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Scent of a Storyteller
Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 13 Dec 2008 | 2:06 pm Church News - Centralia Chronicle
Source: Google News - Entertainment | 13 Dec 2008 | 1:20 pm Billboard: Go ahead, call it Christmas - Mansfield News Journal
Source: Google News - Entertainment | 13 Dec 2008 | 12:05 pm Tara Reid goes to rehab - New York Daily News
Source: Google News - Entertainment | 13 Dec 2008 | 10:51 am Pop Tarts: Sunset Tan's Holly Huddleston Strips OffRyan Seacrest's ex Holly Huddleston unveils FHM's Holiday Lingerie GuideSource: FOXNews.com | 13 Dec 2008 | 9:18 am Skin not sending a message - Chicago Tribune
Source: Google News - Entertainment | 13 Dec 2008 | 8:12 am 'Nutcracker' leaves room for interpretation - Los Angeles Times
Source: Google News - Entertainment | 13 Dec 2008 | 8:03 am Is Paula Abdul leaving "Idol" or seeking raise? - Newsday
Source: Google News - Entertainment | 13 Dec 2008 | 8:01 am New 'A Miser Brothers' Christmas' save Christmas - New York Daily News
Source: Google News - Entertainment | 13 Dec 2008 | 7:53 am Actors Guild Split on Strike Vote; New York Board Will Oppose - Bloomberg
Source: Google News - Entertainment | 13 Dec 2008 | 7:52 am Jay Leno’s Move Hints at Future of Prime-Time TV - New York Times
Source: Google News - Entertainment | 13 Dec 2008 | 5:50 am Screen Actors Guild faces dissension from NY board (AP)AP - A faction of the Screen Actors Guild on Friday called for the union to suspend an upcoming vote to authorize a strike amid stalled negotiations with Hollywood producers.Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 13 Dec 2008 | 5:47 am Screen Actors Guild faces dissension from NY board (AP)AP - A faction of the Screen Actors Guild on Friday called for the union to suspend an upcoming vote to authorize a strike amid stalled negotiations with Hollywood producers.Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 13 Dec 2008 | 5:47 am Screen Actors Guild faces dissension from NY boardA faction of the Screen Actors Guild on Friday called for the union to suspend an upcoming vote to authorize a strike amid stalled negotiations with Hollywood producers. The announcementSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 13 Dec 2008 | 5:13 am Reporter's blog on Chicago sit-in to become book (AP)AP - A Washington Post reporter's blog about the six-day occupation of a shuttered Chicago factory will be turned into a book, tentavively titled "Revolt on Goose Island."Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 13 Dec 2008 | 5:00 am Brian d'Arcy James is an unlikely ogre as ShrekBrian d'Arcy James makes for a very unlikely ogre. And no one was more surprised than the actor himself when he was cast as the famous green hero of "Shrek the Musical," which opens on...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 13 Dec 2008 | 5:00 am Metallica and Pearl Jam on Bonnaroo DVD (Reuters)Reuters - Metallica, Pearl Jam and My Morning Jacket are among the artists featured on "Live From Bonnaroo 2008," due in January on DVD.Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 13 Dec 2008 | 4:40 am Reporter's blog on a six-day Chicago factory sit-in to become bookNEW YORK - A Washington Post reporter's blog about the six-day occupation of a shuttered Chicago factory will be turned into a book, tentatively titled "Revolt on Goose Island." The...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 13 Dec 2008 | 4:37 am 'American Pie' star Tara Reid has checked herself into rehab, publicist saysLOS ANGELES - A publicist says Tara Reid has checked herself into rehab. In a report out of Los Angeles, the publicist says the "American Pie" star went to the Promises Treatment...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 13 Dec 2008 | 4:36 am The Hills: Proof Speidi Marriage Is Actually "Real" Pay no attention to the legal issues surrounding their Cabo San Lucas "wedding" a couple weeks back. Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt want you to know they're married! And you'll...Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 13 Dec 2008 | 4:16 am Washington Post Foreign Service - Washington Post
Source: Google News - Entertainment | 13 Dec 2008 | 4:00 am The CW Finally Gets Some Awards Respect (Yours) Awards season is here, and as per bah-humbug usual, the fancy trophy-giving institutions seem poised to shut out the Littlest Network That Can. It's hard out there for a CW show, but the...Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 13 Dec 2008 | 3:00 am Reporter's blog on Chicago sit-in to become bookA Washington Post reporter's blog about the six-day occupation of a shuttered Chicago factory will be turned into a book, tentavively titled "Revolt on Goose Island." The book, by...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 13 Dec 2008 | 2:50 am The CW Finally Gets Some Awards Respect (Yours) (E! Online)
Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 13 Dec 2008 | 2:29 am After-parties feel heat from meltdown, SAG threat (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 13 Dec 2008 | 2:28 am After-parties feel heat from meltdown, SAG threat (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 13 Dec 2008 | 2:28 am Nicole Richie Is Not Joel Madden's Diamond Girl Joel Madden isn't giving girlfriend Nicole Richie diamonds for Christmas.
Believe it or not, the Good Charlotte rocker insists, the fabulously fashionable former reality-TV star is...Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 13 Dec 2008 | 2:14 am 1950s pinup model Bettie Page dead at 85Legendary pinup queen Bettie Page died of pneumonia at the age of 85 in a Los Angeles, California, hospital Thursday, a week after suffering a heart attack, according to her agent.Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 13 Dec 2008 | 2:11 am Review: 'Earth Stood Still,' movie falls apartThe first "The Day the Earth Stood Still" was really about the Cold War. The new one is about environmentalism -- if you can stay awake for its heavy-handed message.Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 13 Dec 2008 | 2:08 am Van Johnson dies at 92Van Johnson, whose boyish looks and earnest manner made him a Hollywood heartthrob in the 1940s and '50s, died Friday in an assisted-care facility, a friend told CNN.Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 13 Dec 2008 | 1:26 am "Doubt" made easy -- the hard wayLOS ANGELES (Reuters) - If there is anything that can be said about the new movie "Doubt," which debuted in major U.S. cities on Friday, it is that there was never a big question over...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 13 Dec 2008 | 1:18 am Academy Awards hosts through the decadesHugh Jackman isn't the first actor _ or the first Australian (Paul Hogan was a co-host in 1987) _ to host the Academy Awards. Here's a look at Oscar hosts through the years since the...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 13 Dec 2008 | 12:54 am Triple-threat Hugh Jackman shakes up Oscar format (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 13 Dec 2008 | 12:52 am Triple-threat Hugh Jackman shakes up Oscar formatHe sings, dances, acts on stage and screen, and he's the "Sexiest Man Alive." Hugh Jackman does everything but standup comedy _ and that's why the first-time Oscars host fulfills the...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 13 Dec 2008 | 12:52 am "Chinese Democracy" shows limits of retail exclusivesNEW YORK (Billboard) - When Wal-Mart sold 784,000 copies of AC/DC's "Black Ice" during the album's first week in stores, many label executives believed that more superstars would release...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 13 Dec 2008 | 12:47 am 'American Pie' star Tara Reid checks into rehab
Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 12 Dec 2008 | 11:37 pm How to Wear Black Lip Color Without Looking Like a Vampire Yves Saint Laurent goes for opaque black. One of the biggest — if not the biggest — beauty trend to emerge this year was black lips: Yves Saint Laurent, Luella, and Giles Deacon all showed the look for fall 2008, sparking a huge demand for the beauty industry to deliver. And deliver they did — Lancôme, Poppy King, and Kat Von D answered the call for black, as did the trendsetter, Yves Saint Laurent Beaute, who created a limited-edition lipstick (so once it's gone, it's gone for good). As for Lancôme, after the gloss was announced back in June, wait lists were already full by early fall, and their shimmery take on the trend seesawed from selling out to being stocked for the past few months (it's back on shelves now). Not to be outdone, Smashbox created Sultry exclusively for Sephora — the result is a subtle red-black gloss for those unwilling to totally cross over to the dark side. We scouted the city's makeup counters to find where the black glosses are still available and tested them so you know just how to wear them. Check out the five best after the jump.  From left, Smashbox, Lancôme, Yves Saint Laurent, Lipstick Queen, and Kat Von D.Photo: Courtesy of Smashbox, Lancôme, Yves Saint Laurent, Lipstick Queen, and Sephora Sultry by Smashbox Piha Black by Lancôme Pur Black by Yves Saint Laurent Beaute Black Tie Optional Sinner Shine by Lipstick Queen by Poppy King Stormy by Kat Von D for Sephora (comes in a set of mini-glosses with four other colors) Read more posts by Kate Zimmerman Filed Under: beauty marks, lipstick, makeup, yves saint laurent Source: The Cut | 12 Dec 2008 | 11:34 pm Bob Yari crashes into Chapter 11Front Page: Layoffs expected after court ordered move -- Bob Yari has placed the releasing division of his Yari Film Group into Chapter 11 reorganization.
