?
Why, did he say something about me?
What do you hate most about living in New York?
It’s a toss-up between overcrowding on the 6 train and the constant threat of murder.
Who should be the next president?
Monica! Thanks for that fish, Monica.
Where do you go to be alone?
Book signings!
What makes someone a New Yorker?
Living in a state of unspeakable fear, but wanting to live nowhere else.
Read more posts by Vanita Salisbury
Filed Under: 21 Questions
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: biting dust, chloe sevigny, imitation of christ, scarlett johansson, tara subkoff
The Met sent a contingent, including Philippe de Montebello, president Emily Rafferty, and incoming director Thomas Campbell, who walked largely unrecognized through the crowd as De Montebello was stopped at every turn. Campbell praised the museum's "incredible objects." Isn't it the Met's competitor? "No, the kind of money they are spending, we're not competing with them." Jeff Koons, surrounded by fans at a tented buffet, said he was there looking to Islamic art for inspiration and, amid the evening's feel-good mood, was even seeing the sunny side of the recent plunge in the art market. "Life's a cycle. There will clearly be good things that come out of this for artists and some good art."
Read more posts by Alexandra Peers
Filed Under: damien hirst, emily rafferty, i.m. pei, james snyder, jean nouvel, jeff koons, museum of islamic art, phillipe de montebello, robert de niro, sandi pei, sheikh hamad bin khalifa al thani
Mayor Bloomberg braved it out onstage today beside a hand puppet and Young Frankenstein's benighted monster to make clear that — while our mass-transit system implodes and high-density new neighborhoods like Hudson Yards seem beyond our reach — New York City leads in symbolic announcements of marginal steps to avoid climate disaster. Today, Broadway theaters and shows staged a hoo-hah at the Eugene O'Neill Theater, where they promised to switch to compact fluorescent bulbs, use ecofriendly sets, and make recycling bins easier to find during intermission.
The last time the mayor bantered with an actor about his green agenda, it was to watch Arnold Schwarzenegger salute him as an "environmental warrior" on the launching of PlaNYC. Since then, the state and federal governments have blocked every city-crafted law that offers meaningful reform. When singers from current shows stepped off the bleachers to belt out a specially commissioned tune ("Yes, one person may seem weak and small-y/But all work together and, by golly..."), the friendly folks in the audience noticeably let the laugh lines pass. The mayor's environmental show must go on, but the mess at the MTA and the stall in development makes it feel ever closer to a bread and circus.
Read more posts by Alec Appelbaum
Filed Under: broadway, green, mike bloomberg, planyc, political theater
Along with the economy, the luxury market faces a major upheaval. Yes, really. Former Morgan Stanley luxury analyst Claire Kent, who is now an industry consultant, spoke in London last week at the Luxury Briefing conference (where, we imagine, attendees examine each other's summer yachting photos on their Prada phones … through monocles). The luxury market has been booming for fifteen years, but all good things must come to an end. Sound scary? Fancy this:
[Kent] pointed to “luxury fatigue” and the growing fear of debt, and said consumers would increasingly be spending more money on fewer items. As a result, “masstige and aspirational brands will suffer the most,” she told the audience, adding that the handbag bubble is bursting now. “An ‘It’ handbag will become an embarrassment — a clear sign that you don’t have your own view of fashion,” she said.
Ho ho, Upper East Siders. If you don't feel embarrassed about your money yet, you may as well start now. And eBay your Birkin bags before the rest of the world catches on to your bank account.
