Maxwell, Anita Baker, Al Green, John Legend, Robin Thicke, Salt-N-Pepa, Ne-Yo and En Vogue will join previously announced headliner Beyonce at the 15th annual Essence Music Festival. The event will be held July 3-5 at the New Orleans Superdome.
Barack Obama famously doesn't sweat. But according to Sheryl Gay Stolberg's report today in the Times regarding the relaxed dress code in his White House, the new president hasn't made the task of staying dry easy for himself:
The capital flew into a bit of a tizzy when, on his first full day in the White House, President Obama was photographed in the Oval Office without his suit jacket. There was, however, a logical explanation: Mr. Obama, who hates the cold, had cranked up the thermostat. “He’s from Hawaii, O.K.?” said Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod, who occupies the small but strategically located office next door to his boss. “He likes it warm. You could grow orchids in there.”
It's funny — for a guy who is all about breaking down the old-fashioned, stuffy way of doing things, this is one of the most traditional intimidation tactics we can think of. Just imagine it: You're a Republican lawmaker on your way from a steak lunch, you show up in the Oval Office for a meeting on the stimulus plan you oppose, and before you know it you've oozed perspiration all the way through the armpit of your wool Brooks Brothers suit. And there's Obama, cool, calm, practically glowing in his pristine white shirt. Your forehead is beginning to drip over your bushy eyebrows, stinging your contact lenses. Your carefully fluffy GOP hair is even beginning to flatten. Does the man even have to use a dry cleaner? Okay, okay! Show you where to sign!
AP - A former Bahamas senator has been granted bail on charges she conspired to help extort $25 million from actor John Travolta after his son died from a seizure at a family vacation home.
AP - Director John Landis sued Michael Jackson and a Broadway producer on Wednesday, claiming the pair lack the proper rights to adapt a stage production based on "Thriller."
'A lot of people who had issues with it, they just misunderstood,' Bus says of controversial song.By Shaheem Reid Busta Rhymes Photo: MTV News Busta Rhymes doesn't just carry his BlackBerry with... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 29 Jan 2009 | 1:03 pm
The romantic comedy "New In Town" puts co-stars Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick Jr. at odds through most of the film. But behind the camera, the story was completely different, the pair told CNN.
The day I interviewed Neil Diamond, he was sitting in a little room to the side of a studio, and a makeup artist was smacking him in the face with a powder puff. He was wearing a white wife-beater T-shirt and looked like he wanted to flee.
Reuters - Lurid figures of Iranian prostitutes and images of semi-naked men posing provocatively are among works at a new London exhibition of Middle Eastern art that may test the tolerance of some.
Exclusive Access For Fans & Customers Including Chance to Win Sneak Peek at Final Dress Rehearsal WARREN, N.J., Jan. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 29 Jan 2009 | 12:30 pm
E! Online - Rihanna is not only up for three Grammys next week, but I just got word that the 20-year-old beauty has been added to the list of performers on the big night.
From the depths of Salt Lake City, Utah, hometown of golden child David Archuleta, they came: some swell, some lousy, and one whose only saving grace was the pal dressed in a baby-pink bunny suit...
If you found yourself asking these questions aloud while watching tonight's episode of Lost, you are not...
Reuters - Time Warner Inc's AOL will cut about 700 jobs, or 10 percent of its workforce, as it copes with an advertising slump, in a move that could make the slimmed-down company more attractive to possible merger partners like Yahoo Inc.
Michelle Obama, you've finally made it.
And we're not talking about helping your husband become the president of the United States. Or of being a successful working mom with two...
Rihanna is not only up for three Grammys next week, but I just got word that the 20-year-old beauty has been added to the list of performers on the big night.
The Barbadian pop...
(E! Online)
E! Online - How many people came up with the premise for Hannah Montana, anyway?
Somebody got seared on a hot gridiron.
In a Super Bowl-themed episode, the cheftestants competed head-to-head against an all-star team from previous seasons. And the results were...
How many people came up with the premise for Hannah Montana, anyway?
Another writer has filed a lawsuit claiming he pitched the original script for what ultimately became the hit Disney...
I just got word that the two will cohost a party next week for a musician pal at their L.A.-area...
(Fashion Wire Daily)
Fashion Wire Daily - The powers to be and any influence peddler of note in fashion turned out in force Wednesday for the debut haute couture collection by the new joint creative directors of the house of Valentino, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli.
Oscar statuettes displayed on Times Square Studios in New York. Final ballots for next month's Oscars were on Wednesday mailed to voters who will decide the winners of the movie world's most coveted awards,... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 28 Jan 2009 | 11:40 pm
The Simpsons has never been one to shy away from poking fun at organized Judeo-Christian religions. But not because Springfield's first family is aspiring to thetan level...
Wonder what got Jake Gyllenhaal so riled up he just kicked that cameraman while doing jury duty? Sure enough, J.G. was just holed up at the Clara Shortridge Foltz criminal courthouse in downtown...
Tween news flash: Taylor Swift likes sundresses. No, she really likes them — enough to collaborate with l.e.i. to develop her own line of $14 dresses, which will launch at Wal-Mart next month. "Sundresses are my favorite things to wear," Swift tells us about her inspiration. "In the summer, I automatically want to look bohemian." Yes, for this 19-year-old, sunshine is the ultimate boho-hippie trigger. And just as we fear we're watching her descend into the dreaded celebrity-designer category, she promises not to become Lauren Conrad anytime soon: "I don't look at it like I'm branching out as a designer. It's not the Taylor Swift designer line or whatever," she says. "I like people who have worked their entire lives to become designers. I think that they have their place as designers and I have my place as a musician, and I'm going to pretty much stick to that." Excuse us, we just saw pigs fly.