[Michael Scott interjects: "That's what she said!"]
But even though NBC aired the final Office episode of 2008... Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 12 Dec 2008 | 11:30 pm Afternoon Fix: John Mayer's Advice to Celeb Bloggers • John Mayer wants us to step up our blog game, Don Rickles-style. Also, we weren't the biggest fans of Jen getting naked on GQ, to which he says, "go make bagels!"...Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 12 Dec 2008 | 11:25 pm Book explores 200 years of NYC's fictional demise
Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 12 Dec 2008 | 11:06 pm Who Should Sing at Obama's Inauguration? Part II Just a couple of weeks ago, we surveyed some of your fave celebs to give you their ideas on who they think should be performing during Barack Obama's inaugural festivities next month....Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 12 Dec 2008 | 11:02 pm Affordable Fur: No Longer a Myth We can afford these! When the temperatures hit the teens, there was just one thing that could snap us out of the winter blues: a new fur. Yes, we realize there's a recession on, hence the fact that we didn't run out and buy one. But a little bit of luxury can really cheer us up. Of course, the very next day temperatures soared up to the fifties. Too risky to break out a big, massive coat anyhow. Adrienne Landau has solved our problems with her softer-than-soft fur scarves and collars. Not only do they stave off the cold, but they glam up any outfit — the perfect accessory to make jeans and a tee look cocktail-party appropriate. And did we mention they're a fraction of standard fur prices? Even we can scrimp up enough change for these pieces. Crystal Fox, $115, and Knitted Rabbit Scarf, $175, both available at Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Ave., at 51st St, (212-753-4000). Read more posts by Doria Santlofer Filed Under: Adrienne Landau, Retail Therapy, Saks Fifth Avenue Source: The Cut | 12 Dec 2008 | 11:01 pm Bugged New York politics looked relatively subdued and dignified last week, as Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was allegedly caught on tape by the FBI plotting to auction off Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat. (The president-elect passed this first major ethics test, but ambitious congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. found himself having to explain a few things to Brooklyn-accented federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald.) City Comptroller Bill Thompson officially launched his campaign to occupy Gracie Mansion, while State Senator Malcolm Smith broke off negotiations with rebel Dems. Mayor Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine Quinn wrestled over disbursing $400 property-tax rebates. Former Staten Island congressman Vito Fossella was sentenced to five days in jail for his career-ending drunk-driving arrest. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly made New Year's plans to arm 1,000 rookie cops with M4 machine guns. Alleged September 11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed offered to plead guilty to organizing the attacks. New census data showed that the number of whites in Harlem has tripled since 2000. Police wondered why a missing Brooklyn woman was spotted leaving Marquee with a convicted sex offender. NBC, awaiting Conan O'Brien's move west to host the Tonight Show, gave Jay Leno a new ten o'clock time slot. Yankees G.M. Brian Cashman persuaded lefty ace CC Sabathia to accept $160 million over seven years. The Mets closed on the best bullpen in baseball by signing J. J. Putz and Francisco Rodriguez. The ailing Times planned to take out a home-equity loan on its new Eighth Avenue headquarters. Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit canceled the annual holiday train display. Merrill Lynch's John Thain and Morgan Stanley's John Mack volunteered to forgo year-end bonuses. Former nasdaq chief Bernard Madoff admitted to running a $50 billion Ponzi scheme. And the Treasury Department calculated that recent bailouts will help push the annual federal-budget deficit above $1 trillion for the first time. Read more posts by Mark Adams Filed Under: it happened this week Source: Daily Intel | 12 Dec 2008 | 11:00 pm BEST OF THE BWE: On The Internet, We’re Always Having The Best Year EverDon't forget, Best Year Ever 2008 airs TONIGHT AT 9:00 ON VH1!!! Find out who had the Best Year Ever in 2008 -- is it... Cloris Leachman? Sarah Palin? Corey Worthington? David Cook? or Thomas Beattie, The Pregnant Transman?? Tune in tonight to find out! Meanwhile on the web, the week that was:
Source: Best Week Ever | 12 Dec 2008 | 11:00 pm Week in Review: Chaos-in-Hollywood Edition When we awoke on Monday morning with news of Uwe Boll's impending comeback burning up our in-box, we should've known it was going to be one of those weeks. We're gonna do our best to sum up what was a truly chaotic week: • After firing a bunch of people, Ben "Laugh It Up, Fuzzball" Silverman and NBC decided to scale back their prime-time programming by ceding the 10 p.m. hour to Jay Leno. While his peers hemmed and hawed, Les Moonves wasn't concerned. • We shook our fists when Catherine Hardwicke got fired from directing Twilight 2, only to be replaced by fantasy-franchise destroyer Chris Weitz. • There was a flurry of movement in the Oscar race, too. Wall-E and Milk got early-week bumps, only to retreat when the Golden Globe nominations were announced. Of course, there were snubs there, too, but Harvey Weinstein and Tom Cruise seemed pleased. Oh, and Hugh Jackman will be your 2009 Oscar host! • We also prepped you for the arduous task of sitting through the glut of films hitting the theater, everything from helping you decide which Nazi film is right for you to providing you with a plan for your Che-related bathroom breaks to breaking down the many facial expressions of Keanu Reeves. • And let us not forget about wrap-up of Art Basel, the release of the Black List, Coldplay getting sued, Blur deciding to reunite, the impending Slumdog backlash, the fact that Dexter killed Miguel and, oh yes, Andy Samberg jizzing in his pants. And with that, we'll see you on Monday! Read more posts by Mark Graham Filed Under: Roll Credits
Did you ever want to work in an environment of entertainers and writers who love to laugh but also like to get some work done every now and again? Did we mention you would do this work for next to no money? (Read: No money.) Well NOW IS YOUR CHANCE!
BestWeekEver.tv, your faithful blog, is seeking interns for Spring of 2009. Yes, we need your help. And believe it or not... we have some rules!
Source: Best Week Ever | 12 Dec 2008 | 10:52 pm Recognize the Reveler: Whose Undies Are Visible? Here's a Hint: We see London, we see France, we see this star's underpants as she hits the U.K. premiere of her new movie in a shiny and slightly transparent dress.