Fashion Scoops: CLAIRE’S CRYSTAL BALL [WWD]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: 'tis the season to be broke, barack obama, handbags, louis vuitton, trends
So guess what? It's four o'clock, and no working journalists have lost their jobs today! Well, not yet at least. Still, the horizon's looking dim for aspiring writers, as some publishing companies are freezing future book deals, and some newspaper publishers don't think six days of the week matter too much. The media deathwatch commences:
• Esquire's latest e-newsletter may have featured innovative content and the sexiest woman ever alive, but it failed to find a sponsor. [FishbowlNY/Mediabistro]
• Sam Zell, owner of the Tribune Company, home of the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, says that today's readers are pretty much only interested in a newspaper's Sunday edition. [FishbowlNY/Mediabistro]
• And since real journalists are losing their job, the Newseum, a cutely named journalism museum, has laid off 25 staffers, perhaps in honor of the media's fallen soldiers. [WP]
• Ann Moore, the Time, Inc. CEO who has practically written these layoff posts for us, what with her firing everyone and all, is, interestingly enough, being honored by the Magazine Publishers of America. [Mixed Media/Portfolio]
Read more posts by Mike Vilensky
Filed Under: ann more, books, esquire, media deathwatch, sam zell, time inc
A well-crafted piece of pop confection that debuted in the top half of Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart this week, Keith Urban’s “Sweet Thing” typifies today’s country. Working for years as a kid performer in his native Australia and later as a session guitarist in Nashville, Urban can pluck a banjo and rock a pealing electric-guitar solo (check out his cover of the Stones' "Gimme Shelter" at Live 8 with Alicia Keys) with equal aplomb, and here he calls on both talents for a sunshine-y, “do-do-do”-laden tune whose only hint of darkness comes with mention of a night with a full moon when he's “kissin' on the porch swing.” With a new baby, a beautiful wife (Nicole Kidman), and what should be — if this song is any indication — a killer pop-country record on the way, what's Urban got to cry into his beer about?
Download “Sweet Thing”: Smokin New Music
Hear it:
Read more posts by Ehren Gresehover
Filed Under: keith urban, music, right-click
It's a self-righteous showdown! Last week, Attorney General Cuomo, whose pants have been ablaze over executive bonuses this holiday season, fired off a poison-pen letter to AIG CEO Edward Liddy, formerly of Goldman Sachs, who joined the company in September after it was bailed out by the government and immediately stepped right in it with the whole spa imbroglio. Cuomo reminded Liddy that Goldman Sachs, which “received far less in federal funds than AIG,” had canceled bonuses for seven of its top executives, and asked what was AIG going to do, hmmm? “It seems hard to believe that AIG could pay significant bonuses or give raises to its executives after the company has quite literally been bailed out by the American taxpayer.”
Liddy didn't respond right away. He probably didn't want to give him the satisfaction. But then, today, he came back with guns blazing. AIG would match Goldman's seven cut bonuses, the company said. And they'd raise them a forfeited salary of a dude who wasn't even there when the really bad shit went down.
Mr. Liddy, who joined AIG on September 18, will receive an annual base salary of $1 for 2008 and 2009. His initial compensation will consist entirely of equity grants, showing his confidence in AIG and its team. He will not receive an annual bonus in those years, although he may be eligible for a special bonus for extraordinary performance payable in 2010. Mr. Liddy will not be eligible for severance payments.
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: Scenes From a Meltdown
Behold, Thanksgiving is upon us, the one holiday a year where it's a free-for-all of gluttonous behavior. And you must forgive us, but we tend to rationalize gorging, calling it "carb-harvesting" for Black Friday — after all, you do need your energy. But we're not the only ones. We asked several models if they overindulge for the holiday and whether they had any cooking tips for us. Check out who likes tacos, who hates eggnog, and who indulges in raspberry-tofu pie after the jump.
KARLIE KLOSS
• Favorite Thanksgiving food: My uncle's mash potatoes with a secret ingredient.
• Do you overindulge on the holiday? But of course. That is why Thanksgiving is the way it is in our family. I enjoy being home, the huge dinner, and the long nap afterwards.
ALI STEPHENS
• Favorite Thanksgiving food: Stuffing, but it has to be Stove Top. I don't like all the fancy kinds with nuts and raisins. My mom is the one to make the stuffing, and it only takes three minutes. All you do is follow the box!
• Do you overindulge on the holiday? Of course! I'm only 17! I don't worry about that, and shouldn’t at my age, as long as I'm healthy and active. I love exercising and playing sports. So it's easy for me to have fun and work out. I like to swim at a gym or do yoga.
CHANEL IMAN
• Cooking tips: I'm learning. But I don't know how to cook Thanksgiving food yet. I know how to cook spaghetti Bolognese, pizza, and tacos — stuff that everybody knows how to cook.
• Are you afraid of overindulging? Oh, no, not me! Because I love to eat. Actually Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love the ham, the turkey, the macaroni and cheese. We do it really big at my house – even the dessert is amazing. My mom makes the best banana pudding. The best.
