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Recession puts economic shine on movie comedies (Reuters)Reuters - With the U.S. economy slogging through a recession, Hollywood expects comedies to rule the box office as moviegoers try to escape their woes.Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 5 Dec 2008 | 1:13 pm Publishing house Bloomsbury acquires Wisden (AP)AP - Bloomsbury Publishing PLC announced Friday it had acquired John Wisden & Co., publisher of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 5 Dec 2008 | 1:13 pm French football star reaches huge divorce settlement: report (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 5 Dec 2008 | 1:09 pm Guitarist Satriani accuses Coldplay of plagiarism (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 5 Dec 2008 | 1:04 pm Hudson Breaks Silence, Speaks About GrammysJennifer Hudson, in seclusion since family murders, says she's honored by nods.Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 5 Dec 2008 | 12:55 pm Partying Like LiLo & Paris ... at the Office'Tis the season for holiday office parties, and the horror stories they breed.Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 5 Dec 2008 | 12:54 pm Avery meets with Bettman, awaits suspension length (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 5 Dec 2008 | 12:53 pm Viacom to cut 850 jobs in response to downturn (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 5 Dec 2008 | 12:42 pm Boy George guilty of false imprisonment (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 5 Dec 2008 | 12:40 pm Why Was Mark Ruffalo's Brother Shot?Police seek two in shooting and actor's hairdresser brother clings to life.Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 5 Dec 2008 | 12:37 pm Gai Mattiolo arrested for alleged bankruptcy fraud
Source: Best Week Ever | 5 Dec 2008 | 9:17 am 'Punisher: War Zone's' secret weapon: Director Lexi Alexander - New York Daily News
Source: Google News - Entertainment | 5 Dec 2008 | 9:15 am Clint Eastwood's 'dysfunctional' love Clint Eastwood loves his "dysfunctional family", despite having his seventh child at the age of 66. The Oscar-winning director - who has seven children with four different women - has learned to accept his unusual private life. Clint, who is married to journalist Dina Ruiz, said: "I love my dysfunctional family. Dina fell pregnant on our honeymoon. After a few weeks, she said she felt a little nausea. "She asked me to stop at a gas station so she could buy one of those sticks. She came back and said, 'We're pregnant.' At least nobody stood there with a shotgun when we got married!" Clint, now 78, also revealed he has no intention of retiring because he still has a huge amount of interest in the movie industry. He added to Parade magazine: "I just ran into a guy a little younger than me. He says, 'I'm going to retire.' I say, 'Wait for me. Keep going.' Everybody in my generation, once you get in the seventh decade, they go, 'Well, what the hell. I'm on bonus time!' But no, I would never want to give it up. Never would." Source Source: Lepaparazzi - Celebrity News and Gossip Blog | 5 Dec 2008 | 8:50 am Runway judge Britney Spears Heidi Klum wants Britney Spears to be a judge on 'Project Runway'. The supermodel - who hosts the hit US TV fashion show - reportedly thinks an appearance from Britney would dramatically increase the programme's popularity. After meeting up with Britney at her 27th birthday party in New York's Tenjune nightclub this week, sources say Heidi is keen to ask the singer to appear on an upcoming episode of the series, which sees keen fashion designers compete to win a contract with a leading fashion store. A source said: "Heidi is smart - she knows that Britney can do wonders for a show's ratings, there's been a lot of drama at 'Project Runway' - it would be huge for her to get Britney." Previous guest judges on the show include Sarah Jessica Parker, Natalie Portman and Victoria Beckham. Jennifer Lopez was also scheduled to judge an episode of the series, but pulled out after reportedly injuring her foot. Source Source: Lepaparazzi - Celebrity News and Gossip Blog | 5 Dec 2008 | 8:44 am Pamela Anderson's Tommy romance Pamela Anderson is planning a "romantic" New Year's Eve with her ex-husband Tommy Lee. The former 'Baywatch' actress - who has two sons, Brandon, 12, and 10-year-old Dylan, with the Motley Crue rocker - is looking forward to the pair's intimate celebration on December 31. Pamela, who posted a naked magazine cover shot of her and Tommy, wrote on her official blog: "We are spending new years together in Montreal. How romantic." Pamela moved back in with Tommy earlier this year and, despite describing them as an "old married couple", she insisted they weren't having sex. "So, yes, I'm homeless and living with my ex-husband. We're like an old married couple - we're living together but not having sex." Pammie and Tommy married in February 1995 in a beachside ceremony, after only knowing each other for 96 hours. The pair divorced in 1998, after Tommy was arrested and charged with spousal abuse. He was later sentenced to six months in jail.Since the divorce they have rekindled their relationship several times. Source Source: Lepaparazzi - Celebrity News and Gossip Blog | 5 Dec 2008 | 8:41 am Jealous killer William Balfour Jennifer Hudson's brother-in-law allegedly killed the actress' mother, brother and nephew in a jealous rage. William Balfour - who was officially charged with murdering Darnell Donerson Hudson, Jason Hudson and seven-year-old Julian King on Tuesday (02.12.08) - is said to have been overcome with envy after seeing Julia, Jennifer's sister, receive a birthday present from her new boyfriend. Prosecutor LuAnn Snow told a Chicago court yesterday (03.12.08) that William had arrived unannounced to Julia's workplace in early October to confront her about rumours she was seeing another man. Speaking after the hearing, Snow added: "He told her at the time that her family would suffer if she saw other men." However, Julia did not take Balfour's intimidation seriously as he "had not followed through on any of those threats" before. Snow also claimed Balfour had stolen the gun from Jason Hudson in the summer, and then used it to shoot him. Reading from a legal document, Snow told the court: "Defendant then entered the home at gunpoint. He shot Darnell Donerson several times while she was in the living room area. He then went into Jason Hudson's bedroom, where he was in bed, and shot him two times in the head. Defendant shot Julian King in the head while the seven-year-old was laying behind the front seat of the white SUV (sports utility vehicle)."Balfour's attorney Joshua Kutnick maintains his client is innocent of the three charges of first-degree murder and one of home invasion, despite police insisting they have physical evidence linking him to the crime.Balfour, who was denied bail yesterday, is next scheduled to appear in court on December 30. Source Source: Lepaparazzi - Celebrity News and Gossip Blog | 5 Dec 2008 | 8:38 am OJ Simpson faces 6 years to life at sentencing - The Associated Press
Source: Google News - Entertainment | 5 Dec 2008 | 8:30 am What's age got to do with it? Tina Turner still terrificNEW YORK (Billboard) - There's always been something larger than life about Tina Turner, but sometimes these realizations don't actually hit home until one sees the R&B dynamo suspendedSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 5 Dec 2008 | 8:20 am What's age got to do with it? Tina Turner still terrific (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 5 Dec 2008 | 8:20 am "Secret Millionaire" predictably manipulative (Reuters)Reuters - One way to describe Fox's "Secret Millionaire" is to call it "Lifestyles of the Poor and Anonymous."Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 5 Dec 2008 | 8:16 am Nothing "Nobel" about pretentious thriller
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AP - The first NFL game broadcast to theaters live in 3-D fumbled, then recovered Thursday night.
