AP - Celebrities are people, too, and that means they celebrate or dread Valentine's Day just as much as they rest of us. Here's a look at what stars from music, film and TV have planned for Feb. 14.
 Jam! Showbiz | 'Eastbound and Down' Los Angeles Times - By ROBERT LLOYD, Television Critic “Eastbound & Down,” which premieres Sunday on HBO, brings to television a certain sort of comedy now abroad in theatrical features, a comedy of male arrested development whose expanding nexus of practitioners includes ... TV review: HBO's comedy 'Eastbound & Down' Sepinwall on TV: 'Eastbound & Down' review |
Reuters - "The Da Vinci Code" author Dan Brown has made a living unraveling secrets, but on Thursday one of his own secrets was revealed by a close collaborator, who said the writer's next book is finished.
Reuters - "The Da Vinci Code" author Dan Brown has made a living unraveling secrets, but on Thursday one of his own secrets was revealed by a close collaborator, who said the writer's next book is finished.
 Washington Post | Joss Whedon's 'Dollhouse' seems too empty Los Angeles Times - Producer and star Eliza Dushku, who portrays the doll, or “active,” known as Echo, stretches in a sleeping pod on the Zen-like set of “Dollhouse. Ellen Gray: Joss Whedon's 'Dollhouse' debuts on Fox Review: ‘Dollhouse’ |
Reuters - Actress and singer Jennifer Hudson dominated the NAACP Image awards on Thursday, giving her a boost for 2009 after her mother, brother and nephew were killed by an estranged brother-in-law four months ago.
AP - It was a dreamy night for a couple of "Dreamgirls." Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson both glided away with trophies Thursday and wowed the audience with individual performances during the 40th annual NAACP Image Awards.
Jennifer Hudson's ascension to stardom has been honored pretty much every step of the way.
The Oscar winner was somewhat anachronistically named Outstanding New Artist Thursday at...
Chris Brown is on the move.
The R&B star left Las Vegas' Hard Rock Hotel and Casino earlier today and was planning to meet up with his mother, Joyce Hawkins, sources tell E!...
The castaways' first challenge: Pronounce Tocantins correctly.
Not really but, true to form, the 18th-season opener of Survivor: Tocantins—The Brazilian Highlands presented the...
Sometimes an actor just loses it.
Perhaps he gets a bad review. Maybe a paparazzo invades her personal space. Or possibly some f--king guy wanders into his f--king eyeline....
Last night we brought our video camera to the fall 2009 presentation of Commonwealth Utilities, a young label founded by designer Anthony Keegan with his business partner Richard Christiansen (also one of our five labels to watch this season). Young labels like Commonwealth can't afford 30 models, so Keegan and Christianson hired 5 and had them change clothes. But there were no changing rooms here — the boys stripped down in front of guests. It's all part of the brand's mission. "There are a lot of men's brands out there and they're very refined but I don't think those guys look like they're having sex," Keegan said. "And I want our guy to look like he's getting it regular." Watch the video to see the fabulous fall 2009 collection and, well, abs.
Related: Five Designers to Watch This Season
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: anthony keegan, commonwealth utilities, designers, fall 2009, fashion shows, new york fashion week, richard christianson
Fashion Week technically starts tomorrow (gasp), but we just saw our first big fall 2009 presentation. And ... it didn't feel recession-y at all! Though last Fashion Week Monique Lhuillier staged a runway show in the tents, she showed her fall 2009 collection in an intimate presentation at the Oak Room on Central Park South this afternoon. She said she decided to show with the economy in mind, but did not design for the recessionary times. "I feel like in times like this you need to give people a reason to buy," she said. "I want to give people what they expect from me." And that is beautiful gowns, with layers of silk tulle and jewel embellishments, inspired this season by Ballet Russe. Models wore ripped tights on their arms and legs, underneath the evening gowns. "I wanted to give the collection an edgier twist," Lhuillier said of the juxtaposition.
Rather than standing awkwardly on a platform or posing on a set with lights beaming up at them, the models mingled with the crowd, so guests could see the clothes up close. (Yes, people still stared at them awkwardly, but that's no different than any other party with a bunch of models, right?) Sure, there was a moment when they got perhaps a little lazy and sat down at the bar, but in no time they were up and vamping for photographers.
Lhuillier only presented 12 of her 35 fall 2009 looks this afternoon, which enabled her to save money on models (buyers will see the complete collection at their showroom appointments). The Oak Room might have been cheaper than the tents but was also decidedly more elegant. Budget cuts weren't evident in the refreshments: Waiters passed mini-pistachio-macaroons, white wine, and Champagne (so if we make typos, you know whyerlskn — kidding!).
After the show, Lhuillier will prep for the Oscars. She's not sure if anyone will wear her dresses, but said, "I have a lot of great leads." She'll also plow ahead on her bridal line. "Bridal is more recession-proof than ready-to-wear. I feel like the wedding dress is one place people don't want to skimp out on," Lhuillier told us, adding that they're more likely to cut back on the guest list or other areas before the dress.
The cherry on top of the anti-recessionary ambiance was the crowd of editors, buyers, and fashion folk, dripping in designer clothes, $3,000 handbags, and the requisite Christian Louboutins. Ah, the Loubs. Fashion Week is really here!
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: designers, economy, fall 2009, fall 2009 runway dispatch, fashion shows, models, monique lhuillier, new york fashion week
Today: CNN's Rick Sanchez hosted an award ceremony for Twitterers, and the Daily Beast is "evolving." Meanwhile, Craft and Figure magazines are folding.