Seems this...Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 12 Dec 2008 | 10:45 pm Stevens, Coon, Struthers Are 'Streetcar''s Triangle at Walnut Street Theatre (Playbill)Playbill - A new production of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire begins Jan. 13, 2009, at Walnut Street Theatre, the history-filled venue where the play was seen in fall 1947, prior to Broadway.Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 12 Dec 2008 | 10:37 pm TGIF: Have A Great Weekend with a Penguin and a SongNothing else really needs to be about this music video featuring our favorite shopping Penguin, Lala... other than have a great weekend!Source: Best Week Ever | 12 Dec 2008 | 10:30 pm 100-Year-Old Composer Elliott Carter Parties Like It’s 1939 The composer Elliott Carter, who was born the same year as the Model T, celebrated his 100th birthday last night at Carnegie Hall by attending the New York premiere of a work he wrote last year. Interventions, the intense and muscular piano concerto played by Daniel Barenboim, with James Levine leading the Boston Symphony Orchestra, proves that the centenarian avant-gardist is still producing music with the rhythmic vigor of a composer 20 years younger… make that 70 years younger. At the end of the performance, Carter, who was sitting in the audience, got to his feet, marched down the center aisle and up the stairs to the stage, where he lingered for a while, grinning and absorbing the standing ovation. Someone wheeled out a towering cake, which the composer tasted by dipping his finger in the icing. Applause accompanied his slow processional back to his seat. Carter was no prodigy. The first ensemble to perform a work of his at Carnegie Hall was the Harvard Glee Club, in 1951. For the next several decades, he remained an esteemed pioneer of contemporary music, adored by crowds that sometimes numbered in the dozens. He hit the big time in his nineties, though, when he plunged into a decade of frenzied creativity that included his first opera, defiantly titled What’s Next? The answer is 110. Read more posts by Justin Davidson Filed Under: elliott carter, music, news reel Source: Vulture | 12 Dec 2008 | 10:30 pm The Week in Rogues clockwise from left: Dreier, a puppy symbolizing Butcho, Madoff, and Blagojevich What a week for scam artists it was! At the beginning of the week, Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested for corruption after trying to sell Obama's Senate seat, and after that it was like a game of Check Out This Corrupt Sleazebag. (Which was never even a game before, really.) Here in New York, three potentially world-class scam artists were unveiled, men whose ball-sizes and levels of moxie are rivaled only by the amount of money they managed to rip off. On Wednesday, we met Carl Butcho, the 26-year-old chef and caterer charged with putting $361,000 of luxury goods (mostly dog-walking supplies, somehow) on his boyfriend's Ernst & Young corporate credit card. He claimed he was framed, but this seemed unlikely when a restaurant he worked at told the papers about his weird behavior, like when he said he had a "giant fortune" and used "intestinal cancer" as an excuse to get out of work three months in. Also he claimed to be the son of a "coal tycoon" who does not, it seems, exist. But Butcho's crimes, while entertaining, did not compare in magnitude with Marc Dreier's. The Harvard- and Yale-educated Park Avenue lawyer was arrested on Sunday for impersonating another lawyer; we hoped that meant he was wearing a fuzzy nose and glasses but actually, it was soon found out, he had utilized a "box of cellphones and a series of phony Web sites and e-mail addresses" to scam hedge funds out of $380 million dollars. The implications of this massive fraud are still being worked out, but Dreier's bail was denied (at his bail hearing, the ADA called him a "Houdini of Impersonation") and the 250 lawyers he employed are looking for new jobs. We thought that seemed like a big deal until last night, when Bernard Madoff, founder of Madoff Investment Securities and former NASDAQ chairman, confessed to Feds that he had been running a "giant Ponzi scheme" and that $50 billion of investor money was gone. It's now looking like he might have been boasting (ugh) about that figure, and it's more like $17 bil. But nonetheless, investors from Geneva to Palm Beach have had their faces ripped off and their lives turned upside down, and no one is going to Israel this year. Well. Anyone going to top that? Probably. Floyd Norris noted today: Readers of the classic book “Manias, Panics and Crashes,” by Charles Kindleberger, should not be surprised. He documented how the frauds appear when the mania fades. Or, as Warren Buffett has said, "It's when the tide goes out that you learn who's been swimming naked." Or, as we always say: Balls that large don’t stay in pants for long. Read more posts by Jessica Pressler Filed Under: ballsy crimes, bernard madoff, carl butcho, marc dreier, rod blagojevich, white men with other people's money Source: Daily Intel | 12 Dec 2008 | 10:30 pm Dolce & Gabbana Launches Makeup Next Month; Coco Rocha Now a Redhead Coco's on fire. HAIR • Salon professionals say that clients are choosing to conquer their hair DIY style, and the impact from the economic situation has caught them "off-guard." Clearly, they've been living under a rock for the past few months. [WWD] MAKEUP • Too Faced Cosmetics isn't going to let M.A.C be the only one with a cartoon collaboration — this month, the cosmetics brand launches the Smurfette Collection, a five-item range of colors for the face, from eye shadow to lip gloss. [WWD] FRAGRANCE Read more posts by Sharon Clott Filed Under: beauty marks, calvin klein, coco rocha, dolce & gabbana, eva mendes, fragrance, hair, makeup, smurfs Source: The Cut | 12 Dec 2008 | 10:23 pm Slopies Too Savvy for Very Sophisticated Scam ArtistIn Park Slope, apparently there is a thief going around pretending to be from Con Ed. But no surprise that those Slopies — one third of whom have master's degrees or higher — are too savvy for such sleight-of-hand. "Today he buzzed my downstairs buzzer," said one local."When I said all the meters were downstairs, he insisted that he needed to come in and see me. I said no!" Let's just hope this scammer doesn't get his hands on those dimmer bulbs in Cobble Hill. [Gowanus Lounge] Read more posts by Tim Murphy Filed Under: crime, neighborhood watch, park slope, scams Source: Daily Intel | 12 Dec 2008 | 10:20 pm Scott Weiland Somehow Squanders His Best Song in Forever Scott Weiland’s “Missing Cleveland,” off his recently released solo record, “Happy” in Golashes (he must be “sad”), not only evokes glory-days Stone Temple Pilots, but Weezer, too — and amazingly, this works. Lyrics like “strapped in the monkey seat, like a Martian chimpanzee” actually manage to evoke a lonely astronaut existence without being completely ridiculous or directly biting on “Space Oddity.” But longtime STP collaborator Kevin Kerslake sends the whole vibe shooting out of orbit with his video, which draws in fifties-suburbia clichés, upskirt shots, a lap dance, and Scott massaging his rocket and fogging up the inside of a space helmet. The video has to be seen to believed, but trust us, it will ruin the song for you. See it after the jump. Download “Missing Cleveland”: Pigeons and Planes Read more posts by Ehren Gresehover Filed Under: music, right-click, scott weiland Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 12 Dec 2008 | 9:45 pm Vulture Exclusive: Harvey Weinstein on Yesterday’s Golden Globe Nominations Among the surprises at yesterday morning's Golden Globes nominations were the combined eight nods for the Weinstein Company's The Reader and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, vindication, of sorts, for the recently embattled studio. So, when we were offered a brief phone interview with Harvey Weinstein himself last night, it was hard for us to say no. Harvey talked to Vulture about Vicky's Best Picture odds and the Weinstein Company's new blog-outreach program. Hey Harvey. How are you? I can imagine. Congratulations on your strong showing this morning. What were you doing when you found out? For some people, The Reader's success was a surprise. Everybody expected Kate Winslet to be nominated for Supporting Actress, but maybe not Stephen Daldry for Director and the film for Best Picture. Why do you think it did so well? It's funny you mention that, because we had an interview with Daldry on Wednesday, and now we're talking to you. For a movie like Reader, with such a notorious prehistory, Websites don't usually get this much access. Is blog outreach a new Oscar strategy this year? For Vicky Cristina Barcelona, what are your Oscar hopes, besides Penélope Cruz for Supporting Actress? Is Inglourious Basterds still on target for a Cannes Film Festival premiere? Last August on Vulture we made an offer to any studio that optioned Evan Kuhlman's graphic novel, Wolfboy, that we would not make fun of them for a period of six months. The Weinstein Company