E! Online - Another Dixie Chicks cause, another angry reaction.
Reuters - So now we know what became of Dirty Harry.
Is Tina Fey getting uncomfortable with fame?
If we were armchair psychologists—and we are!—we'd wonder if there was some Fey-related subtext in tonight's episode of...
Another Dixie Chicks cause, another angry reaction.
A man whose 8-year-old stepson was killed in 1993 has sued all three members of the country-pop group for defamation, singling out...
After a week off so that us Yanks could celebrate Turkey Day, the game continued Thursday on Survivor: Gabon with a few puzzles, a slog through a swamp, a little trivia and a nice surprise...
Beverly Hills police announced Thursday that two "persons of interest" have been identified in their investigation into the shooting of Mark Ruffalo's younger brother, 39-year-old...
I heard that Miley Cyrus is divorcing her parents—is that true? I didn't know a kid could do such a thing.
—Helen, Leeds
First, let's dispense with the...Earlier: Man Girdles Are All the Rage
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: body issues, mirdles, spanx, underwear
Ding, dong, the witch is so not dead.
Sources confirm to me that Gossip Girl producers are actively planning to bring back Michelle Trachtenberg's delightfully wicked Georgina...
While debates continue to linger as to exactly how golden of a television age we're living in, most would agree that there are a lot of fiercely intelligent and creative people who have chosen the medium of television as their preferred canvas. Names like Matthew Weiner, Tina Fey, and J.J. Abrams all spring to mind as being at or near the top of the list of master practitioners of the scripted side of the craft, and reality fans could certainly put together a noble argument for the inclusion of maestros like Mark Burnett or production companies like Magical Elves and 51 Minds. However, Entertainment Weekly's proclamation in this week's issue that Seth MacFarlane — yes, that same Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy and American Dad fame — is the "Smartest Person on Television" nearly sent the entertainment world spinning off its axis. Especially when you consider MacFarlane's incredibly rocky relationship with both the magazine and its lead television critic, Ken Tucker, over the years. How rocky, exactly? Well, there was that one episode of Family Guy where Stewie wiped his ass with a copy of Entertainment Weekly instead of squeezable Charmin, declaring, "Well, that's one problem solved."
The hilariously ugly beef between the mag and MacFarlane began when Ken Tucker branded Family Guy as "The Simpsons as conceived by a singularly sophomoric mind that lacks any reference point beyond other TV shows" when it debuted in 1999. He went on to follow up that gem of a slam by naming the show the worst of that year ("Racist, anti-Semitic, and AIDS jokes; shoddy animation; stolen ideas: the cartoon as vile swill"). From there, MacFarlane went on the offensive; not only did the aforementioned gag make it on air, but in the direct-to-DVD release of Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, Stewie breaks the neck of an unnamed EW reporter that most assumed to be Tucker. MacFarlane also confessed that another Tucker jab that had Peter Griffin turning to the camera to say "Up yours, Ken Tucker" was ultimately left on the cutting-room floor.
So, with such a contentious relationship, how on earth did EW arrive at the conclusion that MacFarlane is television's brightest shining star? Well, their position seems almost entirely staked on the size of his paycheck:
That frat-boy persona is only a cover. MacFarlane earns the $100 million that Fox is paying him to keep Family Guy and American Dad on Sundays through 2012, especially when you consider that Family Guy DVDs and merchandise have pulled in a reported $1 billion for 20th Century Fox. The apple-faced prankster secured a full-season order for a Guy spin-off called The Cleveland Show, and he still manages to find time to shoot his Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy Web shorts (and animated ads) for a separate deal with Google. With Guy reruns airing approximately 20 hours a week on various networks, it's no wonder MacFarlane is now the highest-paid writer in TV.
Hmmm, okay. Feeling thoroughly unsatisfied with that rationale, Vulture reached out to none other than Ken Tucker himself to see if he could help shed any light on the situation. He quickly got back to us with this answer: "My on-the-record response? No comment." Well, then, there you have it!
'EW' declares MacFarlane the smartest person in TV [USAT]
Read more posts by Mark Graham
Filed Under: Beef, Entertainment Weekly, Family Guy, Ken Tucker, Seth MacFarlane, Television
Pantone, the "global authority on color," has selected Mimosa as the color of the year for 2009. Mimosa, as in orange-hued yellow. Not black to symbolize the dismal housing market, ongoing war in Iraq, and perils of global warming. Not beige to represent the hesitation with which fashion designers are creating their collections, fearful that shoppers won't buy anything that's too out there. But yellow. Searingly sanguine yellow. Mimosa "represents hope and optimism — buzzwords for the new year after a 2008 full of instability and upheaval," reports British Vogue.