LINDSAY ELLINGSON
• Favorite Thanksgiving food: My mom’s pumpkin pie with lots of whipped cream.
• Do you overindulge on the holiday? Eating well and being active is just part of my daily routine, so it’s no different for me during the holidays or non-holidays.
LIYA KEBEDE
• Cooking tips: I'm not a good cook. I don't cook a lot. But I like food, so it's kind of a weird thing. See, I don't do eggnog.
• Do you overindulge on the holiday? Not really. I don't treat it any differently.
HANA SOUKUPOVA
• Cooking tips: I cook somewhat, but I would not want to screw up Thanksgiving dinner.
• Do you overindulge on the holiday? Everybody should eat too much! You're with family and friends, you should go a little bit overboard. Just go to the gym!
ALI MICHAEL
• Favorite Thanksgiving food: I'm vegan, so I won't be partaking in the turkey, casseroles, and pie like the rest of my family. I will probably just have a simple meal of steamed greens, beans, avocado, and maybe even a little piece of raw dark chocolate.
• Do you overindulge on the holiday? Thanksgiving for me is more of a time to see my family rather than a time to look forward to eating a huge meal, but maybe once I come back to New York, I'll have a little bit of raspberry-tofu pie from Souen in celebration. It's my favorite dessert when I do have one.
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: ali michael, ali stephens, chanel iman, hana soukupova, karlie kloss, lindsay ellingson, liya kebede, model tracker, thanksgiving
In this biblical video from the artist collective Yemenwed, a protagonist named Sigrid makes her way through a slick but cozy desertlike landscape, part animated, part live, in an epic narrative in which she is at any given time a female disciple, Alice in Wonderland, Lara Croft, and a character from a Rudyard Kipling story. The soundtrack is part Battlestar Galactica, part Philip Glass. Yemenwed, in other words, has whittled down a millennium of culture into a seventeen-minute video that is quite blissful to watch. Here is a two-minute clip, but be sure to check it out in full, surround sound at Fake Estate through December 20.
Read more posts by Emma Pearse
Filed Under: art candy, video, yemenwed
Just as McCain was laughing hysterically in a press conference at the idea of running for president again, word came of Sarah Palin's latest effort to become a rallying figure for the wounded Republican Party. She will travel to Georgia (a place she probably knows as well as she knows Africa) to stump for GOP runoff candidate Saxby Chambliss. The incumbent senator beat his opponent, Jim Martin, in the election, but didn't break the necessary 50 percent of the vote to secure his seat. In a runoff, attendance is everything, so keeping conservatives energized is more important than convincing new people to vote. Obama himself won't go to Georgia, to avoid compromising his bipartisan appeals to Congress and weakening his public mandate in the face of a loss. But Palin will appear there four times.
Oh, and also, if you haven't heard, Laura Bush is shopping around a book proposal. We probably won't buy it, as we've already read American Wife, but still, we hope she earns more money than Palin does for her own rumored book. If it's anyone's turn to open her mouth and say every stupid thing that's on her mind, it's Laura Bush's, not Sarah Palin's.
Palin to Hit Campaign Trail in Georgia Senate Runoff [Talking Points Memo]
McCain Laughs Hysterically at Thought of Running Again [HuffPo]
Laura Bush confirms she's shopping a book proposal [AP]
Read more posts by Chris Rovzar
Filed Under: books, election hangover, john mccain, laura bush, politics, sarah palin, saxby chambliss
With a background in costume design from her time studying at FIT, and an eye for fifties silhouettes (with a Victorian hint tossed in), newcomer Julianna Bass has produced a collection that on mere first glance was so breathtaking that German Vogue and WWD have pronounced her an upcoming designer to watch. We couldn’t agree more and sat down to talk to her about the pressures of starting your own label, her disdain for the leggings trend, and her wacky obsession with collecting vintage pocket watches.
Your spring/summer '09 pieces have a fifties-esque feel to them. What was it about the era which you find inspiring?
I was involved in costume design during my FIT studies, so I have always been interested in different eras, in particular the 1950’s and the Victorian times, which inspire my spring/summer '09 collection. I like taking things to the extreme, playing with shape, silhouette, and volume.