did, and we kept our promise. Would you possibly be able to give me a status update on the project? If you can tell us on the phone that it’s been green-lit, we can give you another six months of positive coverage. Read more posts by Lane Brown Filed Under: evan kuhlman, golden globes, harvey weinstein, kudos, oscars, stephen daldry, the reader, vicky cristina barcelona, wolf boy There’s one indulgence every man should try in his lifetime: If you’re straight, sleep with a man at least once, and if you’re gay, don’t go through life without sleeping with a woman. Either way, you might be surprised at how natural it will feel if you can get past the mind-fuck of stereotypes. In the end, it’s just another person that you are relating to in a physical way. Not sure what it has to do with style, but hell, just go with it. RULES OF STYLE: TOM FORD [Details] Read more posts by Amina Akhtar Filed Under: details magazine, Life Lessons, tom ford Source: The Cut | 12 Dec 2008 | 9:41 pm ‘Gossip Girl’ Brings Out New Sides of Everyone Okay, this is a test: Is Aaron wearing a kippah or did we just Photoshop one of Serena's massive support-bra cups onto his head? This week, dear readers, you guys had a lot of thoughts about Gossip Girl. 473 of them, in fact, which sets a new record! Perhaps there was something special about this week's episode that stirred so much insightful commentary. Maybe it was death. That said, we're on a budget and we only have a certain number of gold stars. So if you didn't get the chance to go through everyone's insights, below are our highlights. NOTE: Since we know you will be in Gossip Girl withdrawal next week, we have a host of delights for you, including interviews, slideshows, and even correspondence from GG's great Creator. So tune in! Realer Than Chuck's Adorable-Vulnerable-Sad Face in Blair's Bedroom: • "As others have pointed out, Plus 5 to Alex Patsavas for using The National's "Slow Show" over the last montage. It's moody and appropriate without being cloying and obvious, and I've had it in my head all day." — foreignspell • "And just when I feared [Cyrus'] hand would go for a schtickle of squeeze on Blair's buttock when she hugged and "not enough"ed him... and he DIDN'T, I was pleasantly accepting of this sorely-missed and much-welcomed father figure in her life." — ariadne44 • "Only in a relationship as awesome and bizarre as Blair and Chuck's would having sex with twins be a call for help and not something that you get all angry and jealous about. Blair knows that Chuck is a man-slut and this doesn't change or effect her love for him." — HKRAVITZ [This is oddly touching! And there's something very wrong with that.] • "Plus 30 for Aaron. He acts as though he merely has to go though the motions of being S's boyfriend. His voice is completely flat. As though he's the understudy for the real Aaron or something. Even when he says, "I think I might be falling in love with you," it sounds like he's telling the driver to pull up on the left. Is there no emotion behind his creepy facial hair? Plus, he's a douche. " — jburgz • "'Only a masochist could ever love such a narcissist' as mentioned is a brilliant line, however I loved the detail that her blouse was covered in eyes (reminiscent of Man Ray's, "Indestructible Object") which I think personified her epiphany about their relationship.... she now *sees*. Plus 2." — martha1978 [Yeah, the Man Ray reference was lost on us…] • "Plus 2 for Leighton perfecting the art of the single tear drop." — shmay Faker Than Serena's Feelings for Aaron • "Minus 5 for Lily's slap. Not because it was ragingly inappropriate (though it was) but because it was so poorly done." — teamwaldorf • "Blair: "But I am me. And you are you. We're Chuck and Blair. Blair and Chuck."... "I am the egg man. They are the egg men. I am the walrus. Goo goo g'joob. Goo goo g'joob." Don't get me wrong, the scene was still moving. Just very Lennon-esque." — brooklynexpat • "I'm sick of Little J turning out dresses and blazers and whatever else in ONE NIGHT. When I was 15, I could barely get through my math homework AND watch Dawson's Creek in one night, let alone bust out detailed couture. Minus 5." — stephencolbert33 • "Judging by Rufus's pudginess in that disgusting turtleneck sweater, I'm pretty sure he ate Lily's mystery baby." — 15gardner [We think that was just the sweater. But still, that turtleneck. Honestly. Spare us.] • "Minus 3 for what happens when dan or serena- both are guilty- completely abandon each in the middle of various nyc neigborhoods mid-conversation? like where are you going? i came all the way over here to talk to you and you desert me to exchange your muffin? i think not." — nymagdevotee • "'We bring nothing into the world, and we leave nothing behind. But that doesn't mean we don't leave a big old mess when we go.' Uh, huh? If you leave a mess, doesn't that mean you leave something behind? I'm confused, Gossip Girl. Minuspoints, please." — loosemoose • "All I know for sure is that [Lily and Rufus'] child would have an artistic career goal. I'm going with actor, as that family has already done musician, writer, designer, and photographer. Oh, and I also know that the kid would be better off with adoptive parents than those two." — brigidmarie • "Let's take a little stroll down memory lane: • "Plus 2 because GG is so awesome that we don't even need to hear Dorota whisper, Ms. Blair, Mr. Chuck is here, to know that's exactly what she said." — twinsfindme • "I'm calling it now: Jonathan is the love child!" — frieswithgravy Earlier: 'Gossip Girl' Takes Us Through the First Two Stages of Grief Read more posts by Mike Vilensky Filed Under: gossip girl, the greatest show of our time Source: Daily Intel | 12 Dec 2008 | 9:40 pm I LIKE TO WATCH: The Joker In 60 SecondsThis week, I Like To Watch highlights that kooky, creepy, murderous clown who terrorized the city of Gotham this past summer -- no, not this person, I'm talking about The Joker, silly third-person I'm speaking to who I made up!!! If the Dark Knight producers haven't submitted a reel to The Oscars for Heath Ledger as Best Supporting Actor, they should feel free to use this:Source: Best Week Ever | 12 Dec 2008 | 9:30 pm Filmmaker Barry Jenkins Explores Love in a Time of Clorox Last week we brought you a film made by one of the nominees for Breakthrough Director at the Gotham Awards. This week we bring a film from another nominee, Barry Jenkins, whose debut feature, Medicine for Melancholy, is also currently up for three Independent Spirit Awards, including Best First Feature. (It'll be in theaters in February.) His 2003 short My Josephine is a lovely, impressionistic look at an Arab man and woman who work in a laundromat, washing American flags for free. That may make it sound like a Message Movie, but it’s not. Told from the perspective of the lovelorn male in this relationship, this is a quiet, unassumingly lyrical film, shot with the kind of detail that reveals both the director’s understanding of human nature and his keen eye for evocative imagery. Read more posts by Bilge Ebiri Filed Under: barry jenkins, laundry, video, vulture picture palace Source: Vulture | 12 Dec 2008 | 9:15 pm We’re Retiring With Amy Sacco At last night’s Cinema Society screening of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Amy Sacco told us about her (distant) future plans. “I’m going to open the Bungalow 88 Rest Home in Maui. We’re all going to live there and talk about how cool we were. But we’ll still be cool.” Get other tips on aging from David Fincher and Mary-Kate Olsen by clicking through our Party Lines slideshow. Read more posts by Bennett Marcus Filed Under: amy sacco, party lines Source: Daily Intel | 12 Dec 2008 | 9:15 pm Get Your Colorful Overload With Reebok’s Spring 2009 Lifestyle Collection Freestyle Hi Camo Beige may have dominated spring runways as the "hot" hue, but there are still ways to salvage some color this spring. Just look to sneakerworld, as streetwear brands deliver top-to-bottom options for your wardrobe in every shade of the rainbow. In fact, we just got our hands on Reebok's lifestyle collection for women, with thirteen bright, colorful styles dropping the first five months of 2009 on Reebok.com, and it includes almost every color in a Crayola crayon box. There's pink camo, golden stripes, gray cotton jersey, silver biker studs, and more. These aren't your boring gym shoes, ladies. To check out all of the new styles, click ahead. Read more posts by Sharon Clott Filed Under: first looks, reebok, shopping, slideshow, sneakers, spring 2009, streetwear Source: The Cut | 12 Dec 2008 | 9:01 pm DOGS For Finals Week?? Back In My College Days We Had Thing Called ALCOHOL, Con Sarnit! The University of Pittsburgh, in conjunction with apparent new Dean of Students Michelle Collins, has come up with a Finals Week stress-breaking activity that works better than my own personal method of "Sitting home eating leftover pizza for three days while playing through the first and second quests of NES Zelda":
Releasing 25 dogs into the study area every night.