"The colour yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance," Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, tells MARKETWATCH.COM. "Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation."
As much as our cynical blogging selves want to rally against choosing a color the world does not feel on the inside right now, we have to hand it to Pantone — they are embracing a year of change. Still, we'll probably stick to drinking our mimosas rather than wearing them.
The Colour Yellow [British Vogue]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: nonsense, pantone
• Nicole Richie is reportedly pretty stoked Benji and Paris are finally dunzo. She's been telling Benji how he "deserves better." We can already tell you...
The Hills' Lauren Conrad and Maggie Grace both opted for a basic sheath and pumps for recent red carpet events.
And while their neutral dresses are a little dull for our taste,...
Before New York took up her cause last year, former 30 Rock star Rachel Dratch was having trouble finding work. And now, if the economy gets any worse, she may be the only one left with a job — and maybe even one on Broadway! "I'm in a musical," she told us last night at a party for HBO's Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven documentary. "But don't spin this like 'poor Rachel finally got a job.'" (We'd never!) "I'm in this musical called Minsky's that's going to L.A., and then it's hopefully going to Broadway," said Dratch. "It's by the writer who did The Drowsy Chaperone. And the music's by Charles Strouse, who wrote Annie! He's like 80, and he's fit as a fiddle. And he's at the rehearsal — I got to go up to him and say I used to dance around to Annie in my living room. He was very nice and gracious and said, 'It's so great to touch someone's life.'"
Dratch says she sings in the show, which is loosely based on the 1968 movie The Night They Raided Minsky's. "It's about a burlesque club the cops are trying to shut down. It's different than Annie. It has crazy burlesque dancing and clever dance numbers. I'm not in them, I just watch. You'll see. Hopefully it'll come to Broadway." She'll certainly have her pick of empty theaters!
Related: Unemployment’s a Downer for ‘SNL’-er Dratch [NYM]
Read more posts by Diana Scholl
Filed Under: annie, broadway, minsky's, news reel, rachel dratch
News flash: The Hills isn't telling you the whole story about what goes down behind the scenes at fashion PR companies. Kind of like how shots of the president walking across the White House lawn don't tell you the whole story about what goes on in the Oval Office. Enter Kelly Cutrone. She might be on The Hills now, but she won't be forever. Nor will she be on Whitney Port's new spinoff, The City. As she told us during Fashion Week, she's working on her own show. Today, the New York Post reveals ex–Project Runway producers the Magical Elves are working on it, which is a highly promising beginning. Cutrone tells the Post:
"We're working on a show together that's going to showcase the nitty-gritty side of fashion publicity … Think of it as 'The Wizard of Oz' meets Stephen King meets 'Rhoda.' I'm really sure we're gonna be the first p.r. company to be on TV that showcases what really goes down."
So, if we understand Cutrone correctly, the Wicked Witch of Fashion turns out to be a scary clown that wants to tear one's face off, yet give you life advice about how to make it as a single girl living in the city? Genius!
ELVES MOVE ON [NYP]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: head for the hills, kelly cutrone, magical elves, project runway, reality tv, the hills
Poverty is always cycling in and out of fashion, and after a long spell of it being decidedly out, pauvre chic is, thanks to the recession, totally back. And it's already hit the suburbs! And Vanity Fair: “I was at the Food Emporium in Bedford [in Westchester County] yesterday, using my Food Emporium discount card,” a Greenwich woman tells the magazine. “The well-dressed wife of a Wall Street guy was standing behind me. She asked me how to get one. Then she said, ‘Have you ever used coupons?’ I said, ‘Sure, maybe not lately, but sure.’ She said, ‘It’s all the rage now — where do you get them?’” [VF]
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: common people, Styles of the Greatest Depression
Yesterday, books took a beating. Today, it's television's Black Thursday, with cuts at major news and entertainment channels. And more eras are coming to a close: Your favorite V.J. may no longer want his MTV (or they no longer want him), and your old media op-editorialist maxes out at 140 characters. Alack:
• Cox Enterprises, which shut down its D.C. bureau yesterday, has announced more changes: It's merging its newspaper, television, and radio divisions into one big mixed-media conglomerate called Cox Media Group, Inc. Cox Radio's Neil Johnson will become the Media Group's CFO, and job cuts are expected. [BizJournals]
• Donnie Deutsch's CNBC show, The Big Idea, has been shelved — though spokespeople say it's only temporary, because the economy isn't in the right mood for a show about entrepreneurialism. [Jossip]
• NBC Universal is planning on cutting 500 jobs. The layoffs are already under way at the NBC News bureaus in Dallas and Burbank, with news correspondent Don Teague and Dateline's Mark Mullen among the laid-off. There are to be a rumored 80 jobs lost at CNBC alone. The cuts are part of a company initiative to cut $500 million from its budget. [TV Newser/Mediabistro]
• The Gannett media group, which has already laid off staffers at its most popular paper, USA Today, and now at the Arizona Republic, is continuing a round of layoffs throughout the company, and approaching its 1,800th layoff. But at least its own blog is on the story. [Gannett]
• CNN, though ranked No. 1 on a list of super-successful online media groups today, laid off correspondents and six producers from its science, space, and technology units, including sixteen-year veteran Miles O'Brien. The company wants to integrate those divisions into its news department, so it's spinning the cuts as an editorial decision. [Mixed Media/Portfolio]
• Nicholas Kristof has started twittering. New media wins. [Twitter]
Read more posts by Mike Vilensky
Filed Under: cnbc, cnn, cox newspapers, donnie deutsch, gannett, media deathwatch, mtv, nbc universal, new york times
The British Fashion Council has awarded Christopher Kane, Marios Schwab, and Erdem with the Fashion Forward initiative. The designers will receive a good chunk of cash to put on runway shows at London Fashion Week and guidance in growing their businesses. This is the second consecutive year all three designers have won the award. Are there no new designers to help out? [British Vogue]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: awards, british fashion council, christopher kane, erdem, fashion forward, london fashion week, marios schwab
Here in Miami, a small sign in the art-fair booth of the Coplan Gallery, a local photo gallery, says it all “20% discount … Five for $12,000.” It’s Kmart special time at Art Basel Miami and its satellite fairs. With collectors being “outright ruthless” in their negotiating, complains one dealer sourly, and sellers in a mood to comply, it’s all about markdowns and modest expectations. Art worlders who believe “Go big or go home” didn’t come this year (Gavin Brown is noticeably absent).