• Here's a sad story: Figure, a fashion mag for larger ladies published by Meredith Corp., got thin and then folded. [Folio]
• Craft, a magazine about crafts published by O'Reilly Media, has gone web-only. Three employees were laid off. [Folio]
• Wonkette has launched a new site: Wonkabout, a guide to fun, tasty, boozy things in D.C. [Wonkette]
• News Corp. is cutting jobs at European newspapers, including the Times, the Sun, and News of the World. The Times and the Sun are also integrating their websites with their print editions. [Telegraph UK]
• Chicago Sun-Times editor Michael Cooke is resigning to become the editor of the Toronto Star. [Chicago Tribune]
• Peggy Olson and Green Moms were two big winners at last night's first annual Shorty Awards, honoring the best content producers on Twitter. Our friend The Media Is Dying lost to Breaking News in the News category. CNN's Rick Sanchez hosted the event, and a special appearance was made by Shaq via video. Congrats to all the winners! [Shorty Awards]
• The Daily Beast, Tina Brown's four-month-old web project, is working on its business model for selling ads. "We're just in the stage of evolving," said Beast general manager Caroline Marks. "There are a spectrum of ways you can execute [an ad model], and we're looking at all of them. It is a dialogue that will evolve over the course of this year." [Brandweek]
Read more posts by Mike Vilensky
Filed Under: chicago sun-times, craft, deborah needleman, domino, figure, jacoba weisberg, media, Media Deathwatch, michael cooke, news corp, the daily beast, the needlebergs, tina brown, wonkette
Drumroll, please: Fashion Week officially kicks off tomorrow. Finally! But are you ready? Because, unfortunately, not everyone's onboard. Let's thank the economy for that. Already, designers are compensating for their mounting financial problems by cutting invite lists (Marc, Zac), choosing low-key presentations (Vera, Betsey), or finding ways to show online (Halston). But then (dun dun dun) there are those who aren't showing at all. One cancellation after another is the tangible realization that the recession sucks. Below we've compiled our list of the designer-AWOL crowd. We can only hope they return next season, restored and ready to rock a runway again. In the meantime, you can stop checking your in-box now — these invites aren't coming.
LISTED AS CANCELED
• Benjamin Cho: "For the first time I thought it was a little bit obnoxious to throw a fashion show for myself," he says.
• Francis by Christian Francis Roth: The designer just "came back" last season, and now he will do a look book instead of a runway or presentation.
• Gap: Patrick Robinson and his Gap crew won't be showing until April.
• Hanii Y: The label is "holding off" on a runway show or presentation.
• Mikhael Kale: All of his samples got damaged in transit, forcing a last-minute cancellation.
• Rory Beca: Designer Rory Edelman is a no-show.
• Rubin Singer: We hear that the designer didn't feel like the time was right to do anything too extravagant.
• Sari Gueron: Canceled her show citing the recession; instead will do showroom appointments only.
• Steven Alan: He's growing — new store, new collaboration — just not a show.
• Sue Stemp: The designer told us she can't do a show this season.
• Willow: Sydney-based Kit Willow won't be making an appearance Stateside — on the runway, at least.
MISSING IN ACTION
• Malo: We're not sure why, but this label is missing!
• Peter Som: It hasn't been an easy year for Peter. When we caught up with him in January, plans were still up in the air. Weeks later, they still are.
• Thom Browne: He wanted to show in Europe, so he did — and insists he didn't snub New York.
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: benjamin cho, christian francis roth, designers, fall 2009, fashion week fall 2009, gap, hanii y, malo, mikhael kale, peter som, rory beca, rubin singer, sari gueron, steven alan, sue stemp, thom browne, tse, willow
Adnan Ghalib didn't do much for Britney Spears' image—and he sure isn't doing much for his own, either.
The former fixture in Spears' precomeback camp is being...
Review in a Hurry: Isla Fisher may be fetching as a fun-loving fashionista who writes for a financial magazine, but this outdated comedy recycles trendier (and better) flicks—and maxes out...
Do the American Idol contestants pay to go to Hollywood? Once they get the Golden Ticket do they have to pay airfare? Do they get spending money?
—Taran
The only sad part...
And just like that, the first season of Elvis Costello's Sundance Channel show, Spectacle, has come to a close. We'll be honest, we missed most of the season, but there's no denying that the bespectacled one went out on a high note in last night's episode when he performed "Carpetbaggers" alongside both Jenny Lewis AND Zooey Deschanel. You can go ahead and cross that one off your bucket list. [Stereogum]
Read more posts by Mark Graham
Filed Under: Elvis Costello, Indiegasm, Jenny Lewis, Spectacle, Sundance Channel, TV, Zooey Deschanel
Despite the fact that Natalie Portman inexplicably allowed him to date her, Moby claims he has not been so lucky in love: "I'm 43 years old and I haven't ever really had a good relationship," he told us at the Cinema Society screening of Two Lovers last night. He's been lucky in real estate, though. "I had this crazy apartment uptown in the El Dorado, and I sold it right before the crash," he told us. The four-story penthouse, which he bought in 2005, sold for a reported $6.7 million this past August. "I got very lucky," he said.
In fact, he was so happy to unload the place that he celebrated rather heartily. "The party that we had right before I moved out was old-school debauchery and degeneracy in every sense of the word," he told us. "The bed, which got moved out the next day, got put to good use. Unfortunately not by me, but by a lot of other people," he went on. "Liquor and drugs will do that." He nervously declined to tell us who exactly partook in these activities, which was just as well, because we weren't sure we wanted to know, anyway. But he did offer a tip for the new owners: The Dorado is a great place to have loud, debauched parties. "The police never came," he says. "Because it's a fancy co-op and we were up 400 feet in the sky and I had no neighbors." Which means, right now, no one can hear the epic shout of "Grosssss!!!!!" coming from the penthouse.
See if who else made out in Moby's apartment by viewing our Party Lines slideshow.
Read more posts by Bennett Marcus
Filed Under: moby, party lines, stealth sluts
• No, seriously, that's really Mary-Kate Olsen, not Courtney Love. But it's for Interview so it's high faaaaashion. And we learn in the article she was paid in gummy bears for...MKO: Well, until we were 13 or 14, if my sister and I did an appearance, we would be wearing the same outfit. [laughs] It would be the same dress and we'd fight over who would wear it in red and who would wear it in black. That was obviously for work. But ever since I can remember, we dressed completely differently. Ashley would wear really baggy clothes and shoes that were too big for her, and I think my first favorite clothing item was a pair of spandex shorts with fringe on them! Leopard and white spandex. Ashley was more into florals and baggier clothes. So, I guess things don't change that much. [laughs] But I remember the first time we were really able to choose our own clothes for an event was at the Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle [2003] premiere ...