One week before finals, a 185-pound Great Pyrenees named Apache sprawled on his back, all but begging students to rub his belly. Amy Fanigan, of Baldwin Borough, was the first student to drop to her knees to comply with the wishes of the fluffy white dog. Every Tuesday night from 7 to 8 p.m., university officials let the dogs into the Commons Rooms, a heavily used study area... "The dogs are definitely a stress buster," Miss Fanigan said. About 25 dogs participate in the program, which is called College Canine.I love that they say the dogs 'participate,' like the dogs mulled it over then decided to sign up and donate their time. I also love picturing myself going to 'College Canine' nights and not studying for three hours leading up to the dogs' arrival because "the dogs are almost here" then playing with the dogs for an hour then not studying for another three hours because "c'mon, we just played with the dogs!" • Michael Wolff counters our optimism about Newsweek and predicts that it will be dead within two years. Now that's just plain mean. [Newser] • Outgoing McClatchy president Howard Weaver is a little optimistic about the company he's leaving. "I believe we're well on the road to reaching that stable new platform," he wrote to the staff, "and are much farther along than most people believe." Unfortunately, "we may face more painful choices before our re-calibration is complete." There's always a "but," isn't there? [Romenesko] • Those CNET layoffs from yesterday also included layoffs at cbsnews.com. [MediaPost] • Our own Jesse Oxfeld chimes in to tell us the story of how wonderful life used to be at Time Inc., and how, um, stripped down it is now. We never experienced a newsroom with drink carts, but somehow that's what we miss the most. [Daily Beast] • Neener, neener, neener — Gawker editors will now have to work the weekend shifts. To be clear, when they inevitably do this to us, too, you guys are allowed to laugh. [FishbowlNY/Mediabistro] Read more posts by Chris Rovzar Filed Under: cbs, cbs news, cnet, jared kushner, mcclatchy, media, media deathwatch, michael wolff, newsweek, times sqaure Source: Daily Intel | 12 Dec 2008 | 8:50 pm Francesco Bonami Selected to Curate the Whitney’s 2010 Biennial Francesco Bonami The Whitney has announced the curator of its 2010 biennial: Italian Francesco Bonami. At 53, he’s best known for the 2003 Venice Biennale, which was met with mixed reviews, and more fondly remembered for curating the cutting-edge Aperto wing of the 1993 Biennale. There, Jeffrey Deitch showed a carcass by then-unknown Damien Hirst, with tragic results. Specifically, fumes from Hirst’s preservatives killed all the ants in the adjacent ant farm brought by artist Yukinori Yanagi. The resulting international kerfuffle put Hirst on the map. Bonami will be co-curating with the Whitney’s Gary Carrion-Murayari, 28, who is considered to be either a sop or a comfort to those who worry that the Euro-tied senior curator won’t be doing the Brooklyn art scene much justice (let alone the American). Bonami is tight with major Whitney supporter Melva Bucksbaum and served as a judge for the annual Bucksbaum award, something of the Whitney’s Turner prize. (Past winners have included Raymond Pettibon, Omer Fast and Mark Bradford.) But that brings us to another issue. The Bucksbaum family, according to Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal, has seen the value of its stake in real-estate giant General Growth plummet to $116 million from $3.2 billion six months ago. Will Melva be as generous going forward with the Whitney — and its downtown expansion plans? Read more posts by Alexandra Peers Filed Under: Francesco Bonami, Gary Carrion-Murayari, Newsreel, The Whitney Source: Vulture | 12 Dec 2008 | 8:45 pm Is David Cook Having the Best Year Ever? Tonight, Best Year Ever with Paul F. Tompkins premieres on Vh1 at 9 PM.
But what makes a year the "Best", per se? Hard to tell. But one thing we CAN all agree on is that the year would have been a heck of a lot worse without the best television show of the new millennium: AMERICAN IDOL. And, more specifically, DAVID COOK.
So what good fortune that the following EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW of tonight's hour-long special happens to feature both! Yes, David Cook stopped by the BWE studios to tell you why he, David Cook, should be voted as having the Best Year Ever! Listen to his plea, and watch tonight to see if it worked...
Source: Best Week Ever | 12 Dec 2008 | 8:30 pm New South Ferry Station to Save You From EmbarrassmentHave you ever been on the 1 train to South Ferry and suddenly, even though you've been a New Yorker for years, felt like one of those idiotic tourists who don't know how to use the subway? Soon your trauma will be all over. A glorious new station is about to open, with lovely murals, better access, and even a piece of the Battery wall. And most important: a platform that actually extends for the length of the train. [NY1] Read more posts by Tim Murphy Filed Under: lower manhattan, mta, neighborhood watch, south ferry, subway, transit Source: Daily Intel | 12 Dec 2008 | 8:28 pm Milos Forman Remembers The Firemen’s Ball, Sabotaging Communists Milos Forman hasn’t made that many movies — fourteen features in 44 years, by our reckoning – but he’s certainly made them count. The Czech writer-director started off with the Iron Curtain classics Black Peter and Loves of a Blonde before running seriously afoul of authorities with 1967’sThe Firemen’s Ball, which is currently being revived at BAM. But he truly came into his own in the U.S., where for more than three decades he’s signed his name to such momentous (and often Oscar-winning) works as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus, The People vs. Larry Flynt, and Man in the Moon. Along the way, Forman has seen the ravages of Nazism, the devastation of Communism, the craziness of the sixties, and the paranoia of the seventies. So, all things considered, it was pretty easy for him to answer Vulture’s questions. It’s been 40 years since you made The Firemen’s Ball. When was the last time you saw the film? Did you anticipate such a strong reaction from the government when you made it? What did the real firemen who were in the film think of it? Have you gone back to that town since? Were you disappointed at all with the critical response to Goya’s Ghosts? That seemed like a very personal film for you. Are you following Oscar season? There are also a number of Holocaust films being released. As someone who lost his parents during the Holocaust, do you feel this is a subject that can be properly treated on film? You’ve never really tackled this subject, though. Read more posts by Bilge Ebiri Filed Under: chat room, fireman's ball, milos foreman, movies Source: Vulture | 12 Dec 2008 | 8:15 pm Brazil Fashion Cruise: This Isn’t What We Meant by Nautical Fashion All aboard! If you haven't used all your vacation days yet, we've got your solution right here: the Brazil Fashion Cruise. That's right, fashion plus a cruise — South America's very own heaven on the high waters. Setting sail from the port Santos, Brazil (near São Paulo), the MSC Musica cruise liner takes passengers on a seven-night, eight-day cruise stopping at Búzios, Salvador, Maceió, and Ilhéus. As for the fashion elements, eight designers (such as São Paulo Fashion Week staples Samuel Cirnansck and Juliana Jabour) hop aboard to put on fashion shows. (Probably two shows each, for the early diners and late diners — Cruise Critics, you know what we mean.) Also adding to the fashion segment, a "top Brazilian agency" will award a modeling contract to one of the passengers, which will likely turn the entire cruise into one weeklong version of Next Top Model, sans Tyra's wacky mentorship and 500 different smiles. Although we're questioning the fashion-friendliness of the cruise since the ship leaves port on February 1 — just twelve days before the first runway shows walk in New York — we can't hold anything against those with time for one last rendezvous before the 24-hour excitement (read: stress) of Fashion Week. Expect to shill out $1,190 to $1,490 for this weeklong cruise, a price that so graciously includes five meals a day (see … fashion people eat!). Free beverages are limited to breakfast, which means paying for booze is one big sucker punch, since you're guaranteed to need a drink the second you step onboard. We're envisioning some sort of pirate takeover is already in the works. And by pirates, we mean sleazy, skuzzy, seedy men. Because the thought that this ship won't be full of wannabe modelizers just doesn't seem feasible. Bon voyage! Read more posts by Sharon Clott Filed Under: brazil fashion week, cruise, overboard Source: The Cut | 12 Dec 2008 | 8:13 pm A bust of German composer Johann-Sebastian BachA bust of German composer Johann-Sebastian Bach by Carl Seffner stands at the entrance of the Bach Museum, in Leipzig in 2000. Three letters written by Bach have been uncovered in the archives of the University...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Dec 2008 | 8:05 pm My Horn Can Pierce the Sky Those digital completists over at NBC just launched a Website for Princess Unicorn, which fans of The Office will recognize as being the hottest Christmas gift in Scranton this season. The site comes complete with her backstory and a testimonial from none other than Dwight K. Schrute himself. Sorry, superfans, you can't buy your very own Princess Unicorn doll … yet. [Princess Unicorn] Read more posts by Mark Graham Filed Under: NBC, Synergy, The Office Source: Vulture | 12 Dec 2008 | 8:05 pm N.Y. SAG leaders oppose strikeFront Page: Union's New York reps disapprove of vote -- Leaders of SAG's New York branch have split from the Hollywood leadership and called for the guild to stop its strike authorization vote.Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 12 Dec 2008 | 8:02 pm An Open Letter to Jennifer Aniston: Shut the F**k Up Already Dear Jennifer Aniston,
Years ago, in an America far, far away, you were our reigning Queen of Must See TV. Week in, week out, your portrayal of uptight retail buyer Rachel Green brought a smattering of happiness into our lives, as did your signature hairstyle. And while publicly we all rolled our eyes as to the obviousness of your ongoing on-and-off romance with your simian best friend Ross, privately, we all basked in the warmth of your glow. Even at $1 million per episode, you were worth it.