At many booths, $30,000 seems to be a magic number, as if all the art dealers in the world had met secretly at Sant Ambroeus to decide that would be the starting price point of the year for wealthy collectors. A Zurich gallery is offering Karl Lagerfeld’s photographs of Jeff Koons and his exhibition at Versailles for $30,000 at the main fair. At rival Art Miami, large Ellsworth Kelly prints are popular in that price range. For $30,000, collectors can buy one of 100 huge, gleaming cobalt-blue bubbles by leading Chinese contemporary artist Ai Wei Wei.
The artist, lounging at the main fair, says he was commissioned by a real-estate developer to place 100 of them on nearby Watson Island to showcase the property’s view. Two years ago, when he began the project, he chose the material because it was luxurious: “In ancient times,” high-quality porcelain was made for the emperor” but — now he's just glad that more people can afford the work.
One of the sleeper hits has been an art show for charity at the Ritz-Carlton on Collins Avenue which offers small anonymous works by artists, celebrities, and students for $50. Only after buyers pick do they find out who they got. More than 300 sold in a couple of hours. And Miami pioneer art dealer Diana Lowenstein, who opened twenty years ago, this year is offering three exhibitions, one featuring all artworks priced at $999 — her gallery was packed.
Read more posts by Alexandra Peers
Filed Under: art, art basel miami, basel blog
Liza Minnelli is back in New York for a show at the Palace, and did she bring a lot of obsessive fans with her! Our ace reporter Tim Murphy found some familiar faces (oldish, gayish) at the show but also Liza lovers from as far away as São Palo. Watch the video to see what happens when Tim tries to get into Liza's dressing room.
Read more posts by Tim Murphy
Filed Under: fans, liza minnelli, videos
This is something we think about sometimes: Where do presidents go to live when they leave the White House? Can they really go back to their old neighborhoods and, like, hang out with the old gang? Or do they forever have to talk to brokers using terms like "perimeter"? Well, now we have at least one more answer: George and Laura Bush put down an estimated $2 million on a lovely home in Dallas's Preston Hollow neighborhood. [Morning News]
Read more posts by Chris Rovzar
Filed Under: election hangover, george bush, laura bush, politics, real estate, texas
HAIR
• The drug Lumigan is usually used to treat glaucoma; however, it also makes eyelashes longer and fuller. So now the drug company is trying to get the drug to pass for a cosmetic-enhancement option, even for people without glaucoma. [MSNBC]
• Diane Kruger is a big fan of the ballerina bun, be it messy or tight. [BellaSugar]
• Editors at Lucky suggest that your hair can be straight only when it's completely dry. Brilliant. [Beauty Department/Lucky]
FRAGRANCE
• Parfums Azzaro will launch Twin, a duo of scents shaped like a yin yang with the white bottle for women and the black bottle for men. Perfumer Annick Ménardo created the women's scent with top notes of rose and peach, while Michel Almairac created the men's scent with top notes of bergamot and green apple. [WWD]
SKIN
• Some men use shampoo to wash their body, says one dermatologist. And that's a no-no — it strips your skin of oils, since shampoo is designed for oily hair. So, men: Don't be lazy. Buy soap. [Dermatology Blog]
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: beauty marks, diane kruger, fragrance, hair, skin
-- Ariane? Really, Today Show? Maybe she really has turned it around, but I've never seen anyone start out a Top Chef season so badly then end up actually being good. It's like getting new co-worker and finding out they're incompetent in the first week; they never just randomly become awesome, smart workers after four weeks. I'm confused.
-- Jamie ended up in the bottom three but survived, meaning that all three Team Rainbow members were almost eliminated after only four episodes. As pointlessly nicknamed groups of humans go, even the Brat Pack didn't fare that poorly.
-- Rocco DiSpirito seemed surprisingly subdued and rational on the episode, but I couldn't believe when he gave Leah a copy of his own book as the prize for winning the Quickfire. That's not a gift, that's rewarding someone by doing more self-promotion. That'd be like me going "Merry Christmas Aunt Patty, here's a link to my 300 Rapper Names post! Send it around at work!"
-- What the f*cking sh*t was that one-minute interstitial with Leah and Hosea sitting on each others' laps? A friend of mine (accurately) suggested that Bravo is trying to slip in some clips to stop people from completely fast-forwarding through commercial breaks when they watch the episodes on DVR, but that's no excuse for us ever needing to see those two chefs climbing on each other like turtles in a tiny Kindergarten classroom cage.
-- Alex made a valiant effort to complete a crème brûlée in just sixty minutes, but as you can see from his plate, he came up a bit short:
-- When Alex said to the judges "I thought I had a good idea, I was just short on time," two people in the room with me both simultaneously yelled out "...and short on pants!" I like my friends a little more today.
