EVENTS TODAY
• Loomstate co-founder Scott Hahn stops by Kiehl's for a Q&A and screening of Eco Trip, a movie premiering on the Sundance Channel. 109 Third Ave., at 13th St. (212-677-3171); 7–8. Call to RSVP.
SALES STARTING TODAY
• Get deals on cotton tees (now $25, originally $66), dresses (now $40, originally $88), and summer cardigans (now $50, originally $120) at the White + Warren pre-summer sale. Through 5/20. 80 W. 40th St., nr. Sixth Ave. (212-298-3295); T (8–8), W (noon–8).
• Lisli's sample sale features items for up to 75 percent off. Through 5/20. 17 Little West 12th St., nr. Washington St., Ste. 201 (212-763-2603); daily (10–7).
ENDING TODAY
• Mackage coats, jackets, leather, and trenches are 50 percent off – men's jackets that were $600 to $1,000 are now $300 to $500 and women's jackets that were $350 to $900 are now $176 to $440. Cash only. Through 5/19. 275 W. 39th St., nr. Eighth Ave., seventh fl. (212-391-5287); daily (noon–7).
STARTING TOMORROW
• 3.1 phillip lim womenswear, menswear, and children's clothes are up to 50 percent off.Through 5/21. 260 W. 39th St., nr. Seventh Ave., seventeenth fl.; W, Th (10–5).
• Save 75 percent on the MINT Jodi Arnold spring collection, a great sale to hit if you need to get something to wear to a summer wedding. Pants start at $80 (originally $200), tops start at $120 (originally $300), and dresses start at $160 (originally $375). Through 5/22. 230 W. 39th St., nr. Seventh Ave., second fl.; daily (9–6).
• At the Nanette Lepore sample sale, dresses are $140 (originally $335), skirts are $100 (originally $195), tops are $95 (originally $215), sweaters are $75 (originally $110), and shoes are $130 (originally $255). Through 5/22. 225 W. 35th St., nr. Seventh Ave., fourth fl. (212-594-0012); daily (9–7).
ENDING TOMORROW
• Cocktail dresses and evening gowns by Pamela Roland, Marc Bouwer, Lela Rose, and more are up to 75 percent off. 584 Broadway, nr. Prince St. (212-920-1211); M–W (10–6).
• Jewelry by Simon Alcantara is 40 percent off at the sample sale. Through 5/20. 584 Broadway, nr. Prince St., Ste. 1007 (212-219-1749); daily (10–4).
ONGOING
• Miss Sixty and Energie's combination sample sale features up to 90 percent off stock for men and women. Jeans are $20 (originally $185), tops are $15 (originally $99), dresses are $25 (originally $139), shoes are $25 (originally $200), and skirts and shorts are $15 (originally $150). Through 5/21. 435 Hudson St., nr. Leroy St., Ste. 400; M (3–7), T, W (9–7), Th (9–3).
• Bulk up your business wardrobe at Theory's women's sample sale. Blazers are $139, dresses are $99, pants are $89, and shirts are $75. Through 5/21. 261 W. 36th St., nr. Seventh Ave., second fl. (212-947-8748); S (10–5), Su (11–5), M–Th (11–7).
• Clothing and accessories by Orla Kiely, Charlotte Ronson, and Erickson Beamon are below wholesale prices at Showroom Seven. Through 5/22. 263 Eleventh Ave., nr. 27th St., third fl. (212-643-4810); M–S (10–7), Su (closed).
• Just in time for swim season, swimwear by Vix and Lisa Curran is on sale — suits start at $65, cover-ups are $30, and flip-flops start at $10. Cash only. Through 5/22. 250 W. 39th St., nr. Seventh Ave., Ste. 510 (212-221-2349); M–F (10–8), S, Su (closed).
• Select spring merchandise at Kirna Zabete is 40 percent off in-store and online at KirnaZabete.com. Alexander Wang dresses are $345 (originally $575), Nina Ricci leather jackets are $1,974 (originally $3,290), and tops, dresses, and coats from Lanvin range from $150 to $2,808 (originally $250 to $4,680). Ongoing. 96 Greene St., nr. Spring St. (212-941-9656); M–S (11–7), Su (12–6).
• Find 50 percent off the cruise and spring collections by Temperley London. The Petunia dress is $897 (originally $1,795), the Alessia tunic is $477 (originally $795), and the Tiger trousers are $435 (originally $725). Ongoing. 453 Broome St., at Mercer St., second fl. (212-219-2929); M–S (11–7), Su (noon–6).