Then, in 2004, the cast of Friends decided they would be better off on the big screen. And so you went on to make a string of films that even your follicles couldn't save: Derailed, Rumor Has It..., The Break-Up (which, to be fair, made good bank, but just sucked). And we thought that perhaps that would be the last of you.
And you've proved us wrong! Your failed marriage with Brad Pitt was splashed across the headlines after he left you for Angelina Jolie in 2005. We felt bad at the time... Really! We just wanted you to have babies and live your life and be happy.
But lately, we're starting to maybe understand what drove you and Brad Pitt apart. And that would be this: Woman, you just don't know what to shut your damn mouth.
In the past couple of months, it seems that every magazine cover and gossip column and trashy blog (THROAT CLEAR) is talking about you. Every day! Whether you're constantly dishing about your new boy toy John Mayer, or talking to the press about how "over" Brad and Ange you are (hint: please get a therapist and keep me out of it), or posing naked on NUMEROUS magazine covers... it just reeks of desperation.
 And the thing is: We want to like you! You were great on 30 Rock! You have great comic timing! But then you have to go and call Angelina "uncool" and we're all like "Dammmmmn Jen, why can't you just keep it ladylike? You are slowly rewriting the lyrics to the Blackstreet song to read "No Dignity"... and the truth is, we're not really liking the way you work it. Nor would we "bag it up."
Hence this letter. Jennifer Aniston: Please shut the f**k up already. The world gets it: You are happy, blessed, in love, looking fab, and most importantly, over Brad!
Put your fabulous 40-year-old body in some clothes for a couple of months, hang out with your new boy toy at home in Highfenceville, and just bide your time. Beetlejuice those lips shut. And you know what? Keep with this plan, and in a couple of months, maybe we'll watch Marley & Me on Demand. We said maybe! Don't push it.
Sincerely,
The Alliance of Literate Americans
PS: If we're ever to meet you, we will of course pretend this letter never happened and kiss your ass accordingly. Good day.Source: Best Week Ever | 12 Dec 2008 | 8:00 pm Actor Steve MartinActor Steve Martin speaks during AFI's Night At The Movies presented by Target held at ArcLight Cinemas in October 2008 in Hollywood, California. Hollywood heavyweights Kate Winslet, Martin, Jude Law and...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Dec 2008 | 8:00 pm Actress Kate WinsletActress Kate Winslet attends the premiere of "The Reader" at the Ziegfeld Theater on December 3, 2008 in New York City. Hollywood heavyweights Winslet, Steve Martin, Jude Law and Clive Owen will headline...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Dec 2008 | 8:00 pm Actor Jude LawActor Jude Law, seen in 2007, attends Sony Pictures Classics' Premiere Of "Sleuth" at the Paris Theatre in New York City. Hollywood heavyweights Kate Winslet, Steve Martin, Law and Clive Owen will headline...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Dec 2008 | 8:00 pm WATCH: Hasselbeck Attacks EvolutionSource: ABC News: Entertainment | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:56 pm Burn Notice Star Gabrielle Anwar Doesn’t Believe in Television Gabrielle Anwar, who plays an ass-kicking former IRA agent on USA's Burn Notice, doesn't actually own a TV. "I don't believe in it," she told us at last night's premiere of Good. "I'd rather be living my own life than witnessing somebody else living theirs." But what about fans of her show? "They're just a bunch of losers!" she said, but added kindly: "But hey, those losers are paying my rent and I love them dearly." She prefers spending her free time using her hands, which these days means making holiday gifts. "My kids are sort of like, 'Oh jeez, mom! Do you have to get the glue gun out again?' But that's kind of what we're about this time of year." So what kind of crafts does she make? "One year, thanks to Martha Stewart, we made snow globes. We modeled out of clay each person [to whom] we were giving" a snow globe. "We did a little sort of bust of that person. I'm not talking about a boob, I'm talking about their actual face. It was pretty great. The only problem, Martha-bloody-Stewart, is that the liquid dried up within days, so please put that down on your Website." We'll pass along the message.