Structure and silhouette are strong components of your work complete with bows and dramatic expression. Is that a reflection of your own personal style?
Yes and no. I think the dramatic element is more a reflection of my personality. My own personal style is more subdued. I am more interested in vintage pieces and vintage jewelry. If I had the guts, I would wear a vintage hat every day.
A look from Juliana's spring collection.Photo: Courtesy of Juliana Bass
What has been the most challenging aspect to setting up your own label?
Trying to pair the business side whilst maintaining a sense of creativity. People don’t realize this is a business. They think it’s a fairy tale. There is so much groundwork which goes into setting up your own label.
What trends do you like this season?
For spring, I like the mixture of vibrant colors: the bold, unexpected block of colors, and neutrals. I also liked the structured organza. I was really inspired by Giles Deacon’s collection.
What trends do you wish would just go away?
I have to say the leggings trend, which is everywhere. It is a convenient look, but it's getting old and needs to die. As for colored tights — no, no, no!
What has been the best advice you've received?
Not to let the industry get the best of you. It is a cutthroat business, so keep your integrity.
Where do you shop?
Mostly vintage stores. I love Stella Dallas, which is located near where I live in Williamsburg.
Which designers do you actually wear the most?
I have plenty of vintage Oscar de la Renta and Marc Jacobs. The piece I always end up falling back on is an Oscar de la Renta vintage silk-crêpe tuxedo blouse, which is pleated all the way down the front.
Do you have your eye on anything right now?
I covet wacky, abstract hats. I also collect vintage pocket watches. I own about six, which I ransacked a few years ago from my grandmother’s closet.
What should every woman have in her wardrobe?
A pair of oxford heels and a black pencil skirt.
What can’t you live without?
A cover-up stick for under-eye bags and Thursday-night TV!
Juliana Bass is currently carried at Forest Boutique, 242 W. 10th St., nr. Bleecker St.; 212-255-7573.
Read more posts by Davina Catt
Filed Under: FIT, Forest Boutique, juliana bass, tastemakers
The big takeaway from Baz Luhrmann’s Australia is (per the ladies) Hugh Jackman’s bare chest. At last night’s premiere, people wouldn’t shut up about it. Donna Karan was too distracted by skin to even consider the clothes. “When Hugh took off his shirt … How do you describe that as a costume?” she wondered, clearly a woman first and a designer second. Costume designer Catherine Martin's girlfriends agreed. “I said to them, ‘What are your favorite parts?’ And they go, ‘I don’t want to appear shallow … but when Hugh took his shirt off, that was a really good part.’” View our Party Lines slideshow to get more of the good parts from Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, and Mr. Jackman himself.
Read more posts by Bennett Marcus
Filed Under: australia, hugh jackman, party lines
World-saving U2 singer Bono today announced the details of his latest project and, as usual, it's not a new U2 album — it's RED(WIRE), a subscription-based digital-music service, part of the RED initiative to help buy medicine for those living with HIV/AIDS in Africa. Artists like Coldplay, Elton John, and the Killers (plus U2, obviously) will provide exclusive content to the service, which will cost users $5 per week. Weirdly, though, only an unspecified "portion" of the profits will actually go to the cause (UPDATE: According to a publicist: "HALF of each MONTHLY $5 membership fee goes directly to the Global Fund... Most of the other half goes to pay artist loyalties. What's left pays for administrative costs associated with the service"): "It's not just giving proceeds [to charity]," brags (RED) Content president Don MacKinnon to Variety. "Artists are taking far reduced rates, but we're paying artists and publishers and have created a model to make this sustainable. It becomes a great avenue for exposure."
In addition to scoring cash money for their charitable work, artists will retain the right to use their tracks after they're made available through the service, which sounds like a pretty sweet deal for them. Surely, though, these rich, world-famous bands could cough up a few B-sides to benefit charity exclusively (and not themselves), right? We can think of eight or nine tracks on the most recent U2 album alone that nobody would've missed! Also, we know the organization does something similar with (RED)-branded iPods and T-shirts, but people were buying iPods and T-shirts anyway — will they actually be more inclined to spend money on music if a sliver of their purchase goes toward AIDS research? Or does regular old CD buying already feel like enough of a charity?