... It was still about pleasing our audiences and making that connection between seeing us out in person, but doing it in a fashionable way ... Or trying to anyway.
If we had to dress the same as our sister until age 14, we'd be scarred, too. And they are identical twins, so they need clothes to help their adoring public differentiate them. But even then, we still have trouble. We don't think their styles are all that distinguishable. What say you?
Mary-Kate Olsen [Interview]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: ashley olsen, cult of personality, mary kate olsen
“I Love College” previews from Asleep in the Bread Aisle, 23-year-old Pennsylvanian Asher Roth’s debut album, out via Universal this April, and it seems an odd choice for a first single. The track completely skirts all the rap cred Roth has managed to accrue (Steve Rifkind signed him, DJ Drama co-hosted his mix tape, XXL put him on its “Class of ‘09” cover) in favor of blatant radio pandering. But then again, so did Eminem with “My Name Is,” and look how that white rapper turned out. The rhymes may be featherweight (“nothing wrong with some fun / even if we did get a little bit too drunk”), but there’ll be plenty of time to flex lyrical muscle. In the video, watch for a cameo from the Cool Kids!
Read more posts by Amos Barshad
Filed Under: asher roth, asleep in the bread aisle, hip-hop, i love college, music, right-click
Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) is getting a new squeeze! And this one doesn't share a half sibling with her. Hurrah!
Sources reveal to me exclusively that Armie...
Velvet Revolver is only “weeks away” from announcing its new singer, according to bassist Duff McKagan. [Rock & Roll Daily/Rolling Stone]
Read more posts by Mark Graham
Filed Under: And Then There Was Light, Duff McKagan, Velvet Revolver
Apparently, the Greatest Depression has been good for condoms. Sales were up 5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, and 6 percent in January. Condom companies are trying to spin this as a positive thing: "If people don't have the money to go out to a fancy dinner or are looking to cut back, Trojan gives them some real affordable ways to stay in and make some great memories together," Jim Daniels, vice-president of marketing for Trojan, tells USA Today. Aw. No seriously: Stuff it, Jim. Without doing any market research we can safely say there are but two real reasons people are buying condoms, (1) they are too poor to even think about having children and (2) other forms of birth control are too expensive because our stupid conservative patriarchal society has made it so our health-care companies don't cover them enough, or at all. So there. Make some memories out of that. Not that that makes sense either. But you get our drift.
Recession seems to put people in the mood for condoms [USA Today]
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: condoms, jim daniels, The Greatest Depression, this is what happens when you send us an e-mail hacking your product
Last night, Kara DioGuardi — the new American Idol judge, a pop songwriter who’s worked with artists from Céline Dion to Britney Spears — did not devote the usual amount of time to commenting on performances, because the episode, of course, was devoted to revealing the 36 semi-semifinal contestants. That might be why we found her so bearable.
Over the past few weeks, DioGuardi’s revealed herself to be a big fun sponge; her weirdly insecure and stiff manner overshadows the other judges’ endearing wackiness. Take her assessment of Katrina Darrell, the young, er, lady who wore a skimpy bikini to her audition. DioGuardi first made sure that viewers knew she wasn’t threatened by Darrell’s beauty before ripping on her singing. But instead of leaving it at that truth, DioGuardi (who had a brief, unsuccessful singing career before moving on to songwriting) demonstrated how the song should be sung, complete with exaggerated arm movements to show scale changes. Hilariously, Darrell then insulted DioGuardi’s version — and DioGuardi looked genuinely peeved.
Why did DioGuardi feel the need to prove she’s better than a girl wearing a bikini? She acts uncomfortable in her own skin, which in turn makes her uncomfortable to watch. During a classic freak-out, Paula put her hand over DioGuardi’s mouth and pretend kissed her, and DioGuardi looked scared instead of amused. (We might’ve been frightened, too, but come on, DioGuardi’s supposed to be a professional.) In her attempt to be taken seriously, DioGuardi’s become an attention hog of the worst kind, upsetting the balance struck between Simon (a-hole), Randy (goofball), and Paula (out of it). Poor Paula — who, let’s not forget, has been with the show since the beginning — even ran out of the audition room at one point, saying “Okay, I guess my opinion doesn’t matter … sometimes we forget there’s a fourth opinion in this room!” The boys used to make fun of Paula, not ignore her. If DioGuardi can ruin that dynamic, is there hope for anything else on the show?
Read more posts by Emma Rosenblum
Filed Under: american idol, en guardi!, kara dioguardi, music, tv
Vulture biddy Nikki Finke reports that Peter Gabriel — whose "Down to Earth" is nominated for Best Original Song — has pulled out of this year's Oscar ceremony after he was asked to perform an abbreviated version of the track in a medley with the other nominees. As part of an apparent bid to keep the show at three hours, producers allegedly offered Gabriel only 65 seconds to play the track, which means he probably would've been sandwiched in between A.R. Rahman's "Jai Ho" and "O Saya" from Slumdog Millionaire. "I don't feel that is sufficient time to do the song justice, and I have decided to withdraw from performing," Gabriel told the Academy. There's currently no word on who producers will have do "Down to Earth" in his place, but please let it be Clint Eastwood!