In terms of actually checking out her favorite designers, Taylor's plans for Fashion Week are bleak. "I've never been to a fashion show. I love just watching them on TV," she says. "I want to go, that would be so cool." This girl shows up to red-carpet events in everything from Balenciaga to Marchesa to Collette Dinnigan. Publicists are you listening? Fourteen-dollar dresses are nice and all, but someone get her an invite.
See more of her dresses for l.e.i. after the jump.
Michael Jackson has no business taking Thriller to Broadway at this time as far as John Landis is concerned.
The man who directed the seminal 14-minute music video for Jackson's...
TASTE RECESSION: Jay Leno was voted America's #1 Favorite TV Personality, immediately revoking all my faith in our nation that the Obama election restored. Thanks! (Marketwatch)
UNDEADBEAT: Director John Landis is suing Michael Jackson for failing to pay his share of the "Thriller" music video royalties for the past four years. Man, four years of back royalties?? I doubt MJ will be able to survive a lawsuit of this magnitude. (Reuters)
PORN WITH ARTIFACTS: Warner Bros. is planning to make another Laura Croft movie, tentatively titled Tomb Raider III: The Boobening. (Hollywood Reporter)
MR. FALCON: This list of the Top 10 Worst Movie Edits For T.V. is pretty otterlucking awesome. (Ask Men, via Gorillamask)
WHAT ABOUT THE MOVEMENTARIANS: The Scientologists now own the voice of Bart Simpson. Shamefully, they're already using it to pretend they're a little kid trapped down a well. (Us Magazine) Source: Best Week Ever | 28 Jan 2009 | 11:00 pm
AP - If New York balletomanes tend to be a bit jaded, maybe even a bit spoiled, it's understandable: The city is home to the nation's top two ballet companies, New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre.
Actress Angelina Jolie arrives at the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Califronia, on January 25, 2009. Lara Croft is set to return in a new movie based on... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 28 Jan 2009 | 10:57 pm
For Heroes, War Child International's charity disc benefiting kids affected by war, writers of famous songs choose the artists who cover them. Alive as ever to what the kids are up to these days, David Bowie chose TV on the Radio for the title track. Smart, on paper: The band, appropriately enough, has a flair for experimentation and a vocalist with a strong upper register. But while Bowie clearly put some thought into this, he didn't pick someone to outdo him, either. The industrial-ish beat underpins a faithful rendition of the song, and the result falls rather short of the original's hair-raising studio magic. Still, it's for a good cause, and not just one benefiting old rockers with a yen for youthful things.
Reuters - It might have undergone several title changes on its way to the Lionsgate release schedule, including "Chilled in Miami" and "Moonlighting in Minnesota," but whatever its name, "New in Town" is strictly old hat -- and a poorly assembled hat at that. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 28 Jan 2009 | 10:48 pm
Reading today's media reports will feel almost as good as tripping into that giant slush-puddle on your way to work this morning. So grab a Snuggie and a big mug of Kahlua-spiked hot cocoa — today, you're gonna need it.
• Yikes. Earnings fell 48 percent at the New York Times in the last quarter. Ad revenue is down in print as well as digital, the last hope for the paper of record. The Times is pretending none of this is happening by cutting their monthly earnings reports. [Mixed Media/Portfolio, Mixed Media/Portfolio]
• Time Inc. is standing strong in the saga of the seven-cent increase. Though Ron Burkle's distribution company, Source Interlink, threatens to implement the price increase per copy this Sunday, Time Inc. is still refusing to pay the higher rate, putting the midweek distribution of People in jeopardy. But we can't go a week without a Brangie fix! This really is the worst recession ever. [NYP]
• Two finance gurus think the government should buy up some newspapers. But … wait. [NYT]
• But don't get too down — Rupert Murdoch's British satellite broadcaster Sky is growing! A rare victory for the little guy. [Guardian UK]
• MediaNews' Bay Area News Group (which includes the Contra Costa Times, Oakland Tribune, and San Jose Mercury News) is forcing its staff to take one-week unpaid vacations. [Romenesko]
Reuters - Talented writer-director Cary Joji Fukunaga kindles moderate interest with "Sin Nombre," a south-of-the-border immigrant odyssey and winner of the Sundance Film Festival dramatic competition's directing and cinematography awards. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 28 Jan 2009 | 10:44 pm
Reuters - Many of the documentaries in this year's Sundance Film Festival -- including "Crude," "The Cove" and "The End of the Line" -- raised serious environmental concerns. So it seems fitting that the festival's closing-night movie, "Earth Days," provides a sweeping history of the environmental movement. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 28 Jan 2009 | 10:43 pm
Members of the group Lynyrd Skynyrd perform at the 2006 CMA Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee. Lynyrd Skynyrd pianist Billy Powell, one of the longest-serving members of the 1970s supergroup, has... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 28 Jan 2009 | 10:43 pm
Sales Associate Christina Albina loves vintage from places like What Comes Around Goes Around, but she also loves labels. The day our Video Look Book caught her she wore Miu Miu, Tory Burch, Jill Stuart, Burberry, and two-tone Chanel sunglasses. Why two-tone? "Why? I don't know! Ask Karl Lagerfeld," she said. "He created them, and they only made 200 pairs and everywhere I go everyone's like, 'Where did you get those from?' I'm like, 'Chanel and there aren't any more and I'm not selling them to you.' " Watch the Video Look Book to find out which fashion item she loves more than clothes.
Evangelical pastor Ted Haggard says he contemplated suicide after his relationship with a male escort was revealed in 2006, resulting in his being fired from the influential megachurch that he founded two decades ago.