(Red) bows subscription music site [Variety]
Read more posts by Lane Brown
Filed Under: (red), bono, charities, coldplay, music, the killers
Remember this summer's Dumbest Story, when some gay people in Chelsea opposed a protected bike lane on Eighth Avenue because it might make the street less, well, gay? Well, now the community board's transportation committee has voted in favor of the lane after a bunch of supporters came out of the woodwork. Not that some business owners didn't complain that the lane would make it hard for delivery drop-offs (which, in fairness, is a problem with bike lanes that has to be worked out). But of all places, isn't Eighth Avenue the one where distributors learn how to drive on both sides of the street? [Chelsea Now]
Read more posts by Tim Murphy
Filed Under: bike lanes, chelsea, gays, neighborhood watch
Today the Washington Post rated Nassau County executive Tom Suozzi as the odds-on favorite to succeed Hillary Clinton in the United States Senate when she becomes secretary of State. You may remember Suozzi as the guy who ran a quixotic Democratic primary campaign against Eliot Spitzer to be governor of New York. It was a cheery but nearly laughable effort, which Suozzi undertook because of his deep outrage at how poorly Albany has been run for the past few decades. Having launched a grassroots movement called Fix Albany, he labeled Spitzer, Assembly Majority Leader Sheldon Silver, and overspending as his foes.
If you don't remember much about Suozzi, you should read Stephen Rodrick's New York profile from 2006. Suozzi, by his own reckoning, has made a whole bunch of enemies in Albany — but that might just be his ticket to the Senate office. Now that he's more of a known quantity, Governor Paterson may want to take advantage of his talent and endless energy by sending him to Washington — and at the same time eliminating a thorny problem for the state Democratic machine. The only problem is, Suozzi may not accept. His focus has always been to reform the Empire State, and he told Rodrick in 2006 that the gubernatorial primary would be his "last campaign." When Paterson nominates someone to be the state's junior senator, he's going to want someone who is eager for plenty more campaigns.
The Next Senator from New York Is… [Fix/WP]
Related: Tom Quixote [NYM]
Read more posts by Chris Rovzar
Filed Under: albany, david paterson, early and often, election hangover, eliot spitzer, obama administration, politics, sheldon silver, tom suozzi
Canadian Addison Gill is the latest winner of the V magazine–Supreme Model Management model search, crowned yesterday on the blogs of both companies. At 16, she's got a heart-shaped face and perfect skin that are already making us envious. But it's her engulfing eyes that stand out as her best feature, reminding us of Masha Tyelna a smidge, only in a less startling way. Little is known about Gill, other than she won the Toronto-based Chantale Nadeau model-agency search when she was 14. But that's sure to change. Given that last year's winner, fellow Canadian Amanda Laine, went on to open the Alexander McQueen and Miu Miu shows in Paris her first season out, catapulting Laine into the international spotlight and a snowballing career, Gill's world is about to change as she makes her debut in the upcoming pages of V and on the catwalk this February.
Congrautlations Addison Gill! [Supreme Management]
V Have a Winner! [V Magazine]
The Fashion Spot - Addison Gill [Fashion Spot]
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: addison gill, alexander mcqueen, amanda laine, miu miu, model tracker
If your understanding of Vikings, like ours, is limited to the fact that they really love Spam, it's time to check out Brian Wood and Davide Gianfelice's epic Northlanders, a sword-and-snow comic full of blood, bone-crunching, and hot Nordic sex. As addictive as HBO's Rome — if a good bit more chilly — Northlanders tells the story of Sven, the long-disappeared son of a local king who returns to the Orkney Islands in A.D. 980, set on reclaiming his inheritance. Soon, though, he's drawn into a war — and becomes an uneasy ally to a mysterious warrior woman hidden in the mountains.
Thoroughly researched by Wood (DMZ) and totally entertaining, Northlanders: Sven the Returned is out this month from Vertigo.