Peter Gabriel Pissed At Oscar Producers And Won't Perform At Academy Awards [DHD]
Read more posts by Lane Brown
Filed Under: a.r. rahman, kudos, movies, oscars, peter gabriel, slumdog millionaire, wall-e
MAKEUP
• Jennifer Aniston is reportedly shopping for a beauty deal. Which means a Jennifer Aniston fragrance could soon be coming to a beauty counter near you. We hope she calls it "I'll Be There for Me," inspired by the Friends theme song. [WWD]
• Blue eyeliner was a huge trend last year, and now blue eye shadow is in. Channel your inner eighties diva and go wild. [Beauty Snob]
NAILS
• The nail business isn't doing well these days, as women slack on manicures and opt out of acrylic add-ons. When was the last time you had a mani? That's what we thought. [NYT]
HAIR
• Water is more damaging to color-treated hair than sun. If you want a scientific explanation of the havoc water wreaks, click here. [BellaSugar]
• Lucky would like to know why Sting has gone "long, brown, curly, and bearded." So would we. [Beauty Department/Lucky]
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: beauty, beauty marks, hair, jennifer aniston, makeup, nails, sting
As a means to promote the upcoming release of No Line on the Horizon, U2 is pulling a card from the White Stripes' playbook and will be performing on late-night television each night for an entire week. Only instead of Conan O'Brien, Bono and the gang have chosen The Late Show With David Letterman as the place they'll pump out the bombast from March 2–6. After their performance at the Grammys, we can only hope that they won't be doing "Get on Your Boots" for all five nights. [Rock & Roll Daily/Rolling Stone]
Read more posts by Mark Graham
Filed Under: Bono, David Letterman, Gigs, Late Show With David Letterman, TV, U2
A New York intern — we'll call her Jane Blonde — was on vacation in the Bahamas this weekend [Ed: We know, we hate her] with some friends from college when, suddenly, they found themselves face-to-orange-face with none other than A-Roid and his lusty ladies! Because she is an intern, we made her tell us everything, then sent her back to her cube to fact-check some New York Weddings stuff. After the jump, read Jane's timeline of how, in one magic night, she was transformed from an Intern into a Celebrity Entourage Hanger-On to a Tabloid Superstar!
10 p.m. We enter Atlantis. “A-Rod is here!” someone whispers. Or maybe they didn't whisper it. You could just tell someone was famous in the room because of the way everyone was acting. Not knowing that he has been all over the news (we were on vacation too), we are not surprised that he has jetted off to the Bahamas for the weekend — isn’t that what athletes with inflated salaries do with their time?
10:15 p.m. As we proceed from the bar to the casino floor, we notice that all the major news stations start breaking news about A-Rod’s confessing to steroid use. Awkward!
10:20 p.m. We hit the casino floor, where our guy friends are playing poker at a blackjack table nearby. A-Rod is seated at the edge of the table, alone. He is intently focused on the game. Clearly, he needs some good luck.
10:45 p.m. Eventually, we proceed upstairs to Aura, the club inside the casino. Our friends have scored a table — which happens to be right next to the corner booth where A-Rod is sitting! We wonder if, at this point, he feels like he knows us well enough to say hi? Glance at him expectantly, waiting for him to break into giant white grin that says, "Don't I know you from twenty minutes ago?" Alas. He is typing on his BlackBerry. To whom? His wife or Madonna? He is a man of contradictions.
11 p.m. He introduces himself. "I'm Alex," he says, and we die. The security guard then ropes off his table. But we are in!
11:05 p.m. Oh, but only for a moment. Two women, a blonde and a brunette, sashay over and proceed to bump us out of the immediate vicinity of A-Rod ... but not far enough.
11:30 p.m. Make small talk with "blonde bombshell," as his attention is clearly focused on the brunette at this point (see picture). She is 19, and from Virginia Beach. "What brings you to the Bahamas?" we ask, innocently. "We're here for Alex," she says. "He's going through a really hard time right now."
11:45 p.m.: After we exhaust all possible topics of conversation, a moment of uncomfortable silence ensues as we simultaneously realize we are from two different worlds. She is part of a celebrity's entourage. We, however, are merely hangers-on of that entourage.
12:02 a.m.: Madonna’s “Hung Up” blasts over the speakers.
We look pointedly at “Alex” and whisper to our new friend, "This must be awkward." She smirks and nods her head in agreement. We're bonding!
12:05 a.m.: Wanting to play second fiddle no more, she gets up to redirect A-Rod’s attention. She snags the brunette and performs a girl-on-girl dance duet involving lots of intertwined legs and shimmying. A-Rod, slouched in the banquette, looks semi-amused, insofar as his face will allow it.
12:05 to 1:40 a.m. : Continued dancing.
1:40 to 1:52 a.m.: Three-way canoodling.
2 a.m.: The three of them depart together, neglecting to say good-bye. Decide they were just caught up in romance.
Today: Am tabloid superstar!
Read more posts by Jane Blonde
Filed Under: a-rod, alexander rodriguez, bahamas, Brushes With Greatness, interns, oh really what did you do this weekend
E! Online - William Shakespeare had his own Anne Hathaway. Now the new Anne Hathaway has her own Shakespeare.
Anne Hathaway will appear in Shakespeare in the Park's production of Twelfth Night this summer, the Public Theater announced today. The Oscar-nominated actress, who happens to have the same name as Shakespeare's wife, will play the lead role of Viola in the play, which is scheduled to start performances June 9. In case you're not familiar with the plot, Viola spends most of it dressed up in male drag as a servant to a duke whom she falls in love with. Hot.
Read more posts by Michael Alan Connelly
Filed Under: anne hathaway, good times, shakespeare in the park, theater
For the second time, President Obama's pick for Commerce Secretary has pulled out of consideration. New Hampshire's Judd Gregg cited his differences with Obama on the stimulus bill and the census, conflicts they had previously discussed but that Gregg is just now realizing are a big deal. He swears "nothing about the vetting process played any role in this decision." [Politico]
Earlier: New Commerce Secretary Nominee Voted to Abolish the Commerce Department
Read more posts by Dan Amira
Filed Under: appointees, barack obama, judd gregg, politics
-- Michelle correctly observed that regardless of who wins Top Chef, Fabio is getting his own show immediately after the season ends. Not only did he have the titular line of the eve, but after the Elimination Challenge, he actually yelled "OOOOOOH MAMA MIA!!!" If he arrives in New Orleans and yells "It's-a me, Faaaabio!" we should just throw him the title.