Read more posts by Tali Yahalom Filed Under: gabrielle anwar, good, Party Lines Source: Daily Intel | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:54 pm US singer MadonnaUS singer Madonna performs during a concert offered in Buenos Aires on December 5, 2008 as part of her world tour "Sticky & Sweet Tour", supporting her latest album, "Hard Candy". Madonna arrived in...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:53 pm US singer Madonna and British film director Guy RitchieThis file picture taken in September 2008 in London shows US singer Madonna (R) arriving with her then husband British film director Guy Ritchie for the world premiere of his film "Rocknrolla". A London...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:53 pm 'Idol' Producer Fires Back at Abdul"Idol" producer says show didn't put Paula in peril by inviting stalker to show.Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:50 pm Suicide Cross Back Over the Styx, to Greenpoint This was him like four years ago. Dressed like that old sketch of the Unabomber (hood up, big shades), Suicide singer Alan Vega — now 70 years old — took the stage at Greenpoint’s Club Europa last night to dole out Suicide songs new and old, each frayed with harsh electro-crackle. While Vega's muttered, pillowy talk had the tunes spiraling off into grimy trance states, Martin Rev stood at his side, finding new ways to molest a keyboard with his fists and elbows. A twitchy rendition of “Ghost Rider” offered a quick jolt; the still-creepy "I Surrender" felt like a nightmarish Roy Orbison ballad. A.R.E. Weapons warmed up. They’re a band that not only emulates Suicide’s penchant for sleeveless T-shirts, but its longevity, too. Years have passed since the salad days of electroclash, when the Weapons were the talk of the town, so props to them for evolving out of the miasma of hipster backlash. Last night, the band convulsed its way through electro-rockabilly jams about riding public transit and shaking down deadbeats for money — recession-proof themes. Before taking the stage, band members wandered around the club sporting leather jackets adorned with self-promoting insignia. One jacket read “A.R.E. Weapons Forever.” Will we still love them when they’re 74? Read more posts by Chris Richards Filed Under: last night's gig, music, suicide. a.r.e. weapons Source: Vulture | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:45 pm Nicole Miller Gets Starry Eyed (Fashion Wire Daily)
Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:40 pm Move Over, Peaches. Here Comes Pixie! She's so ... pixieish! Just when you thought you'd been inflicted with enough Geldof torture, Pixie, Peaches's little sister, has landed in a campaign for Pringle of Scotland, alongside Daisy Lowe and Lydia Hearst. Perhaps the theme is celebrity kid models who are rich and work despite not needing the money? Pringle Goes Lowe [British Vogue] Read more posts by Amina Akhtar Filed Under: daisy lowe, lydia hearst, Peaches Geldof, Pixie Geldof, pringle of scotland, Sister Attack! Source: The Cut | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:30 pm Some of the 112 Miss World candidatesSome of the 112 Miss World candidates pose in November 2008 after ornithology lessons in the mountains at the Legend resort Limpopo, in the South African northern province. More than 100 of the world's...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:29 pm Miss Ghana (R)Miss Ghana (R) poses with some of the 112 Miss World candidates in November 2008 at the Pedi cultural village in the mountains at the Legend resort Limpopo, in the South African northern province. More...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:29 pm Miss Gibraltar (L) gets a hand massageMiss Gibraltar (L) gets a hand massage in November 2008 after a two-hour walk in the mountains at the Legend resort Limpopo, in the South African northern province. More than 100 of the world's most beautiful...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:29 pm The Top 10 Unsexiest Movies Of All TimeIn response to Entertainment Weekly's Top 10 Sexiest Movies Of All Time, I started wondering which movies are the LEAST sexy and should probably be avoided on a romantic date, or any time you're trying to get a boner. This list could also be used as a litmus test to see if you're a perv or not:          Source: Best Week Ever | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:15 pm Tom Cruise Already Plotting His Next Golden Globe Nomination "I've talked about doing different videos with the character. I've started working with Ben [Stiller] on it, and we've kind of talked about different things to do. We were gonna do some in our free time, but we haven't found the free time … yet." —Tom Cruise on bringing back his Tropic Thunder character [E!] "I just remember so many free meals." —Wall-E director Andrew Stanton on looking forward to awards season [AP via Yahoo] "Call me crazy, but I'd like to think I have a real shot at taking home — wait Piven's not in this category, is he? Crap." —Neil Patrick Harris on his Golden Globe nomination [Envelope/LAT] "There's not a lot of CGI. The CGI is with Tom's injuries because he's missing a hand and fingers and things like that, but when it came to the explosive elements to the picture they're all real." —Bryan Singer confirms that the special-effects budget for Valkyrie was strictly confined to Tom Cruise [Ain't It Cool News] "Lil' Wayne presented me with this iPod which contained 40 unreleased songs he had recorded — and one was called Michael Phelps. In that song he just keeps rapping 'Michael Phelps, Michael Phelps, swimming through the water…' I like all the songs he gave me but obviously that means the most." —Michael Phelps [WENN via Starpulse] "If anybody out there wants to create a challenge or wants to bet some money online, we could play the game right now." —50 Cent on his new video game, Blood in the Sand [MTV] Read more posts by Tammy Oler Filed Under: 50 cent, andrew stanton, bryan singer, michael phelps, neil patrick harris, quote machine, tom cruise Source: Vulture | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:15 pm Monday’s Magazine, Today!Because it's the holidays, we're giving you the gift of early items from the magazine: Tina Fey brought her Sarah Palin impression out of retirement for Shelly Silver and the Democratic caucus — she couldn't really refuse, considering NBC chief Jeff Zucker asked her to make the appearance … In an interview, New School prez Bob Kerrey says he just doesn't understand why people want to get rid of him … And Will Leitch considers why the Mets and Yankees are making big bets and signing highly expensive players during the economic collapse. Frankly, it gives us hope: If the Yankees still have $161 million to spend, things can't be that bad. Read more posts by Jessica Coen Filed Under: bob kerrey, intel, mets, new school, tina fey, will leitch, yankees Source: Daily Intel | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:15 pm Times Wonders Why No One’s Come Up With a Logo for This Thing Yet This hit us like a Nairtini to the eye: "While the 'economic crisis' — a term often used by journalists — has also been called the 'credit crunch' and the 'Wall Street crisis,' it remains the rare major news event without a defining logo, one that crystallizes attention and acts as shorthand for reporters." Sigh. It's okay, Stelter. To paraphrase a great man: The more you ignore us, the closer we get. [NYT] Read more posts by Jessica Pressler Filed Under: brian stelter, new york times, THE GREATEST DEPRESSION, The Greatest Depression, When you sleep we'll creep into your heads like a bad debt you can't pay/Take the easy way/And give in. Source: Daily Intel | 12 Dec 2008 | 6:58 pm Botkier Pop-up Store Opens Today; Up to 60 Percent Off Bags and Shoes The storefront at 117 Mercer Street. At noon today Monica Botkier opens her first stand-alone store at 117 Mercer Street in Soho, as a monthlong pop-up shop featuring her line of bags and shoes. When you boil it down, this pop-up shop seems like nothing more than a glorified three-week sample sale, as the store is only temporary and the prices are over 60 percent off. Which is all the more reason to go! Boots that were $675 are now $275, a clutch that was $395 is $150, and a nylon tote that was $450 is now $150. In addition, get a coupon for 20 percent off her items on the Website with any purchase. Though the store will close on December 31, the designer says she's using the pop-up to "test the water" to see if she could handle a real long-term outpost, to which we say kudos for still holding on to retail dreams in this economy. Check out a sampling of the stock after the jump. Botkier Pop-up Shop, 117 Mercer St., nr. Spring St.; 12/12–12/31 (noon–8).  From left, Heather boots are $275 (originally $675); Sasha nylon duffel is $150 (originally $450).Photo: Courtesy of Botkier Read more posts by Sharon Clott Filed Under: monica botkier, retail therapy, sales, shopping Source: The Cut | 12 Dec 2008 | 6:57 pm BWE SLANG: Tom Cruise-ify Tom Cruise-ify
v., -fied, -fy·ing, -fies.
To outwardly dismiss an actor's performance solely based on his or her crazy offscreen personality, actions or demeanor.
Example: "Did you see the trailer for that Changeling movie? What is Angelina's frickin' problem?"
A lot of my co-workers here at the VH1 Fantastariffic Candy Factory have already laughed off the film Valkyrie simply because Tom Cruise is in it, and many moviegoers appear to be doing the same thing; while I haven't seen Valkyrie and thus must concede the possibility that it sucks, I'm still a bit taken back by this sudden universal dismissal of Tom Cruise as an actor.
He's clearly crazy, he's clearly somewhat of an a-hole, and his gossip magazine exploits over the past three years have been beyond shameful even by celebrities' lofty standards, but are we really such haughty, spiteful moviegoers that we have to then automatically assume every movie he makes sucks?
Here's Tom Cruise's film credits over the past decade, excluding cameos:
Tropic Thunder (2008) .... Les Grossman
Lions for Lambs (2007) .... Senator Jasper Irving
Mission: Impossible III (2006) .... Ethan Hunt
War of the Worlds (2005) .... Ray Ferrier
Collateral (2004) .... Vincent
The Last Samurai (2003) .... Nathan Algren
Minority Report (2002) .... Chief John Anderton
Vanilla Sky (2001) .... David Aames
Mission: Impossible II (2000) .... Ethan Hunt
Magnolia (1999) .... Frank T.J. Mackey
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) .... Dr. William 'Bill' Harford
I'd categorize Minority Report, Magnolia, Tropic Thunder, Collateral, and Eyes Wide Shut as "Awesome," MI:3 as "Decent," Vanilla Sky and Last Samurai as "Meh", and MI:2 and War of the Worlds as "Crappy," though Cruise couldn't have saved either one.  The man's not Daniel Day-Lewis selective, but he generally picks his projects well and acts well in them, and yet, here we are rolling our eyes because he's doing a slight German accent in some fifteen-second previews? How easily we forget.