-- I'm not usually as prophetic with Top Chef as I like to make myself appear in these recaps, but when Alex said "I feel like making a dessert is an easy way to get through to the next round," I immediately said out loud (for no other reason than to get the prediction on the record) "That is exactly the kind of sound byte Bravo would make sure to air right before someone is eliminated. He's definitely gone." I also predicted that Padma would not have a heart attack on this episode, so I was two-for-two. I am awesome.
-- I can't think of anything that would be more angering to a chef than watching Kathie Lee Gifford spit out your food. Maybe, like, seeing Carrot Top piss on your food. Even that might not be as bad.
-- In my "Judging Contestants By Their Looks" Season 5 preview, I referred to Daniel as "Guy Who Lost Already," but he's still alive and looking strong after five weeks, even though he's constantly out of breath whenever he does anything. He reminds be of Rocky the Fish from TV Funhouse. Anyone?
Once the poster boy for sixties depravity, Dennis Hopper has now become the very image of responsible boomerdom. Literally: These days Hopper can be found on your TV, touting retirement planning as the spokesman for Ameriprise. But the legendary actor is in the midst of a career resurgence as well: He recently played an aging adulterer in the critical hit Elegy, starring Penélope Cruz and Sir Ben Kingsley, and can be seen on TV in the new series Crash. In the meantime, his artwork is on display in a major retrospective in Paris. Don’t sneer: Hopper has been a photographer and painter for as long as he’s been an actor. And that’s a really long time: Hopper got his start at age 18 appearing alongside James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. Oh, and did we mention he directed Easy Rider? Hopper, who will also be appearing for an evening of clips and conversation with Julian Schnabel at the Museum of the Moving Image tonight, took some time out to reminisce with Vulture about the beginning of independent film, competing with James Dean, and all the terrible lies people tell about him.
So Elegy got great reviews. How did you get involved with it?
I’m not really sure, to be honest with you. (Laughs.) I’m a Phillip Roth fan, and I enjoyed the script. Honestly, I haven’t worked with a script this good in a long time. And Isabel [Coixet] is a great director. She puts on a bungee cord and operates her own camera, and just makes it really comfortable to work with her.
Next year will be the 40th anniversary of Easy Rider. How are you planning to celebrate it?
I shot a lot of the movie in Taos, New Mexico, and lived there for fifteen years, so they’re having a summer of love, celebrating Easy Rider. I’ll be there; I’m having an art show at the museum. My brother lives there, too.
Speaking of your art: Is it difficult to be taken seriously as an artist when you’re known for something else — especially acting?
Yeah, it’s been very difficult. Being an actor, you’re always suspected of … well, acting. (Laughs.) They think you’re just pretending to be an artist, in this weird way. It was especially difficult when I was younger, trying to get shows. I mean, I’m a middle-class farm boy from Kansas. I just wanted to know which way the trains were going and how I was going to get out of the Dust Bowl. But I’ve gotten past it. I once did a show at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Thomas Krens, who was the head of the Guggenheim at the time, asked me, How does it feel to be the biggest artist in Russia while nobody knows you in the United States?”
And there’s a huge retrospective of your work at the Cinematheque Francaise in Paris, currently.
Yeah, it’s amazing. They worked on it for three and a half years, it’s the whole fifth floor of the Frank Gehry building on the Seine River. You walk through and you see the things I was doing — TV, movies — at every part of my career, while you’re also seeing part of my art collection. And alongside you see the political things that were happening in the country — the Kennedy assassinations, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and the last thing is Obama running for president.
It sounds like it’s easier for you to be taken seriously as an artist outside America.
Europe loves a bad story. The fact that I stopped making films, that I had a huge hit with Easy Rider and then made The Last Movie, which won the big award at the Venice Film Festival and then flopped in the US — that sort of thing resonates with, particularly, the French. It’s like when rock and roll took over the airwaves in the U.S., all these jazz musicians went to Europe and were treated like royalty. That’s the way I felt.
Another film of yours that’s on the verge of having a resurgence is Curtis Harrington’s amazing Night Tide (1961).
That was a wonderful, wonderful film. We made that film for $28,000. It was on Time Magazine’s Ten Best Films to see the year it was distributed — or more accurately, the year it wasn’t distributed. We couldn’t get anyone to show the film, because we didn’t have the union logo on our film, which meant we didn’t have approval. We couldn’t get a theater. So that was the beginning of the independent cinema movement in this country.
I read that the death of James Dean affected you greatly. Did you know him well?
He only made three movies, and I was in the last two with him, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant. So we were together five days a week during those times. I was 18, he was 24. He was going out with Ursula Andress and Pier Angeli and he was madly in love with them, so he had his own social life. I had just come off doing Shakespeare in San Diego, and I was all about line readings and preconceived ideas. When I saw Jimmy, I suddenly saw improvisation for the first time. He was doing things that weren’t written on the page. My God, where was this coming from?
One day I threw him into the car and said, “I thought I was the best young actor around, and then I saw you. What are you doing?” So we talked for a while. I said maybe I should go back and study with Lee Strasberg, and he said, “No, you’ll be fine. Just start doing things and not showing, don’t indicate things. Don’t have presupposed ideas of what’s going to happen in a scene. Just live in the moment.” He started advising me, especially on Giant. He’d come and watch me, and critique me afterwards me. And he asked for my help, too, in the later scenes in Giant when his character was aging. He had me around to make sure he looked old. We weren’t big buddies or anything like that. He died two weeks before we finished. I did then go to New York and study with Strasberg for five years after that.
So what’s the craziest story you’ve heard about yourself?
Boy. I just shut it off quite a few years ago. Most of it is based on some sort of little truth and then it goes totally above and beyond anything that happened. I mean, I didn’t live like a priest, but I’m pretty sure I wasn’t as terrible as people have made me sound.