-- Even when Fabio injured his hand, the painful sound he emitted was funny. I don't care if Stefan's a way better chef, I'd be perfectly happy letting Fabio win this season.
-- Carla really flipped her sh*t (shocker) when she found out Jacques Pepin loved peas. "WHHHHHAAAA????? OMG I LOVE PEAS 22222222222222!!!! Wait, he loves BREAD???? I LOVE BREADDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
-- Jacques Pepin picked squab as his last meal, saying he just "wants some comfort food." Nothin' like some good ol' down-home, comfort squab, is there? I personally prefer my Grandma's good ol' backcountry Georgia foie gras recipe that I used to eat when I was a kid.
-- More Fabio: "I'm chopping like Jason from Friday the 13th!" - that wouldn't happen to be viral marketing on Bravo's part, would it? Sneaky sneaky...
-- Why did the lighting at the guest chefs' "Last Meal" table look like a damn Air Supply video?
After the jump, Stefan ALLLLLLMOST gets eliminated...
-- Leah, upon elimination, exclaimed "I had no idea this would be so hard." Really, Leah? After watching four seasons of chefs having ten minutes to cook fine-dining entrees for a science conference of 50,000 people but their dish has to embody the element "Boron" and they can't use salt or plates then they get very specially ripped apart by the world's most renowned gourmet chefs on national tv? Fair enough.
-- Did anyone else yell at the screen "Hey Wylie, if you love breakfast so much, how 'bout you MARRY a f*ckin' breakfast??" Every one of you? Oh, cool.
-- Stefan really dropped the ball this week (and by 'ball,' I mean salmon-cookedness), and probably could've gone home had Tom (and the Bravo producers) not gone very far out of their way to seem appalled by Leah's dish. Leah has deserved to go home in the past, but this week? Iooooookkkkkknnooooowww... Stefan's Final Four pass was not unlike the Denzel Washington Training Day Oscar, though I believe that character didn't f*ck up salmon.
-- Did Fabio serve his Quickfire egg dish in some sort of blunt weapon?
Is the Broadwaypocalypse coming to a halt? Will Ferrell’s You’re Welcome America. A Final Night With George W. Bush is doing brisk business, the producers of In the Heights recouped their initial $10 million investment last month, and now comes word of a new $11 million musical opening on Broadway later this year. Just one month after the closing of burlesque-centric Gypsy, the producers of Minsky's, a backstage-burlesque tuner that opened to mixed reviews last week in Los Angeles, have announced that they're planning a New York transfer that will open in summer or fall.
So will Minsky's be the tawdry bit of entertainment this town needs as the recession rolls on? Probably not. Loosely based on the 1968 film The Night They Raided Minsky's, the stage adaptation sounds as hokey as they come, with the Times calling it a "feel-good musical" that will leave you "with the feeling that you’ve attended a comforting church service." Sounds fun! Meanwhile the L.A. Times compares the show to The Drowsy Chaperone, noting "plenty of nifty one-liners and deliriously silly shenanigans." Is this the kind of fluffy stuff we have to look forward to until the economy’s back on its feet? If so, that might explain why Guys and Dolls posted a whopping 96.3 percent attendance last week — the highest on Broadway — while still in previews. Never mind what we said earlier — Broadwaypocalypse is, for now, back on.
Producers say 'Minsky's' is headed to Broadway [AP]
Read more posts by Michael Alan Connelly
Filed Under: broadway, broadwaypocalypse, minsky's, theater
In a stroke of genius, ABC has decided to hire Tim Gunn to host its Academy Awards preshow this year, alongside ABC morning-news anchor Robin Roberts and Entertainment Weekly managing editor Jess Cagle. Will he be able to resist raking the ugly gowns over the coals, like when he told Blayne on the last season of Project Runway that his drag-queen costume looked like a pterodactyl out of a gay Jurassic Park? We hope not! [Variety]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: make it work, oscars, tim gunn
Great news for Ugly Betty fans! (Ish!) Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, who gets more scoops than Kellogg's Raisin Bran, filed an exclusive story with the headline "Ugly Betty Lives!" Awesome news, right? Well, there's only one minor issue. You see, while his statement is technically true, in that the show has yet to be canceled, if you're one of those discerning types of readers who actually continues past the headline of stories (I know, who has the time for that anymore, right?), you'll read that the exclusive his sources fed him is actually just that "ABC is on the verge of renewing Ugly Betty for a fourth season." Not renewed, mind you, but on the verge of renewing. As in, not yet renewed. For all of you confused Ugly Betty fans out there, thankfully TV by the Numbers' Robert Seidman was able to break down the situation.
Although Seidman's piece takes on an almost Nelson Muntz-ian tone at times, with the way he takes incredible pleasure in poking holes into Ausiello's exclusive non-story, his post is actually filled with a lot of excellent information. He points out that the show is clearly on the bubble, as it is performing worse than ABC's overall average ratings among 18- to 49-year-olds. He also notes that the series would need to be renewed for two more full seasons in order to approach the magical 100-episode count, which is generally (but not always) when shows get picked up for big-bucks syndication deals. He even goes so far as to advance a theory that Ausiello is getting spun by his sources because they are fearful that Ausiello's last Ugly Betty–related scoop — namely, that the show will be put on a long hiatus this spring — could be affecting how much ABC is able to charge advertisers for commercials during the program.
Hilarious beef aside, we're sad to report that Ugly Betty fans shouldn't sleep tight just yet. Just to be on the safe side, maybe now's a good time to start forwarding orthodontic rubber bands to ABC Entertainment Group president Stephen McPherson's office.