Ultimately, I suppose I understand people's willingness to dismiss a Tom Cruise movie nowadays, I just simply don't agree, especially given how so many artists in so many different mediums are just complete, unflinching d*cks, and we seem to usually demonstrate some degree of artist/art separation, especially when the result is us being able to just sit back and enjoy a movie like Collateral without yelling "you're glib, Jamie Foxx!!" at the screen constantly (which I'm sure I'll do next time I see the movie on tv). If we're gonna start throwing away art because we hate the artists, then personally, I'm not looking forward to listening to Jimmy Buffett while watching every rock cd I own burning in a giant pillar of flame.
Tom Cruise is a crazy, publicity-whorey alien-worshipper. What does this mean for the film Valkyrie? Absolutely nothing. If the movie sucks, it won't be because of that Suri Cruise Vanity Fair spread. Unless there's a scene where Hitler whips out the Suri Cruise Vanity Fair spread and holds it up to the camera for ten minutes, in which case, I would be the first to admit I was wrong.
Now... Jared Leto, on the other hand...Source: Best Week Ever | 12 Dec 2008 | 6:50 pm Sheer Fashion = Nipple Slideshow After yesterday's in-depth exploration of the enlarged bosoms of post-pregnancy celebs, the Daily News is at it again. Now they've got an investigative slideshow of Hollywood's finest sporting sheer fashions, which is an excellent excuse to run 41 slides of Hathaway, Alba, and Portman nipples. Not that we're judging. [NYDN] Read more posts by Jessica Coen Filed Under: body issues, breasts, celebs, daily news, is it cold in here?, nipples Source: The Cut | 12 Dec 2008 | 6:12 pm 2008: The year that broke the rulesFront Page: Female fare, 3-D made box office gains -- If last year's box office was something of a snore -- could there have been any more sequels? -- the 2008 box office has been anything but a bore.Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 12 Dec 2008 | 5:57 pm 'Caine Mutiny' star Van Johnson diesFront Page: 1940s heartthrob appeared in film and TV -- Van Johnson, boyish 1940s heartthrob who starred in "The Caine Mutiny," died Friday in Nyack, New York.Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 12 Dec 2008 | 5:44 pm Beyoncé’s Style Evolution Beyoncé has been doing some intriguing things lately, style-wise. Though leading up to her new album, I am Sasha Fierce, she preferred shiny showgirl dresses and typical pop-star fare (read: over-the-knee patent-leather boots with matching booty shorts), she's moved into a new avant-garde phase. She hired avant-garde master designer Thierry Mugler to costume her tour and has uncharacteristically stepped out in Gareth Pugh and Alexander McQueen onstage. She's going to need some killer dresses for awards-show season, seeing as she was just nominated for a Golden Globe. Judging by her fashion past, can we predict which way she'll go — avant-garde or glam beauty queen? And more important (because this is really important), has she found herself style-wise since she released her first solo album in 2003? Judge for yourself in the slideshow, our look back at five years of Beyoncé fashion. Read more posts by Amy Odell Filed Under: alexander mcqueen, beyonce, fashion yearbook, gareth pugh Source: The Cut | 12 Dec 2008 | 5:32 pm The 1,000 best things of all timeWhat would you put on a list of 1,000 recordings you should hear? A thousand movies you should see? A number of experts have taken on the challenge -- and expect to start arguments.Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 12 Dec 2008 | 5:28 pm The Strokes' Fraiture Turns Toward Nickel EyeAs he prepares to roll out his side project, Nickel Eye, next month, Strokes bassist Nikolai Fraiture predicts the group members' various solo activities will influence the music they make when they reconvene in February.Source: Billboard.com | 12 Dec 2008 | 5:26 pm Exclusive: Eminem Talks New Album, BookEminem has revealed details of his long-awaited new album, "Relapse," in an exclusive interview with Billboard, conducted via email. The set is due next spring from Shady/Interscope.Source: Billboard.com | 12 Dec 2008 | 5:01 pm 15 films on Oscar's visual effects listFront Page: 'Journey to the Center of the Earth' makes cut -- The Academy has shortlisted 15 films for Achievement in Visual Effects.Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 12 Dec 2008 | 4:54 pm Luke Skywalker Light Saber Sells for $240K"Star Wars" fan scores light saber for $240,000 at H'wood memorabilia auction.Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 12 Dec 2008 | 4:52 pm Studios contact Pelosi over strikeFront Page: AMPTP send letter to local, national officials -- Amping up the pressure on the Screen Actors Guild, the majors have gone to elected officials with a blast at SAG leaders for seeking a strike authorization.Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 12 Dec 2008 | 4:45 pm CBS scores big on ThursdayFront Page: 'Survivor,' 'CSI' carry network to ratings victory -- The penultimate episode of this fall's "Survivor" combined with some of the best scores of the season for "CSI" and "Eleventh Hour" to lift CBS to a convincing victory in key demos on Thursday.Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 12 Dec 2008 | 4:39 pm Axl Rose Pipes Up On GNR Message BoardsHe's yet to grant an interview about Guns N' Roses' recently released "Chinese Democracy," but last night (Dec. 11) Axl Rose broke his silence by answering questions on the message boards of popular GNR Web sites MyGNR.com and Here Today ... Gone to Hell.Source: Billboard.com | 12 Dec 2008 | 4:29 pm PHOTOS: Breaking Up Is Hard to DoKate Walsh and husband hope to remain friends after announcing plans to divorce.Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 12 Dec 2008 | 4:19 pm Pinup Queen Bettie Page Dies at 85Page, pinup favorite whose photos fueled the 1960s sex revolution, dies in LA.Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 12 Dec 2008 | 4:04 pm Gallery: Aniston looking stunningSource: CNN.com - Entertainment | 12 Dec 2008 | 3:58 pm PHOTOS: Jen and Her MenA look at the guys who were more than just "Friends" to Aniston.Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 12 Dec 2008 | 3:53 pm Hugh Jackman to host OscarsFront Page: 'Australia' actor takes over for Jon Stewart -- Hugh Jackman will host the 81st annual Academy Awards in February. Executive producer Bill Condon and producer Laurence Mark made the announcement today.Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 12 Dec 2008 | 3:51 pm Chris Brown Pairs With Rihanna, McGrawStill riding high on the success of his 2007 sophomore Jive set "Exclusive," which has sold 1.9 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, Chris Brown is wrapping up a banner 2008.Source: Billboard.com | 12 Dec 2008 | 3:20 pm Aniston Joins Abdul, Others in Baring AllThe latest way to score publicity: drop a bombshell, your clothes or both.Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 12 Dec 2008 | 3:15 pm Globe-winning star wonders about his hairJon Hamm has a confession to make: He hates his hair.Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 12 Dec 2008 | 2:59 pm 'Mad Men' on Thin Ice?Star Jon Hamm says show can't go on without its creatorSource: FOXNews.com | 12 Dec 2008 | 2:29 pm Review: 'Doubt' dulls its best points"Frost/Nixon" is a fact-based drama, starring Michael Sheen and Frank Langella, about a mid-1970s confrontation between a wily British TV host and a disgraced American president. "Doubt" is a fictional drama, starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, about a mid-1960s confrontation between an imperious Bronx nun in charge of a parochial school and a liberal priest she is convinced has behaved improperly with a student.Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 12 Dec 2008 | 1:54 pm Santas can freak out screaming toddlersHe's a huge, strangely dressed man who sneaks into people's homes at night, then yells, "Ho! Ho! Ho!" at the top of his lungs. Who wouldn't be afraid of Santa Claus?Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 12 Dec 2008 | 1:46 pm
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