If you're like us -- "us" being people who appreciate their parents and are also not probably serial killers -- than you were probably more than a little outraged at the way minor league baseball player Shane Keough treated his lovely mother Jeana on last night's episode of The Real Housewives of the O.C.. If you missed it: Jeana traveled to the Midwest with Vicki to check out Shane play ball. On their way to the game, Shane discovered he wouldn't be playing... and then proceeded to berate Jeana with a series of abusive text messages (i.e. You better not f*cking show up; I'll never f*cking talk to you again, etc. etc.) Of course, the girls went to the game, only to be treated like garbage by Shane (not to mention his younger brother Coulton, who will eventually collapse in a pile of give up at his therapist's office.)
Later on that same day, over dinner, Shane treats his mother with incredible disrespect in front of a group of family friends. Disrespect isn't even the word: It's torture. If you missed this cringe-inducing meal, Jezebel has a clip.
Now, don't get us wrong: We hate nearly ALL of the Real Housewife children (save for Vicki's kids, who seem surprisingly grounded.) But Shane really goes for the assy gold in this episode. His language and behavior is that of a feral barn child, not the way a good-looking wealthy young baseball player should act towards his MOTHER of all people.
Which leads us to Math. Yes, we are actually going to use math to explain why Shane is such a taintpony. Observe this graph:
You could also go the easy route and just say that the guy is mentally retartar. Also, nice earring, guy. Source: Best Week Ever | 28 Jan 2009 | 10:30 pm
Bad news, 30 Rock fans. Contrary to Alec Baldwin's rantings after the SAG Awards, it looks like Meryl Streep won't be shooting a guest spot on the show after all. Oh well, at least she'll be able to keep her Oscar to Emmy ratio at a more Meryl-like 1:1. [Popeater]
Okay, so we’d feel a little better defending them if their efforts at branching out didn’t seem so half-hearted. The finance-boy addiction is apparently harder to kick than we would have ever imagined.
Grown-up slumdogs Dev Patel and Freida Pinto may get more media attention these days, but it was Slumdog Millionaire's adorable child actors who won our hearts by diving in poop and playing on the tops of train cars. So why were Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail (who played younger versions of Latika and Salim) paid only $700 and $2,300, respectively, for their services? An excellent question!
"There is none of the money left," Ismail's father told the Telegraph yesterday. "It was all spent on medicines to help me fight TB." Slumdog's makers have reportedly set up trust funds for the young stars and paid for their educations, as well as arranged temporary housing for them and their families until current controversies blow over. But with worldwide box-office approaching $86 million and the film scheduled to win Best Picture at the Oscars next month, we don't expect that to be anytime soon.
Also, real-life slumdogs upset over the movie's title have been protesting in front of Indian movie theaters. "We will burn Danny Boyle's effigies in 56 slums here," says the general secretary of a slum dwellers rights group. One critic took a slightly more reasonable tack, though — Nicolas Almeida, a slum-dweller himself, named a pack of stray dogs after the movie's director, producers, and stars: "I have named them Danny, Christian, Loveleen, Dev and Freida," he tells Reuters. Problem solved.
I won’t use the term "new low for Springsteen," but I do believe that this new song playing over random NFL highlights is more depressing than every song on Nebraska put together. Watch and be weakened.
Well, his newest single, "Queen of the Supermarket," and this time I will use the term "new low for Springsteen" and add that this new song playing over a fan-montage of grocery store footage is more depressing than every song on Nebraska put together multiplied by a power of "Working on a Dream."
I feel like Springsteen just turned traitor in an action movie and shot me in the gut, and as I'm dying, all I can faintly spill from my lips is the line "Bruce..........whyyyyy................."
(via Stereogum) Source: Best Week Ever | 28 Jan 2009 | 10:10 pm
Can you imagine if you were this woman's daughter? "I want that one, Mom!"
We've always been fascinated by couture customers. Just who are they anyway? Do they, like, go to Paris with a budget? How many servants does it take to carry their designer luggage to their designer suites? Do they bring hair dressers to Paris with them? What do they eat for breakfast? When their friends ask them what they're doing on Monday, do they say, "Oh, just couture shopping in Paris"? Well, Reuters tracked down some of these fur-clad babes at the Dior show:
"Sometimes I get surprised, you hear there is a crisis but you still see people shopping," said a Jordanian Dior client, queuing in front of the sun-streaked facade of the museum.
"When you want something exclusive, you have to go to haute couture. My daughter is getting married and I want a dress specially made for her — and for myself, and sisters and family," said the client, who did not want to be named.
Scintillating. Assuming she has two sisters, and "family" encompasses one person (we're balling low here), that means she needs five haute couture dresses. If each dress costs $40,000 (and they can easily cost more), she'll need to spend at least $200,000 on clothes for the bridal party.
We don't expect her to understand these "layoffs" and "mortgage-backed securities" (if we were rich enough to buy dresses that cost as much as cars we wouldn't think about those things, either) but how does she ever actually see people shopping? She probably never walks anywhere except for small distances from buildings to her chauffeured vehicle(s). And when she's not freaking shopping the Dior couture show in Paris Dior salesmen probably bring things to her home, which is constructed from solid 14k gold, where she serves him whole truffles, caviar, and hundred year old champagne. And when she breaths the air molecules probably turn into money. Okay. Now we feel like we understand these people better.
At this point, we're beginning to wonder if Mickey Rourke even cares about getting an Oscar anymore. After mouthing off about his involvement in the upcoming Wrestlemania at the SAG Awards over the weekend, the man of many faces went on Larry King Live last night and did a segment where he traded barbs with his new nemesis, WWE star–VH1 talking head Chris Jericho. Maybe if Marvel would pony up more than $250K for him to appear in Iron Man 2, Mickey wouldn't have to resort to off-putting wrestling stunts like this to pay the rent. [/Film]
Kanye West, overheard talking to Mischa Barton on the front row of the Elie Saab couture show: "It's hard to look sexy without looking angry." [Fashion Week Daily]
"Say, 'She lost a bundle with Bernie Madoff,'" comedienne and facial dysmorphic disorder victim Joan Rivers asked the Times when interviewed by Deborah Solomon some weeks ago. "Everybody is walking around now saying that, and that shows that you used to be very rich."