Exclusive: 'Ugly Betty' lives! [Entertainment Weekly]
Exclusive: Despite rumors, Ugly Betty’s fate likely not decided until May [TVbytheNumbers]
Read more posts by Mark Graham
Filed Under: ABC, Michael Ausiello, Stephen McPherson, TV, Ugly Betty
It was with some trepidation that we clicked on the latest installment of The Bubble Economy author Christopher Wood's weekly newsletter, "Greed & Fear," datelined Las Vegas. As you may know, we have something of a problem with pessimism porn and, having interviewed Wood before, we know that the mere mention of the term "Western financials" just about gives him an aneurysm. (We also know that when he was the Economist's man in Tokyo, the locals called him "Beethoven" because of his unruly hair.) An analyst for Hong Kong–based brokerage advisory CLSA, Wood believes U.S. banks, acting in concert with their European cohorts, have more or less obliterated their own economies, if not the world's. And he has an even less sanguine outlook on Timothy Geithner's bank-rescue plan, which he calls, in withering British-ese, a "damp squib."
"Nationalization of the bust banks and separation of good assets from bad assets is the only honest way forward, politically, for dealing with the current escalating mess in the American financial system ... Ordinary Americans want to be told the truth and are fed up with gimmicky solutions involving adding debt on debt. It is also the case that the Obama administration risks a populist backlash on any policy based on bailing out banks. That is why it is even more amazing that Obama does not understand the political appeal of the nationalization option. Maybe the so-called liberal Democrats are worried about adopting such a seemingly socialistic solution ... but despite this latest setback nationalization of the banks is coming sooner or later because the realities of the situation will demand it. The result will be shareholders wiped out and bondholders forced to take debt-for-equity swaps, if not hopefully depositors."
Read more posts by Hugo Lindgren
Filed Under: christopher wood, Pessimism Porn, the bubble economy, The Greatest Depression
Today through February 21, you can buy Stefano Pilati's first unisex collection for Yves Saint Laurent at a special pop-up shop in New York. We're kind of obsessed with these clothes. The suits are inspired by YSL's iconic Le Smoking tux of the sixties. The line also includes high-waisted shorts, chic trenches, and pastel cardigans. If these pieces were all we had to wear through May, we'd be very happy campers. Until Obama enacts a blog-stimulus plan, we'll have to settle for fruit T-shirts. See the full collection in the slideshow.
Edition Unisex Pop-up
55 Great Jones, at Bowery
Through February 21
Open daily, noon - 7 p.m.
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: retail therapy, slideshow, yves saint laurent
Researchers have begun outfitting birds with tiny backpacks that track their location and speed during migration, revealing a treasure trove of information that ornithologists apparently find interesting. That's all well and good, but are we seriously supplying our mortal enemies with sophisticated technology and just hoping they don't use it against us? How about we give them some night-vision goggles while we're at it, so they can coordinate with each other and target our planes under cover of darkness? [NYT]
Read more posts by Dan Amira
Filed Under: bad ideas, birds, scientists, terrorists of the sky
What the hell is going on? Last night was skimpy on the comic flourishes that have carbonated recent episodes. (Patty craves Chinese, Ellen watches a black-lady-judge show, an FBI agent has marital problems.) While the momentum sputtered, we tried to relish some quality time with long-lost friends and slutty, shiny new acquaintances, even as others (Wes, Patty’s husband and son, Uncle Pete) went missing with other plot threads.
Katie Connor, Ellen’s knocked-around almost-sister-in-law, is back, to unwittingly attract the attention of stalkers from the Frobisher days and remind Ellen of her culpability in the un-avenged death of her fiancé. When Ellen takes the opportunity to patronize her, Katie fires back: “Right. Because you’re a lawyer and I’m an idiot.” Lawyers and idiots are not mutually exclusive, Katie.
The stinky-looking NYPD detective who bludgeoned David Conner in the tub will be an uninvited, gun-wielding guest at Future Ellen’s hotel room. Back in the present, he shoots his accomplice, another cop, who’s been made by Katie.
Hi, Greta Van Sustern! It’s unclear where she’s been in the real world, but Greta makes her second Damages cameo playing what most actors on the show play: a patsy, helping Patty pick a public fight with Kendrick by accusing him of murdering Christine Purcell. This leads to a quickly settled defamation lawsuit and, more important, plummeting stock prices for UNR. Anachronism: A billion-dollar corporation plagued only by a toxic plant and merger jitters? In 2009, this ain’t no thing.
Claire Maddox, we’re falling for you. As another fearsome attorney with intimacy and control issues, she remains an alternate, Planet Buxom version of Patty: Though her boss tries to hook her up with old tycoons, she prefers trysts with Danny (why?) and hot young waiters. Post-coitus she enjoys, like a Howard Hawks villainess, rolling up her stockings, a solo smoke, and silence.
We feel strangely compelled to rub up against a 2009 Cadillac Escalade after Clarke Peters’s character buys one in cash, extolling its fuel efficiency and navigation system, later handing the keys to Kendrick at a gallery. Unless we simply didn’t get the joke (highly possible), this was perhaps the most embarrassing brand-integration scene in the genre’s history — plus, does Cadillac really want viewers to associate its wares with corrupt, scheming corporate thugs? Branding is weird.
Having healed up nicely, Arthur Frobisher meets with this season’s baddie, Balanchine-loving Kendrick, at the ballet. Frobisher out-crasses Kendrick in describing their mutual adversary, Patty, as a castrating, dildo-wearing rapist. But the potty-mouthing was all for show. Because, in the Big Reveal of the night, Frobisher is the UNR shareholder recruited by Patty to sue UNR. So far, Ellen doesn’t know about this unholiest of alliances with her fiancé’s killer. How her eyes will widen at the news.
Read more posts by Justin Ravitz
Filed Under: damages, overnights, tv
We noticed that Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein seemed kind of tense and exasperated in front of the House Financial Services Committee yesterday, a far cry from the impish creature with dancing eyes we know and love. But we let it go: The past few months have been difficult enough, and then on top of it, to get dragged out of the office so that a bunch of lunatics can yell things like I HAVE NO IDEA WHY YOU HAVE NOT BEEN PROSECUTED in your face? Well. That would make anyone cranky. But it was only when we saw the pictures that we realized that the stress associated with the financial crisis could really be taking a toll on Lloyd. And by that we mean on his visage. Look at how he's got his face all twisted up! Think of the wrinkles he's going to give himself!