Finally: Are people surprised to see you doing the Ameriprise commercials?
Yes, I do get a lot of teasing about it, especially now: How many of these people did you bankrupt today? I really hope none.
Read more posts by Bilge Ebiri
Filed Under: dennis hopper, elegy, movies
If you've been waiting for a celebrity to come along and define holiday spirit for you, Gwyneth Paltrow does today in the intro to the gift guide on her blog, Goop, right before she tells you that a $1,400 leather bag is a perfect gift. For a dude. "What is holiday spirit?" she asks, rhetorically, of course, because obviously Goop is the space where she writes about her thoughts and feelings and nourishes what is real.
For me, it means helping to create that atmosphere where loved ones feel full of cheer, like some happy secret is about to be revealed. Holiday spirit is a feeling of warmth, of togetherness, of connectedness. We get that by giving. We get it by watching cheeks flush with color when something opened and in the hands conveys a message: I know you, I get you, I see you.
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: celebrities, gwyneth paltrow, The Most Important People in the World
Jack White’s career apprenticing himself to roots music and its giants might climax with this reworking of “Old Enough,” off the most recent Raconteurs album Consolers of the Lonely. He’s more reverent than ever, convening his band, country singer-songwriter Ashley Monroe, and the golden apostle of bluegrass, Ricky Skaggs, in a church for a warm, countrified version of the song (which is now available on Amazon). With Monroe sweetening the vocals and Skagg’s mandolin replacing the original’s chunky organ, the track sounds less like Bill Monroe than Led Zeppelin (on side two of Zeppelin 3, that is). Autumn de Wilde’s video, which shows smiles all around at the actual recording session, gives everything an even homier glow — watch it after the jump.
Read more posts by Ehren Gresehover
Filed Under: ashley monroe, autumn de wilde, jack white, music, ricky skaggs, right-click, the racaconteurs, video
This morning in addition to clearing the air over her purported retirement, Anna Wintour spoke in one of those intellectual panel discussions alongside New Yorker editor David Remnick and Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter. The discussion centered on the lousy economy and Internet (oh, Condé Nast — still trying to "get it"). Jezebel attended and reports Wintour is — contrary to what her "large fur collar that did her lapel mic an injury" in the middle of the panel might indicate — coping with the economy herself. Herewith, some highlights from the talk.
Anna sees an upside to These Economic Times.
"Right now we're in difficult times, but I think it makes you a little edgier," she said. "Out of bad times can come great magazines."
She would also like everyone to stop freaking out.
In response to a question from Auletta about whether the economic downturn poses temporary or fundamental problems for magazine publishing, Wintour cautioned first against "over-reacting."
"I see a lot of people in my industry who are over-reacting. Stores that are over-discounting, designers who are creating collections for the price and what sells rather than to reflect who they are."
Even Anna bends to the economic climate, but subtly (in keeping with not freaking out, we suppose).
Recently, a sequined mini-dress "not much bigger than your shirt, Graydon" came through the Vogue offices, on request for a photo shoot. When she found out the garment retailed at $50,000, Wintour said she told everyone, "I'm sorry, but we're not putting that in the magazine, no matter how magical Steven Meisel thinks it is." (Of course, just this September, Vogue featured an entire article about a $64,300 gold-dipped mink coat. I guess it's lucky the issue closed before Lehman did.)
She's known for being an Ice Queen but felt bad about Alessandra Facchinetti's dismissal from Valentino, which the designer learned of from the Internet before she got the news herself.
She recalled how this past season when Alessandra Facchinetti was fired from Valentino after only six months as head designer, she learned the news backstage, before the show began, and got the scoop online. (The announcement was to have been made at the show's conclusion.) "It was a horrific, horrific situation," Wintour continued. "I mean, [Facchinetti] was weeping backstage, telling the whole awful story."
What Sucks About Being Anna Wintour? "Sometimes You Don't Love The Press" [Jezebel]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: anna wintour, david remnick, graydon carter, new yorker, vanity fair, vogue, wintour wonderland
Fashion Wire Daily - The Neiman Marcus accessories preview on Wednesday, Dec. 3 provided an inside look at the biggest trends for next spring to keep in mind when you want to add a little zing to your wardrobe. For spring, it's all about statement accessories: Bold colors, chunky jewelry or exotic skins, which is good news for dressing up the basics or reinvigorating your existing wardrobe. Here, the top looks Neiman Marcus loves for spring.
The mayor, in response Governor Paterson thanking him for attending today's press conference about the MTA’s budget: "Of course, I don't have to be here. I could be at a Giants game, but I am probably safer here at the moment." Zing! [NYP]
Earlier: Mayor Bloomberg Plays Patriot, Calls for Full Punishment of Plaxico
Read more posts by Joe DeLessio
Filed Under: football, giants, gun control, mike bloomberg, plaxico burress, sports, the sports section
Bloggers from Gothamist were let into the absurd Real World: Brooklyn apartment/studio and they took some pictures and chatted a bit with the cast. Above you'll see the entryway to the big apartment, which is on Pier 41 in Red Hook. As you can see, it's a little bit like the house from the Seattle season except on crack. Which is sort of abandoned–Red Hook–loft appropriate. The interiors include brightly colored murals and, obviously, a hot tub and aquarium. The cast, as you may know, includes an Iraq vet, a cute tranny, a gay dolphin trainer, and a metrosexual Mormon. The most interesting thing that Gothamist learned, however, was not about what will happen this season, but what the cast will do after. A handful of them are going to live together on the Lower East Side, and there's something secret (A spinoff? A romance? A Shot at Love?) that's going to carry on in Stuyvesant Town. StuyTown! After half a century, it's finally going to have its moment!