This is what we thought of today when Wells Fargo & Co. — the bank that was so sure of itself back in October that its chairman told Hank Paulson to keep his dirty taxpayer cash, they didn't need any of it — wrote down $294 million. And then blamed it on Bernie Madoff. Not their exposure to Madoff, mind you, because good ol' homesteading Wells would never have gotten into bed with such an obvious rube, but their exposure to people who had exposure, as CFO Howard Atkins explained to Bloomberg: "This is not our exposure to Madoff, this is our exposure to customers of ours who had investments in Madoff."
“They’ve gone from being wealthy to not having any money,” Atkins said. He didn’t say how many were involved.
It doesn't matter how many of them there are, you see, only that they used to be very rich.
Amid the harsh new economy, New York rent boys are thriving, working toward their dream jobs in fashion (or art) by discreetly arranging assignations with rich older gay men, for theater or more, where they can make up to $3,000 a week. "I never thought I'd be doing this," said one 23-year-old Williamsburg rent boy in tight jeans and a vintage plaid button-down. "But it just sort of worked out that it's actually a lot of fun." Yeah, let's just hope that it, and you, keep working out, buddy. [NYO]
The first and most outraged of the high-profile early buyers wishing to back out of the newly renovated Plaza penthouse apartments has reached a "favorable" (for him) settlement with the developers. Last September, Andrei Vavilov sued El-Ad, the company that had sold him two apartments for a whopping $53.5 million. After Vavilov put up a down payment, he (and more important, his younger actress wife) saw the place and hated it. He sought the return of his money, and El-Ad sued him right back, as one does, mostly because they claimed he and his wife were being petty.
But now everything's ended happily, and someone else will be able to live in that spectacular "attic-like" triplex apartment with allegedly tiny windows, obstructed views, visible air conditioners, low ceilings, and ugly drainage gates. The Plaza is in the clear now!
It's Wednesday, and you know what that means! BestWeekEver.tv gives you a picture and asks you to Blingee your heart out with it. Then, you post your best Blingees in the comments, and our favorite ones will make it onto the front page of the blog. What do you get out of it? Satisfaction. Can't put a price on that.
Today's Blingee Wednesday brings us Zac Efron greeting fans in Japan while promoting High School Musical 3: Senior Year. Upload the original (after the jump) over at Blingee.com and get creative! (You can search for new stamps on the templates sidebar, ex. "Hair") Good luck!
Ahead, the original photo template.
SKIN
• Brooke Shields is the new face of Coppertone's NutraShield Dual Defense sunscreen. So now she has a fallback if Lipstick Jungle doesn't make it. [WWD]
MAKEUP
• Catherine Zeta-Jones's homemade beauty products include honey-and-salt exfoliant, beer shampoo, and strawberry-pulp toothpaste. [Daily Mail]
• The theory that lipstick sales go up when the economy goes down isn't holding water. A new report shows that makeup sales dropped 3.3 percent in 2008, while skincare and anti-aging products remained at a steady selling pace. [WSJ/Heard on the Runway]
HAIR
• Cheryl Burke from Dancing With the Stars and Kelly Pickler from American Idol are the two new faces of Sexy Hair products. Eh, they don't make a bad bored-in-the-afternoon Google if you, like us, have no clue who they are. [People/Stylewatch]
As die-hard Backstreets fans continue to debate the set list that Bruce Springsteen is going to perform during the Super Bowl, one website is offering 10:1 odds that The Boss will pull Courtney Cox out of the audience on Sunday night, just like he did in the "Dancing In the Dark" video some 25 years ago. Meanwhile, Vulture is currently accepting bets with 500:1 odds that he'll do the lambada with Brian DePalma. [Rolling Stone]
Sure, he's an amazing athlete, a great dunker, and intriguingly short, but who would expect backup Knicks guard Nate Robinson to have the tenth-best-selling jersey in the NBA? As it turns out, the way the NBA compiles these statistics is clearly skewed toward New York — they're based only on sales at the NBA's New York City store and purchases on NBAStore.com. Still, though, is he more popular than any other Knick? Maybe there are more Call of Duty fans than we realized. [ESPN]
Guy Ritchie's dad says it would be a tragedy if he got back with Madonna.
John Ritchie is pleased his son and the singer have parted ways, and is even more delighted Madonna is distracting herself with "lots of boyfriends" because "she won't be looking for him".
The protective father told In Touch Weekly magazine: "The worst thing would be if they reconciled."
While Guy's dad welcomes the split, he says relations between the pair are amicable and all they care about is the happiness of the children they raise together - 12-year-old Lourdes, eight-year-old Rocco and David, three.
He said: "There are no big arguments between them. All they discuss is the children." Meanwhile, Madonna, 50, has failed to buy a horse despite throwing money at the owners.
The equine loving star spotted the magnificent beast at the Florida Equestrian Show and asked her staff to secure its purchase.
However, the owners declined the generous offer and delivered a further snub when Madonna offered a New York apartment as well to seal the deal.
Kylie Minogue has recorded a song to impress her two-year-old nephew.
The doting aunt has teamed up with colourful Australian children's musical group The Wiggles because her nephew Charles - her brother Brendan's son - is such a fan.
Kylie said: "Now Charles really will think I'm cool. I hope he likes the song. It was fun to do. I might even grab a shirt and go on tour with the boys. I'm not sure what colour I will be."
The '2 Hearts' singer features on new song 'Monkey Man' on forthcoming release 'The Wiggles Go Bananas'.
Kylie first expressed an interest in working with the group last year.