Filed Under: books, brian wood, comics, northlanders, The Comics Page, vertigo
The December/January issue of French Vogue is worth splurging on. It comes with a 2009 calendar, featuring fourteen models wearing Louis Vuitton lingerie and shoes, styled by Carine Roitfeld and shot by Terry Richardson. Eniko Mihalik graces the cover as a sexy cat, Jourdan Dunn poses as a sexy nurse, and Lakshmi Menon plays a naughty bunny, as you see at left. Fashionologie has all fourteen images (warning: NSFW). [Fashionologie]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: carine roitfeld, eniko mihalik, french vogue, jourdan dunn, lakshmi menon, models, terry richardson
Oh no, Joe! Less than a month ago he was one of the most famous men in the world. But ever since he misguidedly sold his memoirs to a random Texan publisher, Joe the Plumber, né Samuel Wurzelbacher, has plummeted back to obscurity faster than a contestant on Joe Millionaire. He's skipped the reality-show circuit, the promotional work in Japan, and the cross-country party-bus tour and has gone directly to doing low-budget commercials. "This isn’t about politics," he says in the opening of a commercial for a low-budget electronics outfit, the Velocity Superstore, in which he tries to convince consumers to switch to Direct TV. "It’s about doing the right thing." He doesn't come across as particularly trustworthy — not just because of the peach fuzz he seems to have grown but because, clearly, Joe is not doing the right thing. Who's running his career, Douglas Holtz-Eakin? Also: We hope he's a member of the Screen Actors Guild. Because they're a lot tougher than the IRS.
Joe's DTV Education Corner [Velocity Store via Wonkette]
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: election, election hangover, joe the plumber, samuel wurtzelbacher
Lately, the clash between discs and streams has escalated, with Hulu, Netflix on the XBox360, and the recent announcement that even Blockbuster will begin streaming video via its new Mediapoint set-top. Now even New York's Criterion Collection has begun streaming video at its redesigned Website — with a twist. View a film for one week for five bucks — and if you love it, get five bucks off the DVD or Blu-Ray.
Read more posts by Logan Hill
Filed Under: awesome, blu-ray, dvd, hulu, movies, netflix
Last year, we raved about underground fan vidder Luminosity's brilliant video riffs on 300 and Supernatural. So this year, we asked her to pick the best fan vids of the year. "Vidders are becoming more comfortable with their tech, which allows some daring creativity, and it really shows," says Luminosity, who doesn't use her real name owing to copyright issues. "This year, I saw vidders apply the 'mash-up' concept to the video as well as the audio, and it made for some stunning work." Click for a video slideshow of her favorites, including a vid by another determined fan who can't let go of Firefly, a video that appropriately mashes up Patti Smith and Terminator's Sarah Connor, and a creepy riff on Battlestar Galactica's chief creep Gaius Baltar. Plus, a bonus video from Luminosity, the latest installment in her ongoing obsession with Supernatural.
Read more posts by Logan Hill
Filed Under: battlestar galactica, britney spears, crow, firefly, foo fighters, gaius baltar, joss wheedon, luminosity, music, patti smith, sarah connor chronicles, serenity, supernatural, the crow, tv, vidding, video, videos
The clever-clogs at Google have scanned and put up the 1918 how-to-manual Gardening in Wartime at the exact right time for our current situation: "The home garden plan of 1918 should be for the largest possible amount of food with the smallest possible amount of layout and fertilizer. Authorities agree that seed shortage is the worst they have ever seen. The supply of fertilizers and natural manures is also far below the normal." Prepare for the worst, hope for the best! [War Vegetable Garden via Boing Boing]
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: gardening, real estate, The Greatest Depression
This week, The Hills teaches us a life lesson (yet again!). You know that friend you’ve basically given up on? The one who returns one out of every five e-mails — usually with a "Hey, been soooo busy at work lately, let’s totes do something soon" — and who borrowed your favorite cocktail dress, and then didn’t return it in time for your cousin’s wedding (so you had to buy something new … in this economy)? Don’t dismiss her quite yet; she might just surprise you by volunteering when you ask for help moving (full disclosure: We’ve never been that friend). You see, last night — much to our surprise and delight — our old, oft-disappointing friend The Hills pulled through with an awesome, action-packed episode. So let’s get to it.
We open with Audrina and Chiara, and Aud immediately launches into the evening’s main drama: She heard a rumor Lauren hooked up with Justin! Granted, she heard this rumor from someone named Dino, who had to get it off his "conscious" (aw, sic). We learn that Lauren has already denied everything, but Justin won’t call her back about it. Hey, Dino: You shouldn’t try to dupe someone who’s so easily duped — bad form!