We've always said he was puppy-dog cute, but really, we have to draw the line somewhere.
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: lloyd blankfein, White Men With Potential Wrinkles
At GQ's menswear bash last night, designer Tommy Hilfiger said that while his company had not formally approached the Obamas about wearing his designs, "I know Barack wears some of my ties, I've seen them." David Lauren, clad in Rugby and wearing a foot cast after a run-in with a cracked Soho sidewalk, added that the Obamas "have great style ... and if they choose to wear us, we'd love it." But even if Sasha and Malia Obama eschew outsized Polo ponies this season, rest assured that the Ralph Lauren brand has already made its mark on the White House. "I believe that [the Obama girls'] rooms have been painted with Ralph Lauren paints," said Lauren. Kelly Cutrone, who reps jewelry designer Loree Rodkin, as worn by Michelle Obama, adds that Michelle is totally refreshing, no matter what she wears. "She's the first lady in the White House in 50 years who actually looks like she's getting fucked."
Read more posts by Sarah Horne
Filed Under: barack obama, david lauren, fall 2009, fashion week, kelly cutrone, malia obama, michelle obama, party report, sasha obama, tommy hilfiger
AP - Dan Auerbach, "Keep It Hid" (Nonesuch)
There's a lot of talk these days about raising income taxes on New York's rich, however that's defined. Shelly Silver may amend his "millionaire's tax" to take into account people that aren't quite millionaires, and State Senator Eric Schneiderman wants to raise taxes on everyone making over $250,000 a year. Sure, we have a huge steaming pile of deficit to deal with, but some people predict that raising taxes will drive the wealthy out of the state. Plus, these tax increases just sound so ... taxy. Very much like the taxes that we currently hate paying. If you're going to get people to support a tax increase, you need to really sell it. Which is what Christine Quinn was doing in her State of the City address earlier this afternoon when she introduced her plan to raise taxes on those making over $297,000 a year. "Right now, New York City taxes everyone making above $90,000 the exact same tax rate," Quinn said. "It’s shameful; Bernie Madoff pays the exact same tax rate as a public-school principal." Bernie Madoff! That guy's a dick! Tax away, and God bless you, you sweet woman.
Council Speaker Proposes Tax Reform In State Of City Address [NY1]
Earlier: Fair Share Tax Reform Gaining Momentum
Read more posts by Dan Amira
Filed Under: bernie madoff, christine quinn, taxes
SMOKEY MAKES A CAMEO
Jin and his newfound French scientist cronies quickly stumbled upon the Smoke Monster, who we haven't seen since abouttttttt the pilot episode, if my memory serves me right. Smokey wasn't just his usual reflect-your-life madness-inspirer either; he immediately zoomed into Eko mode, slamming one woman to death then pulling another scientist to his arm-ripping doom in one of the more gruesome Lost moments to date (still only about 1/1000th as disturbing as the 'Ben hitting on Juliet' flashback episode).
Jin witnesses these horrors, then watches pregnant-Rousseau's babydaddy try to shoot her but she shoots him in a three-minutes-later flash-forward, and Jin ultimately forces Locke to promise not to bring Sun back to the island. Locke 'agrees,' then quickly yells "Psych-nawww!!! My toes were crossed!" before jumping down a well and disappearing. I was really hoping that when Jin handed his wedding ring over to Locke, he'd then immediately turn to Juliet and say "I single now. So... you coming here often?"
Also, when Jin finally met up with the islanders and Sawyer told him to freeze, did he really not recognize Sawyer's voice? It couldn't have been more obviously Sawyer if he had yelled "Y'all better hold it right there, Miley Cyrus -- Soonnnnofabitch!"
THE OCEANIC TWO
Meanwhile in L.A., Ben very quickly talked Sun down from her murderous rage, and though he alienated Kate and Sayid from the group, he succeeded in getting Sun on board by showing her Jin's wedding ring and conveniently leaving out the backstory of Jin giving it to Locke to prove to Sun he was dead. Sun, like every Lost viewer, should have understood that no one on this show is frickin' dead until their severed head gets hit by a flaming arrow then explodes then Jacob pees on it (and even then, they'll be back a week later in ghost form).
The only part of last night's episode that didn't make sense to me was the ending, when Ben, Jack, Sun, and (coincidentally) Desmond descended on Ms. Hawking's church, thus semi-confirming her as Faraday's mother (I've predicted three things correctly this season! Pushing my career total to...three. Move over, Doc Jensen!) For two seasons now, we've known that Ben and Locke both require all six Oceanics to be together for a successful return to the island, but when Ben presented Jack and Sun as "all I could get on short notice," Ms. Hawking immediately seemed cool with it. But then, in the scenes from next week's episode, Ben and Jack were re-convincing the other 4 Oceanics to come with them, implying that it wasn't ok that Ben only rounded up 2, but Lost had to end the episode on an exciting line, so they just had Hawking say "Alright, let's get started!" [CRAZY MUSIC, END TITLER!] Next week's episode will open with Hawking saying "Ok but seriously, we need the other four. Just ran out of time last week and needed a cool line."
LOCKE RE-ENACTS PASSION OF THE CHRIST
Locke falls down a well and suffers a Jason Kendall-esque bone-jutting-out-of-the-leg injury (awesomely violent episode in general, you could hear ABC yelling 'suck it, Fringe!') and there encounters Jacob in his Christian Shephard costume. Jacob re-iterates that he needed Locke specifically to move the island (though that's really his own fault for not being clear), adding "what has trusting Ben ever gotten anyone?", and tells Locke that he can travel back to land by moving the donkey wheel, also reaffirming that Locke is going to have to 'die.' The freshly crippled Locke reaches new heights of Jesus imagery when he stumbles towards the wheel, because apparently he's too embarrassed to hop on one foot in front of Jacob, and who wouldn't be?