She said: "I wish I was a member of The Wiggles. I wouldn't mind doing a duet with them."
The Wiggles - who have previously collaborated with Leo Sayer and Rolf Harris - are Australia's most successful entertainers of the last four years, scooping a reported £21 million between 2007 to 2008.
Murray Cook, Jeff Fatt, Anthony Field and Sam Moran have made their fortunes from using music to help child development.
Paris Hilton believes TV chef Gordon Ramsay is the British Prime Minister.
The hotel heiress made the embarrassing statement while in England to promote her new reality TV show 'Paris Hilton's British Best Friend' last night (27.01.09).
After explaining she is desperate to find a UK pal because she "loves Britain" and "London is her favourite city in the world", the 27-year-old socialite was asked who the Prime Minister of the country was.
Rather than replying 'Gordon Brown', Paris said: "It's Gordon... Gordon Ramsay?"
The star did correct herself later on, insisting she had only made the mistake as she had recently eaten at one of the famed chef's restaurants.
However, later she slipped up again when she was asked about UK county Essex, to which she replied: "What's that?"
In the show, 12 contestants battle to persuade Paris they should become her new friend.
The star has previously claimed she wants to find a pal from the country as she is bored of American women, claiming: "The girls in Los Angeles are such s***s."Paris recently hit out at critics who have branded her stupid, claiming she is actually highly intelligent.She said: "I think a lot of people have seen me on 'The Simple Life' and think I'm a spoilt airhead. But I was playing a character." Source Source: Lepaparazzi - Celebrity News and Gossip Blog | 28 Jan 2009 | 8:55 pm
Lewis Hamilton was interrogated by the Pussycat Dolls before he could date lead singer Nicole Scherzinger.
The sexy girl group wanted to make sure the 24-year-old Formula One racing driver was a "nice guy" and not "a playboy".
Melody Thornton, 24, said: "When we found out Lewis was a racing driver we were like, 'Hold on a minute, he better not be a playboy.'
"So we asked him all sorts. What were his intentions, if he was a nice guy, did he know how to treat her right, did he bring her flowers and pull out chairs on dates?
"We didn't mess about and gave him a tough time as we do with all new boyfriends. We are very protective of each other - especially when a new guy comes into the fold."
Lewis charmed the girls, by impressing them with his English accent and being the perfect gentleman.
Kimberly Wyatt, 26, told Britain's The Daily Mirror newspaper: "Lewis is so quiet and well mannered and he makes Nicole happy. We love the fact that he's British."
Nicole recently said she was happier than she has ever been, and is already planning her future with Lewis, who she has been dating since last February.She said: "We'd love to have beautiful angel babies together. We'd sing 'Don't Cha' to them. Lewis knows all the words." Source Source: Lepaparazzi - Celebrity News and Gossip Blog | 28 Jan 2009 | 8:52 pm
The following video features Paris Hilton dancing around and attempting to interview electronica artist Lady GaGa, and really makes me wonder what consumer demographic the new Nokia 5800 phone is going for (Warning: whatever the mathematical opposite of "content" is, this video is it) --
Not to diminish Paris' role in this clip, but the most brain-hurty part comes when Lady GaGa cites her influences, which include (but are not limited to):
Her Friends
New York City
The Art Scene on the Lower East Side
The 70s
David Bowie
Studio 54
Media Culture
Obsession With Fame
So basically, everyone and everything ever, including both New York City and a region of New York City. Ya sold me, Nokia!
(via Dlisted) Source: Best Week Ever | 28 Jan 2009 | 8:50 pm
The Times announced today that its fourth-quarter profits fell nearly 50 percent over last year. Even online, where a team of web geeks are using their geeky wizard powers to demonstrate exactly why people are abandoning print for the internet, ad sales fell for the first time ever. But in a sign of just what terrible shape the newspaper industry is in, this was all somehow considered a positive development — because it could have been worse — and the Times' stock rose nearly 6 percent in trading. Hooray? In more apparently good news, the Times is looking into selling its stake in the Red Sox. We have absolutely no opinion on this from a business standpoint, but we never approved of one of our city's most storied institutions being in cahoots with one of our greatest enemies. Cahoots, we say!
In Russia, artist Alex Melamid and his partner-in-art Vitaly Komar are revolutionaries, founders of what’s known as the Soviet Realist Pop Art movement, in which they satirized Socialist Realism (overly sunny paintings with titles like "Roses for Stalin," which are beloved mostly by geriatric Communists). The two no longer collaborate, but Melamid continues to paint, thankfully. In his latest show at Forum Gallery (through March 14), he renders rappers like Snoop, Kanye, and, here, Fifty Cent, brooding.
Our favorite model with a trust fund, Lydia Hearst, stars in the spring 2009 Pringle of Scotland ads shot by Steven Meisel. And behold! We've obtained a peak at the campaign's third (she stars alongside Pixie Geldof and Daisy Lowe). We lamented Lydia's lack of versatility when this editorial came out in Zoo Germany. Her expression here is the same glossed-over look — one we imagine she'd get if we were explaining something complicated to her that she didn't understand ("We're in a recession. Re-ce-ssion."). But the hair is winning. Anything to give a girl some height, which we know she doesn't need, but still.
Who's your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
Early Woody Allen (pre-Soon-Yi).
What's the best meal you've eaten in New York?
My best friend used to be a professional chef. One time, he invited me to an incredible seven-course dinner with wine pairings.
In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
During the past year, I spent my days researching the frequently bizarre nature of human attraction for my book.
Would you still live here on a $35,000 salary?
Why? Are you offering me a raise?
What's the last thing you saw on Broadway? Speed-the-Plow, but I came away with mercury poisoning.
Do you give money to panhandlers?
I give them copies of my book. It’s great street advertising.
What's your drink?