Meet the Real World Brooklynites [Gothamist]
Read more posts by Chris Rovzar
Filed Under: brooklyn, gays, mormons, neighborhood watch, real estate, real world brooklyn, real-estate porn, red hook
When artists do self-portraits, they often portray themselves on a scale somewhere between anguish and mania — Van Gogh’s swirly, blue painting of himself with furrowed brows; Andy Warhol’s black-and-gold depiction of staring wild and ghoulish into nowhere — but Elizabeth Peyton presents a peaceful, if slightly somber, picture of herself, her dog, her book, her flip-flops, and her pool. A Peyton retrospective is on view at the New Museum through January 11.
Read more posts by Emma Pearse
Filed Under: art, art candy, elizabeth peyton
Some hawks have become permanent squatters in Wiliamsburg hipster haven McCarren Park. They are very disaffected, just sort of loitering there on their skinny legs and silently judging you. One of them has a flatly worded MySpace page: "i am a red-tailed hawk and i hang out in mccarren park ... all i have to do is show up and people start taking my picture. i am becoming very famous." The hawk affectless-ly denied the copy was cribbed from Paris Hilton's MySpace page circa 2001. [Gowanus Lounge]
Read more posts by Tim Murphy
Filed Under: hipsters, mccarren park pool, neighborhood watch, williamsburg
AP - In 1941, Ireland was "neutral on England's side" against Hitler, staunchly maintaining independence from their former occupier.
Britney Spears celebrated her birthday at Tenjune on Tuesday. But what in the name of giant sequined bows was Heidi Klum doing there? Gossip rags are speculating Heidi might be trying to get Britney to appear on Project Runway. Remember, the season finale is taping in February, before Brit's tour starts. But also remember Britney's fashion sense and that she, well, needs some. [MSNBC]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: britney spears, heidi klum, project runway, reality tv, rumor mill
1 Madballs face
2 Madonna arms
Assortment of other botched cosmetic surgery operations
You Will Also Need
1 pair cankles
1 cascading platinum weave
Entourage of greasy male models
Cooking Directions
1. Chain smoke until your skin looks like a handbag from your collection
2. Throw a temper tantrum, heaving things at your younger, firmer assistants
3. Take six valium and slur profanities in peace
4. Cryogenically freeze yourself until 2050, when you will pass for Britney Spears.
(Ed. Note: Read more of Intern Emmy’s musings over at her blog, EmmyBlotnick.com.)
While we've been growing slowly, tragically inured to the daily layoff reports, there's a noted reduction in one workforce that has raised our eyebrows: Economists are now experiencing a tougher job market. Yeah, it's all fun and theorizing games till your résumé gets hurt. Freakonomics reports that a job board for economists is "sporting a brand new section: suspended or canceled listings" — over 30 recent listings have been canceled (and the board doesn't take into account universities under hiring freezes or "frosts"). But rather than just remove the canceled listings, they actually took the time to make a whole new page just to show what specific jobs were no longer available? Huh. Though the circumstances are bad, it's still kind of nice to see economists being clear and transparent about something, even if it's relevant just to their own insular little world.
But there's a larger concern at stake: If top universities stop hiring economists, economic research could take a hit — and who will teach all those soul-destroying Econ 101 classes? This could be the beginning of a harrowing chain reaction: If there are fewer economics programs, there will eventually be fewer new economists entering the workforce (thinkforce?). And a shrinking talent pool could mean that we're stuck with the same 200-odd finance pirates and Treasury bandits who play musical chairs and cycle through all the same jobs for even longer, with no viable new blood in sight. Here's looking at you, Krugman.
Read more posts by Jessica Coen
Filed Under: business, economists, economy, paul krugman, the greatest depression
Vulture laid out the case as to why Slumdog Millionaire might make a serious run at Oscar gold in our last installment of Oscar Futures. And now, after picking up the Best Picture award from the National Board of Review earlier today, Danny Boyle's feel-good, Regis Philbin–free ode to the life-affirming power of overseas game shows has a leg up on other front-runners like Milk and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Other big winners today include David Fincher (Best Director), Anne Hathaway (Best Actress), Clint Eastwood (Best Actor), and Vulture-sanctioned Wall-E (Best Animated Feature). See the complete list of winners here. [In Contention]
Read more posts by Mark Graham
Filed Under: Anne Hathaway, Awards, Danny Boyle, David Fincher, Kudos, Oscars, Slumdog Millionaire
With Ron Howard's Frost/Nixon opening this week — along with the release of hundreds of new hours of Nixon tapes (how conveeenient) — America's 37th president is back in the news. And it couldn't have come at a more critical time — let's face it, Tricky Dick's claim to the title of America's Premier Political Bogeyman has been shaky these past eight years. But until Dubya headlines his own torture-porn horror franchise (hey, it could happen), Richard Milhous Nixon will still be the nation's favorite movie president — only Lincoln, with his hundred-year head start, can even hope to challenge him. Click for Vulture's list of the Ten Greatest Movie Nixons.
Read more posts by Bilge Ebiri
Filed Under: frank langella, frost/nixon, movies, richard nixon, the list
Behind Timothy Geithner's babyface and teen-idol locks lurks a soul as manipulative and scheming as Angelina Jolie's, according to a rather awesomely gossipy story from Bloomberg, which reports that "sources" say the New York Fed president and newly anointed Treasury secretary would like to push Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair out of her job, which is supposed to last till 2011. Why does he hate her so? Sources say he thinks Bair "isn't a team player" and that he became "increasingly wary" of her during some of their recent interactions, particularly during various negotiations with Citigroup. See, Bair wanted Wachovia to go with Wells Fargo during that whole contretemps, but she'd already promised Citi they could have it. Geithner was like — and we paraphrase, because of course we didn't overhear but we get the sense this is how it went — "Way to go, lady, now Pandit is mad and he's going to tell all of his friends, and no one is going to want to work with us." And Bair was like, "But it is a better deal." And he was like, "Whatever, word is bond."