I'm not sure if Jacob's comment implies that Ben knowingly moved the island himself with some ulterior motive or if he simply misunderstood the prophecy and is now rectifying the situation. Both Locke and Ben have the same goal of returning the Oceanic Six to the island, but do they truly have the same purpose? I'm betting Ben definitely has something cool and evil up his cool-and-evil sleeve.
ANYONE HAVE CHARLOTTE IN THEIR OFFICE DEATH POOL?
Charlotte's time-travel condition rapidly worsened this week as she devolved into spouting random non sequiturs from her past before recounting to Faraday that she spent her childhood on the island, then left with her mother and never saw her father (Charlie Wids?) again. She then declares that someone told her that she'd die if she came back to the island (not unlike Jin's message for Sun, eh?) and that she's pretty sure...that person...WAS DANIEL! Daniel reacts with an unmistakable "whoa, really, Lost producers?" expression:
-- Does everyone speak every language? Seriously, Lost is starting to make me feel inadequate, like when I visit foreign countries and all the eight-year-olds speak like four languages fluently, and I'm like "I know some Spanish kind of!" Charlotte was not joking when she said she spoke Klingon.
-- WTF line of the night, from French scientist, about his female companion: "She's probably off chasing a butterfly!" Is that a stereotype, or even an insult? Who doesn't love butterflies? And if one appeared on the island, I'm sure it'd be super significant and generate 50,000 theories, so eat it, Frenchie McDeaderson.
-- If the time flashes get any more frequent, Lost is just gonna turn into the Ray of Light music video.
In general, another really solid episode that kept the "answered more questions than it raised" streak rolling at four weeks. Lost almost feels like a different show this season, in a good way; the episodes are sequential, they run the same themes week to week rather than showing Hurley discovering a bus then revisiting it a decade later, they're exciting, and they all feel legitimately interesting and tense rather than just aloof and confusing for the sake of it. I'm really interested to find out what Ben's true motivation to get people back to the island is, too -- I think we're gonna be in for a lot of "NO F***ING WAY!"s after the next "LOST" season-ending title screen.
Episode thoughts, observations, jokes, theories, and any dumb sh*t -- leave 'em in the comments!
Ruffian designers Brian Wolk and Claude Morais are releasing a behind-the-scenes coffee-table book this spring, written with Style.com editor Nicole Phelps. Titled Ruffian: Inside Out (Assouline, $18.95), the photo-heavy tome chronicles the creation of the duo's spring and fall 2008 collections, from sketches and fittings to runway shows. (Ogle the full fall collection here.) The book's official release date is April 15, but a limited number of advance copies will be circulated during Fashion Week. Click ahead for a sneak peek.
Related: Earnest Sewn Makes Room for Ruffian (and Their Condoms)
Read more posts by Lauren Murrow
Filed Under: agyness deyn, assouline, books, brian wolk, claude morais, designers, fall 2008, Fashion Library, new york fashion week, ruffian, slideshow, spring 2008
Christopher J. Warren, a 26-year-old Californian who was involved with a mortgage company accused of defrauding investors of around $100 million, was arrested in Buffalo yesterday. He had $70,000 stuffed in his boots, plus four ounces of platinum, certificates showing the weight and purity of $1.1 million worth of gold, and $1 million in Swiss bank certificates. Also, he had been on a quite a journey!
• First, on February 3, he'd flown to Ireland on a chartered private jet.
• But it was boring there. Or something. So he traveled to Lebanon. On the way there, he showed some of the flight crew the $4 to $5 million in gold he was carrying. Heavy!
• It was only after flying all that way that he realized he'd actually rather be in Canada. Because who wouldn't? So he flew to Toronto.
• But once there he was unsatisfied. He wanted to go to Mexico. So he grabbed a cab (you'd have to; with that much money in your boots and metal on your person, walking isn't really an option) to the border of Buffalo, New York. Because that is on the way to Mexico, sort of.
It's actually kind of crazy that he didn't get caught until Buffalo, right?! But then again: When a man walks funny in Buffalo, people notice.
Calif. fraud suspect caught with $70,000 in boots [AP]
Related: The Dirty Dozen: Intel’s Guide to the Cheats, Crooks, and Con Artists of the Greatest Depression
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: Ballsy Crime, christopher warren, the greatest depression
Justin Timberlake isn't a designer, but he's joining the roster of such luminaries as Diane Von Furstenberg, Narciso Rodriguez, and Donna Karan who are staging runway shows in the tents next week. He founded his label, William Rast, with childhood friend Trace Alaya about three years ago. Alaya had the idea to launch the line, and when he did, Timberlake told him he wouldn't have much time to work on it. But that's not the case anymore: Timberlake brought on Johan and Marcella Lindeberg, who design the J. Lindeberg label, three seasons ago. A few months ago he lent his hotness and uh, acting skills, to the William Rast promotional short film. And this season — though he's never professed to be a designer — he had something to do with the fall 2009 aesthetic. He told WWD his inspiration for the new collection came from "a new America."
With President Obama in the White House, Timberlake said he has been inspired to showcase a line that’s full of what American fashion should be about — leather motorcycle jackets, oversize flannel plaid shirts, black skinny and acid-wash denim jeans.
Oh goody. Acid-wash. But! Whatever Timberlake actually does for William Rast, it's working. The label is doing fabulously in the economic downturn. It sells in major department stores like Bloomingdale's, 500 specialty stores like Saks, and 180 stores in Europe. Nordstrom said the spring collection is already selling briskly. Expansion plans include launching a shoe line and opening freestanding William Rast stores.
With the bearish market gruesomely devouring celebrity lines, this is impressive news. Then again, everyone says there's lots of opportunity in this kind of climate. We didn't think it would be for acid-wash and oversized flannel, but hey, if a label's expanding and hiring people, we'll deal.
The Evolution of William Rast [WWD]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: fall 2009, j lindeberg, justin timberlake, new york fashion week, trace alaya, william rast
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