I love Champagne, although I fear that makes me sound somewhat foppish.
How often do you prepare your own meals?
How far back should I go?
What's your favorite medication?
As Homer Simpson said, “Sweet liquor eases the pain.”
What's hanging above your sofa?
I can see a sliver of the Hudson River in the distance.
How much is too much to spend on a haircut?
My mother won’t accept any payment.
When's bedtime?
I have a newborn, so I’ve given up on bedtime and survive entirely on short naps.
Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?
The new because the Times building is such a great jungle gym.
What do you think of Donald Trump?
His hair is the most interesting sculpture in the city.
What do you hate most about living in New York?
The loss of f$@^*&# civility!
Who is your mortal enemy?
It’s hard to pick just one.
When's the last time you drove a car?
I have a driver.
How has the economic downturn affected your life?
My wife has cut my allowance.
Times, Post, or Daily News?
I’m married to the Times. I date the Daily News. And I enjoy secret trysts with the Post.
Where do you go to be alone?
A crowded city street.
What makes someone a New Yorker?
If you can curse in at least three languages, you’re on your way.
In today's hardscrabble music industry, there's very little shame in selling out. With compact-disc sales falling off a cliff, licensing is one of the few ways that artists and labels actually make money these days. Take the case of the nouveau tweeny-bopper trio known as the Clique Girlz. Their record label is actually pushing aside efforts to get their music heard in favor of first establishing the group as a commercial powerhouse. To wit, the girls have been commissioned by Topps, Michael Eisner's post-Disney baseball-card and candy empire, to reimagine the theme song for some newfangled sugary confection known as Baby Bottle Pops. So what exactly is a Baby Bottle Pop, and why does Clique Girlz's record company and management team think that this path will pave their way into the mainstream? Three words: the Jonas Brothers.
That's right, in a little-known (and little-publicized) twist of their lore, the Jo Bros caught their big break when they signed on to do a series of commercials publicizing this very same product. They were between record deals at the time, and the exposure they got from these commercials helped convince Disney to give them a big push back in the summer of 2007. Still, if you're anything like us, you're shaking your head out of curiosity because you've never even heard of Baby Bottle Pops.
Well, for those of you who aren't already in the know (and we're sure some of you commenters are), Baby Bottle Pops are the Millennials' version of Lik-M-Aid. Both share similar characteristics in that they're basically piles of sugar made to look more appealing by the addition of colored dye and artificial flavor, but the two brands are separated by one crucial difference. Whereas Lik-M-Aid relies on the user to lick an edible sugar stick in order to retrieve the flavored sugar goodness, the makers of Baby Bottle Pops decided to replace the traditional stick with something that appeals to its enthusiasts on a more primal level: a baby bottle–shaped nipple (hence, the name!). Lest you accuse us here at Vulture of being prudes for inferring that there might be something insidious about rugrats all hopped up on a fructose buzz after sucking on some candy-coated nipples, we have to admit that the Evil Genius Quotient of the people who made and market this candy is off the charts.
So while you may never see the Clique Girlz on the VMAs, those of you with Nickelodeon-age children back at the ranch might want to start bracing yourselves in anticipation of hearing a new ear-splitting spin on a familiar jingle on your television sets for the next couple of months.
No, She hasn't.The full press release along with clips from In Touch Weekly's exclusive interview after the jump.Amy Fisher: My Kids Are My Life But Porn Is My Business
Sixteen years after she shot her lover Joey Buttafuoco’s wife, Mary Jo, in the head with a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol, the Long Island Lolita is making headlines again. Amy Fisher, now 34, recently launched a career as a Pay-Per-View porn star and an exotic dancer, performing at strip clubs along the East Coast. Amy, who is married to her agent, Lou Bellera, 56, and has three children, Brett, 8, Ava, 4, and a 3-month-old boy, spoke exclusively to In Touch about her controversial new career and how she’s changed after spending seven years in prison for assaulting Mary Jo. “I’ve been through so much,” Amy says. “It’s time to have fun in my life.”
Why did you decide to get into porn?
I’m doing it for me, to have a good time. As long as you don’t mind taking your clothes off, it’s great.
How do you reconcile doing porn with raising kids?
Whatever I do in my private life is my private life. When I come home at night, I have my family. The kids are my whole life — this is my business. I give 100 percent to my kids and husband.
You gave birth three months ago. How did you get back in shape?
I work out two to three hours a day. I do a half-hour of cardio and weights for the rest of the time. My body looks great — I look phenomenal.
Do you think the public will ever change their perception of you?
I’m the Long Island Lolita who has always been known for a sex scandal. I’m not a criminal. I did something stupid in high school. I’m an adult now and I grew up. I think people are sick of hearing about it. It’s been [almost] 20 years – I’ve moved on.
For the full interview with Amy, pick up the latest issue of In Touch Weekly, on newsstands now! Source: Best Week Ever | 28 Jan 2009 | 7:59 pm
AFP - Italy's prince Emmanuel Filiberto of Savoy is entering the fashion business with a clothing line branded "Prince of Italy" and bearing the arms of his royal family, he told the gossip weekly, Di piu.
Leighton Meester, a.k.a. Blair Waldorf, likes "guys who are a little bad," she tells Seventeen in the new issue. "And by bad, I mean they're not like constantly around ... Guys who are unavailable are actually a dream come true for me because I'm unavailable all the time. It's great they're not down your throat." [Seventeen via People]
A sketch from the Alvin Valley Collection, showing February 12.