Did everyone hear that Speidi eloped this week? Doesn’t that sort of kill the "will Heidi ever realize that Spencer is the Devil" drama? Anyway, Holly — or Little Miss Traitor, as Spencer calls her — drops in at the apartment to see Heidi, but Spencer’s there instead. He says that both he and Heidi have "unloyal" sisters. Holly, in a minidress and go-go boots (why?), glares at him. She finds Heidi at work and they fight, blah, blah. The only interesting part is that Heidi lost her office in her demotion and now has to work in a cubicle. Ha! Join the club, Heid-ster. Then, as they are wont to do, Spencer and Heidi argue once again, and he gives her the thumbs-up, once again. Moving right along…
Back to the good stuff: Lauren and Lo talk about the rumor. Lauren thinks “Audrina is crazy,” (this becomes a theme), and of course, L.C. turns the whole thing against Audrina, implying she’s a bad friend for even thinking Lauren could have hooked up with J.B. In her misguided, self-righteous bitchiness, Lauren becomes very, very funny. “I couldn’t resist his charms, his manners, his impeccable hygiene … I was under the Justin Bobby spell!” she jokes. Has she been reading our recaps? Audrina comes over (in a white hat to signal surrender, perhaps?), and Lauren — with a still-visible ’stache — calls her “crazy” and “insane.” Justin Bobby finally appears, drinking Merlot and sporting a slicked-back do — dude has more looks than Madonna. “It’s not only you, Audrina, it’s affected all of us,” he says to her nonsensically. In the end, Audrina confronts Lauren while they're at a club (not a great plan, Aud), and we get the kicker of the night. “I would rather kill myself than hook up with him. He’s disgusting; Justin disgusts me,” screams Lauren. Oh. My. Goodness. That is the most awesome Hills moment of the year. “You did this, I didn’t do anything,” she continues, true to form. Audrina retorts: “You’re doing the same thing to me as you did to Heidi!” Truer words have never been spoken. Lo just sits there and watches, of course.
Next week: Lauren and Audrina continue to fight, and Spencer and Stephanie’s nana shows up! Weird.
And now, our Unequivocal Hills Reality Index:
As Real As Lauren Is Smug
• Lauren and Justin Bobby's innocence. No way did these two hook up.
• Audrina’s gullibility. She did believe the rumor — only someone as blinded by love as Audrina could think her best friend wanted her scrubby boyfriend.
• Lo’s visible enjoyment of Lauren’s shit-talking. You know she was like, "Yes, finally!"
As Fake As Heidi’s Oddly Crimped Hair
• The rumor being planted by someone named Dino: That’s definitely some sort of secret acronym for a meddling MTV producer.
• Heidi/Holly/Spencer. Sigh. Will someone please recap these parts for us from now on?
• Lauren’s assertion that this situation is the last straw in her friendship with Audrina. Yeah, right. She’s been trying to get out for years.
Read more posts by Emma Rosenblum
Filed Under: audrina patridge, head for the hills, heidi montag, lauren conrad, mtv, reality television, spencer pratt, the hills
AP - "One Night Stands and Lost Weekends" (HarperCollins, 384 pages, $14.95), by Lawrence Block: Beware the book whose author admits in the introduction he's afraid to read the stories that follow:
"George Clooney rang me at two in the morning. I was half asleep and I said to him, 'Ah, George sweetie, good to hear from you.' He goes, "Shut up, Jackman! I know what you did! You started this big campaign that's been going on and [you] took the title away from me.'" —Hugh Jackman on being hazed by former Sexiest Man Alive George Clooney [People]
"There's a whole secret society. We drink the blood of TV executives' children." —Shawn Ryan on the community of showrunners in Hollywood [A.V. Club]
"She was literally the most fabulous woman that I've ever worked with." —Alec Baldwin on Salma Hayek [People]
"This kid is going to be interesting. I think it's going to rebel against me and end up being an accountant." —M.I.A. [Pop & Hiss/LAT]
"We tried again and the first writer came in with a song called 'T-Shirt.' I said, 'What is that?' She said, 'You look good in a T-shirt, I can't wait for you to take it off.'" —Tom Jones on his new album [LAT]
"I remember going to the MTV Video Music Awards with Anthony Michael Hall and David Lee Roth, driving down Fifth Avenue in a convertible Studebaker. David was wearing white gloves and tails. I was like, 'Dude, is it ever going to get more modern than this?'" —Robert Downey Jr. [MTV]
Read more posts by Stan Park
Filed Under: alec baldwin, george clooney, hugh jackman, m.i.a., quote machine, robert downey jr., shawn ryan, tom jones
It's no secret that — following last fall's show-depleting writers' strike and the recent apparent cancellation of Lipstick Jungle and My Own Worst Enemy — NBC's spring prime-time lineup will include nightly infomercials and hour-long stretches of dead air. But what else will they broadcast? According to Rainn Wilson, dastardly network wunderkind (and Vulture hero) Ben Silverman is forcing him and his Office castmates to pick up the slack: "The Office is keeping me pretty busy," he tells OK! magazine, presumably while doubled over and panting. "We just shot 13 episodes in 17 weeks … Most TV shows make 22 episodes in a year — so we made that in just over three months."