And overall he just really thinks that she's been "too focused on protecting her agency rather than the financial system as a whole," say the sources. Which means … what, exactly? Probably that she always had to hold up the distribution of billions of dollars to mismanaged banks with annoying hypotheticals, such as "If we give this bank this much money, and the worst-case scenario still occurs, will the FDIC actually be able to fulfill its duties and insure the amount it is supposed to be able to insure?" And Geithner was apparently like: "Hello! What are you doing with the math and the numbers! Citigroup needs billions of dollars! Snap snap! Hand it over, we haven't got all day." Yeah, we could see how that would be exasperating. Everything would go a lot more smoothly without someone like that around.
Geithner May Seek to Push Bair Out After Clashes During Crisis [Bloomberg]
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: business, citigroup, new york fed, sheila bair, the economy, the greatest depression, tim geithner, timothy geithner, wachovia
AP - "Mrs. Astor Regrets" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 400 pages, $28), by Meryl Gordon: The life and times of Brooke Astor have long been a source of fascination and intrigue, especially her final years that were marked by a nasty family squabble over her care and sprawling fortune.
Remember when your mom shouted you down from the 30-foot diving board when you were 6, and you thought she was being a drama queen because you were wearing those blow-up doughnuts on your arms? Such was the "surprise and disappointment" registered by stuntman Jeb Corliss when he was convicted yesterday of reckless endangerment for trying to parachute off the top of the Empire State Building's 86th-floor deck in 2006: "Mr. Corliss testified in State Supreme Court in Manhattan about his expertise and the safety measures he had taken to prepare for the jump." In other words, security guys who stopped him, you are so lame. [NYT]
Read more posts by Tim Murphy
Filed Under: empire state building, geniuses, jeb corliss, men who like to get all up on high buildings
Versace's Asian invasion continues. Yesterday it opened a store in Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam, as part of the company's 45 million euro plan to open eleven new stores in Asia. Asia is now Versace's second most important market after Europe, knocking the U.S. to No. 3. No sense in opening new stores here, after all.
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: asia, recession proof, store openings, versace
Lest there be any fears that the upcoming Ghostbusters video game wouldn't be the entertainment event of 2009, Atari has just released this awesome new trailer, which makes it look pretty much like Grand Theft Auto with proton packs. The game features the voice-acting talents of Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd (both heard here) along with the rest of the movies' original cast (minus the now-retired Rick Moranis, for whom we'll be pouring out a 40 of Ecto Cooler). Ghostbusters: The Video Game will be released next June, and now would be a good time to start saving vacation days.
New Ghostbusters Trailer: Bring Spare Trousers [Kotaku]
Read more posts by Lane Brown
Filed Under: awesome, bill murray, dan aykroyd, ghostbusters, ghostbusters video game, movies, video
Continuing to transcend boundaries (and for that matter, himself) Karl Lagerfeld opened his pre-fall Chanel show in Paris yesterday with the ten-minute silent film he directed about Coco Chanel. Lagerfeld, who "always loved silent movies," told WWD, "Everybody this year has decided to make a movie about Chanel, and you know their historical worth is not always too exact.” Yeah, take that, movie industry. Karl cast his best friends, including his favorite male model Brad Kroenig, bodyguard-secretary Sébastien Jondeau, muse Amanda Harlech, and her daughter Tallulah Ormsby-Gore. He decided not to use extras because they "don’t know how to touch the clothes." Karl adds, “It’s a funny movie, unpretentious." See the two-minute trailer after the jump. The full movie launches on Chanel's Website tomorrow.
Teaser: Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel Silent Film [Fashionologie]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: amanda harlech, brad kroenig, chanel, coco puffs, karl lagerfeld, movies, tallulah ormsby-gore
Vera Wang's Madison Avenue flagship store just got a baby sister — the designer opened a second shop in Soho last week. We've waited a long time to see how this new outpost would turn out, since plans of the store were first announced two years ago. But the 2,500-square-foot space is bright, clean, and happy. The store houses the ready-to-wear and Lavender labels, fragrances, and accessories on two levels of floor space mapped out to resemble a white light box. And though there are headless mannequins dangling from the ceiling wearing Vera's creations, they don't unnerve you. Designed by Gabellini Sheppard Associates, LLC, the store serves as a bright beam in the Soho shopping district, literally, as you can see the bountiful bulbs from outside. Plus, the pure feeling serves as a nice deterrent from the darker economic times. Perhaps it might even serve as an indicator for a bright retail future.
Vera Wang, 158 Mercer St., nr. Prince St. (212-382-2184); Mon.–Sat. (11–7), Sun. (12–6).
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: first looks, shopping, vera wang
AP - "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" (Children's High Level Group, $12.99, 111 pages), by J.K. Rowling: Just in time for the holidays, J.K. Rowling has given Harry Potter fans a little gift.
AP - The woman knows how to a work a room. Even one as big and as historic as the Palace Theatre, that shrine to vaudeville on the corner of Broadway and 47th Street on the edge of Times Square.
Fashion Wire Daily - For students of fashion wondering what it takes in the current economic climate to survive, whether they're considering a career as a designer or in retail, the consensus amongst a handful of the fashion industry's competitive players at a fashion roundtable event hosted by the YMA Scholarship Fund and sponsored by DOW XLA on Tuesday, Dec. 2, is that it requires focus, creativity and communication with the customer.
AP - Darnell Martin could have made an entire movie about Muddy Waters. Or Etta James. Or Chuck Berry.
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