After a two-year hiatus, Alvin Valley is relaunching his collection line during Fashion Week, showing wool and cashmere jackets, pants, and dresses inspired by the Mitford sisters in the twenties and thirties. We talked to Valley about his decision to reintroduce the collection — as well as seguing into menswear — despite the flailing economy. He admits that his well-to-do clientele has been "psychologically affected" by the downturn, but says that the Valley woman is still spending — albeit discreetly:
"Privately, I think that woman is shopping. She may not be out there walking around with shopping bags, but she's ordering things and wants them shipped to her home. It's not so much about being in your face…. I'm trying to create clothes in such a way that the wearer is the one that's enjoying it, not so much the viewer."
That means keeping extravagant details hidden behind the seams, like double-face cashmere and worsted-wool dresses with sable, mink, and fox-fur lining inside. Valley says he's also offering more one-on-one fittings and has been attending private shopping events in clients' homes. "I probably won't be doing $25,000 ball gowns or elaborate beading," he says. "It's more about the details within the garment than on the outside, so women can say 'I don't want anyone to see what I'm wearing.' I'm re-creating the process of what understated luxury really means." This Fashion Week, you'll never know what's going on beneath your neighbor's seemingly restrained hemline.
While we continue our search for the perfect photo for Blingee Wednesday, we would like to bring you this random photo from the Elle Style Awards, featuring this genius named Jodie Harsh:
Despite what you might think... the above photograph is true to life and completely UnBlingeed. Sadly, it looks like her dog didn't survive the night. Source: Best Week Ever | 28 Jan 2009 | 7:43 pm
Movie director John Landis is suing Michael Jackson, accusing the reclusive entertainer of fraud in his handling of profits from the iconic "Thriller" video the two made together more than 25 years ago.
AP - "The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death" (Ballantine Books, 272 pates, $25), by Charlie Huston: There are mysteries that are not for the faint of heart. Charlie Houston's latest is not for the faint of stomach.
We're duty-bound to direct your attention to Mad Libs, the new Mad Men–parodying viral video making the rounds today on influential Tumblrs. In it, Don Draper (or some simulacrum thereof) utters fill-in-the-blanks dialogue like, "After last night's walrus party, I have a queef popsicle."
Everyone from Thom Browne and Michael Kors to non-fashiony regular dudes we know is obsessed with the clothes on Mad Men. Turns out costume designer Janie Bryant might have her own line in the works. "I'm working on some things right now," she says. "I hate to be so mysterious but I can't really say! It would have my name attached to it though." Can Gossip Girl get in on this action, too? [Glamour]
A Drew Carey lookalike appeared on The Price Is Right this morning, won our hearts over with his girthy enthusiasm, won a new sofa for himself, then sadly disappeared before we had a chance to kill Drew Carey with an oar and perform a Talented Mr. Ripley-like host switcheroo:
"Showing myself nude from the behind has never been a problem for me — but from the front, that's another story. I don't want to lose all my fans." —Jean-Claude Van Damme [WENN via Starpulse]
"Slightly insecure and needy pop star seeks nice guy …. Good sense of humor. Not a fucking retard. Rich." —We're pretty sure we've already seen Lily Allen's personal ad on Craigslist [Spin via ContactMusic]
"You can make a film that reflects on the real world without losing the great sense of fun and the velocity of action in a classic summer popcorn film …. Fox hired me to make it as emotional, real and accessible as possible without cheesing it up." —Director Joe Carnahan describes the depth and complexity he will bring to the upcoming A-Team movie [MTV Movies Blog]
"TV has never been better. Someday, we're gonna look back on this period as this golden age of experimentation, where the networks started dying, and the cable channels started proliferating, and there are so many channels that to get our attention, programmers had to try everything, including quality." —Ira Glass on why the death of network television is awesome [A.V. Club]
"They could never make a James Bond movie like any of the Bourne films. Because Bond is an imperialist, misogynist sociopath who goes around bedding women and swilling martinis and killing people. He's repulsive." —Matt Damon will apparently never be 007 [US Magazine]
"Contract negotiation …. It's like life. Nick Fury's negotiating." —Don't count Samuel L. Jackson out of the Iron Man sequel just yet [SciFiWire]
"For a lot of straight guys — and I know I'm guilty of it sometimes — when you know a gay guy has a crush on you, it is the most flattering thing." —Daniel Radcliffe just made Harry Potter slash fiction fans very happy [Sun UK]
AP - "Wandering Stars" (Viking, 415 pages, $29.95), by Shalom Aleichem, translated by Aliza Shevrin: Readers who have seen "Fiddler on the Roof" will recognize the background of "Wandering Stars": a Jewish community in a Russian village of a century ago, practicing its faith, traditions and language the "shtetl" that was home to ancestors of many American Jews.
An European flag in Brussels. The European Commission extended on Wednesday rules allowing member states to support film-makers with public money. Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 28 Jan 2009 | 6:32 pm
Even the most banal question is met with an amusing and thought-provoking response from Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, the two quipsters behind "Flight of the Conchords." The two play scrappy, clueless musicians trying -- and failing miserably -- to break into the music business in New York City.
We love My Chemical Romance, but their cover of Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row" for the Watchmen soundtrack isn't really doing it for us. Thankfully, it'll play over the movie's end credits, by which point we hope to have died from excitement. [The Playlist]
Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli's first collection for Valentino walks today in Paris. Vava himself released a statement to confirm that he had no hand in designing the collection. He's apparently tired of people speculating that he's been meddling with design at the label since he retired a year ago. "If I decide to attend the presentation of their collection, it will only be as a supporter of two people I love and who have been close to me for many years," he said.
This is a great sign for the design duo. Valentino never said anything so nice about Alessandra Facchinetti, who only lasted a few months as creative director at the label before her unceremonious dismissal just after her spring 2009 show. When asked about her talent a year ago, Vava would only say, "I've met her. She's pretty." Just after she left the house, Valentino said what he really thought: "[Chiuri and Piccioli] always demonstrated an enormous respect and love for my work. There is an existing archive with thousands of dresses where they can draw and take inspiration from to create a Valentino product that is relevant today. It is a shame that their predecessor didn't feel this need."