"It's NBC and their lack of programming," continued an hilariously candid Wilson, who is apparently so stressed out that he didn't care if word of this interview reached his improbably eyebrowed network overlord. "They're milking their golden goose, to mix a couple of metaphors." And if Dunder Mifflin's top paper salesman is already cracking under the pressure, how are his less formidable co-workers coping? And which Office cast member will succumb to exhaustion first? Can somebody check on Mindy Kaling?
The Office Stars Are Working Overtime [OK!]
Read more posts by Lane Brown
Filed Under: ben silverman, nbc, the office, tv
AP - Ludacris "Theater of the Mind" (Island Def Jam)
So the promos did not lie: The eclipse that promised to strip our beloved superpowered folks of their abilities does come, and does strip them of their abilities. This leads to several amusing moments where our heroes go through the usual mannerisms to induce their powers, but to no avail. Sylar flips his hand. Hiro squints real hard. Nathan tries to fly and just falls in the river.
And the heroes almost all become more interesting. (Not Mohinder. He will always be deathly dull.) Sylar becomes more impulsive, macking on Elle, unaware that Noah is aiming a rifle at his head. (If Sylar isn’t shot, this pairing has potential.) The Petrelli brothers sweep away the haze of banality and have a sibling tiff. Claire is able to be shot and bleed, which makes her happy, and us too. (Maybe she will finally die.) Unfortunately, Hiro still thinks he’s 10 years old, which would be a ridiculous plot development if he were in fact acting any differently.
We assume the powers are gone only temporarily, lest the show turn into Gary Unmarried. (This episode is actually the first of two parts; the previews imply the next one will exclusively feature Claire in the ER. Which is fine.) In the meantime, there's only one thing to be done: Bring in Seth Green! Yep, Green, along with the less interesting Breckin Meyer, pops up as a co-owner of a comic-book store in Lawrence, Kansas. (Wackiness will surely ensue.) Is it a bad sign that Seth Green and Breckin Meyer are thought to breathe new life into the show? We’d have to go with yes.
Read more posts by Will Leitch
Filed Under: breckin meyer, gimmicks, heroes, overnights, seth green, tv
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A year after her very public meltdown, Britney is back to work and
out of trouble. But what has the comeback cost her? There's an understanding among those who know Britney well: When she's blond, she's happy. When she's brunette, she's sad. When she's pink, she's crazy. Her hair was back to glowing and golden this fall, when she spent her time diligently shuttling back and forth from her Beverly Hills mansion to dance rehearsals and video shoots and recording studios, in preparation for her new album, Circus. It was a complete transformation, following a year in which she spent a month in rehab, endured a... |
They tried to make her go to the doctor, and she said, "yes, yes, yes."
Grammy-winning singer Amy Winehouse has checked back into a London hospital, her second stay in less than...
The release of Britney Spears' Circus is coming to town in just one week, but you don't have to wait that long to hear it (legally, we mean). The folks at imeem are streaming the disc, and...
AP - The size difference between Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon isn't the only thing keeping them apart in "Four Christmases."
AP - Gus Van Sant has spent the past few years making dreamy, amorphous meditations on life and death that seemingly were intended for his hardcore fans, himself, and no one else.
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