So Chiuri and Piccioli should last a while. No pressure or anything, guys.
Mickey Rourke and Chris Jericho appeared on Larry King Live last night to "promote" their Wrestlemania 25 matchup, which basically consisted of the following lopsided conversation:
JERICHO: You disrespected me. I'll take you in the ring any day, any time, you name it -- I'll make you eat your words.
ROURKE: Perhaps I misspoke, good sir. I apologize, and wish you all the best.
JERICHO: That may be, but you still disrespected me, bro. I'll take you in the ring any day, any time, you name it.
ROURKE: Nonetheless, kind fellow, I wish you all the best.
JERICHO: I'll take you in the ring any day, any time...
[REPEAT x 50]
A viewing platform and information booth about the Berlin wall can be seen in Berlin's Potsdamer Platz central place, which was sliced in half by the Wall during the Cold War and has in the past two decades... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 28 Jan 2009 | 5:47 pm
There's still no release date for Jay-Z's upcoming album, which is rumored to be titled "Blueprint III," but new songs continue to leak onto the Internet.
Ashlee Simpson on the recent headlines about her sister's weight: "A week after the inauguration and with such a feeling of hope in the air for our country, I find it completely embarrassing and belittling to all women to read about a woman's weight or figure as a headline on Fox News. All women come in different shapes, sizes, and forms and just because you're a celebrity, there shouldn't be a different standard. Is this something you would say to your wife, daughter, mother, grandmother, or even a friend? I seriously doubt it. How can we expect teenage girls to love and respect themselves in an environment where we criticize a size 2 figure? Now can we focus on the things that really matter." [ONTD via Jezebel]
British authors Ian McEwan, seen here in 2007, and Martin Amis paid tribute to US novelist John Updike, who died Tuesday, marvelling at his ability to reveal the most intimate moments of life. Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 28 Jan 2009 | 5:32 pm
Fashion Wire Daily - Givenchy Couture: More Heroics
Godfrey Deeny
January 27th, 2009 @ 7:29 PM - Paris
The key fashion rendezvous Tuesday in Paris was to see the spring 2009 haute couture collection for Givenchy by Ricardo Tisci.
"Fantasies" will be available for pre-order from ilovemetric.com on March 2nd. Fans who pre-order the record will also receive an MP3 of first single "Help I'm Alive."
Slayer, Marilyn Manson and Bullet For My Valentine lead the bill for the second annual Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, which begins July 10 at the Sleep Train Amphitheater in Sacramento, Calif.
AP - The kimono is about to hit the red carpet. Hollywood favorite Elie Saab looked to the traditional Japanese robe-like garment for inspiration for his airy but intricate spring-summer haute couture collection Wednesday.
Kelly Clarkson will make history on this week's Billboard Hot 100, to be posted tomorrow (Jan. 29) on Billboard.com, with the largest leap to No. 1 in the chart's 50-year history. Her new single, "My Life Would Suck Without You," is set to rocket 97-1 after selling 280,000 digital downloads in its first week of availability.
Taylor Swift continues her reign on The Billboard 200 as "Fearless" starts an eighth week at No. 1. The Big Machine effort moved 63,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, a mere 1% slip from sales last week.
A former Bahamas senator was granted bail Wednesday on charges she conspired to help extort $25 million from actor John Travolta after his son died from a seizure at a family vacation home.
A Washington Times interview with Benicio del Toro about Steven Soderbergh's new movie "Che," in which he plays the Cuban revolutionary Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, ended with the actor storming out.
From the depths of Salt Lake City, Utah, hometown of golden child David Archuleta, they came: some swell, some lousy, and one whose only saving grace was the pal dressed in a baby-pink bunny suit...
Michelle Obama, you've finally made it.
And we're not talking about helping your husband become the president of the United States. Or of being a successful working mom with two...
Rihanna is not only up for three Grammys next week, but I just got word that the 20-year-old beauty has been added to the list of performers on the big night.
The Barbadian pop...
Somebody got seared on a hot gridiron.
In a Super Bowl-themed episode, the cheftestants competed head-to-head against an all-star team from previous seasons. And the results were...
How many people came up with the premise for Hannah Montana, anyway?
Another writer has filed a lawsuit claiming he pitched the original script for what ultimately became the hit Disney...
The Simpsons has never been one to shy away from poking fun at organized Judeo-Christian religions. But not because Springfield's first family is aspiring to thetan level...
Wonder what got Jake Gyllenhaal so riled up he just kicked that cameraman while doing jury duty? Sure enough, J.G. was just holed up at the Clara Shortridge Foltz criminal courthouse in downtown...
Michael Jackson has no business taking Thriller to Broadway at this time as far as John Landis is concerned.
The man who directed the seminal 14-minute music video for Jackson's...
If you're like us -- "us" being people who appreciate their parents and are also not probably serial killers -- than you were probably more than a little outraged at the way minor league baseball player Shane Keough treated his lovely mother Jeana on last night's episode of The Real Housewives of the O.C.. If you missed it: Jeana traveled to the Midwest with Vicki to check out Shane play ball. On their way to the game, Shane discovered he wouldn't be playing... and then proceeded to berate Jeana with a series of abusive text messages (i.e. You better not f*cking show up; I'll never f*cking talk to you again, etc. etc.) Of course, the girls went to the game, only to be treated like garbage by Shane (not to mention his younger brother Coulton, who will eventually collapse in a pile of give up at his therapist's office.)
Later on that same day, over dinner, Shane treats his mother with incredible disrespect in front of a group of family friends. Disrespect isn't even the word: It's torture. If you missed this cringe-inducing meal, 
You could also go the easy route and just say that the guy is mentally retartar. Also, nice earring, guy.