• Jackets, suits, formalwear, shirts, pants, and ties are 50 percent off at menswear boutique Sew's sample sale. Ongoing. 229A Mott St., nr. Prince St. (212-686-1630); M–F (11–7), S, Su (11–6).
• Save 30 percent on men's and women's clothes stocked at Alter, including brands like Cheap Monday (T-shirts are now $49) and Rojas (a shirt is now $45). Ongoing. 109 Franklin St., nr. Greenpoint Ave., Greenpoint, Brooklyn (718-784-8818); T–F (1–9), S (noon–9), Su (noon–8), M (closed).
• The 2008 resort collection by 3.1 phillip lim is up to 40 percent off while supplies last. Ongoing. 115 Mercer St., nr. Prince St. (212-334-1160); M–S (11–7), Su (noon–6).
• Menswear by Trovata, Comme des Garçons, and You Must Create is on clearance sale at Den for the next few weeks. Ongoing. 330 E. 11th St., nr. First Ave. (212-475-0079); M–S (noon–9), Su (noon–8).
• Find 40 to 50 percent off the spring/summer collection by Missoni. Bathing suits that were $420 to $620 are now $220 to $313. Ongoing. 1009 Madison Ave., at 78th St. (212-517-9339); M–S (10–6), Su (closed).
• Men's jewelry at Odin is up to 65 percent off. Find pieces by Philip Crangi, Robert Geller, and Tom Binns until stock runs out. Ongoing. East Village: 328 E. 11th St., nr. Second Ave. (212-475-0666); M–S (noon–9), Su (noon–8). Soho: 199 Lafayette St., nr. Broome St. (212-966-0026); M–S (11–8), Su (noon–7).
• Bobby Berk Home is having an overstock sale featuring over 80 percent off bedding. King-size, 600-thread-count duvet sets are $199 (originally $600); queen sets are $189 (originally $575). Go down to 300-thread-count sheets and spend $119 (originally $300). Ongoing. 59 Crosby St., nr. Spring St. (646-233-3438); M–S (11–7), Su (noon–6).
AP - ABC plans to launch a comedy night on Wednesdays this fall with familiar sitcom stars in roles suited to the times. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 19 May 2009 | 12:54 pm
AP - ABC plans to launch a comedy night on Wednesdays this fall with familiar sitcom stars in roles suited to the times. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 19 May 2009 | 12:54 pm
AP - Director Rob Marshall's new movie musical "Nine" offers a potent combination of Italian style, costumes to die for and six Academy Award-winning performers. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 19 May 2009 | 12:02 pm
• What do you make of the new New Moon one-sheet poster? Kristen Stewart is still pouting, Robert Pattinson is still broody and hot and Taylor Lautner is still fighting for his place....
Even if the world had been applauding Jack Bauer at the season's end of "24," he couldn't hear them. He was last seen hospitalized in a coma. Infected by a bioweapon targeting America,... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 19 May 2009 | 11:32 am
Director Rob Marshall's new movie musical "Nine" offers a potent combination of Italian style, costumes to die for and six Academy Award-winning performers. The story of a filmmaker and... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 19 May 2009 | 11:31 am
Let the championship dance-off begin. Shawn Johnson and Gilles Marini come into the season finale of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" tied with 58 points. Melissa Rycroft is two points... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 19 May 2009 | 11:29 am
Spanish director Pedro Almodovar poses during the photocall of the movie Broken Embraces in competition at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival. Almodovar said that "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown"... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 19 May 2009 | 11:23 am
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" has been adapted for US television and a Broadway musical version is about to begin rehearsals, the movie's director Pedro Almodovar said Tuesday. Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 19 May 2009 | 11:23 am
LONDON, May 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In a video interview M&S Chairman Stuart Rose looks at the UK retailer's results for the 52 weeks ended 28 March 2009.... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 19 May 2009 | 11:22 am
LAS VEGAS, May 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is issued by The United States Raelian Movement: One of the Raelian Movement's most outspoken U.S.... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 19 May 2009 | 11:00 am
'I had doubts that it was the right record,' frontwoman Hayley Williams recalls of writing songs for the Riot! follow-up.By James Montgomery Paramore's Hayley Williams Photo: MTV News There was... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 19 May 2009 | 10:51 am
We look back at the 'American Idol' finalists' past 11 weeks and see how they really match up.By Jim Cantiello Adam Lambert and Kris Allen Photo: F Micelotta / American Idol/ Getty Images Tuesday... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 19 May 2009 | 10:51 am
We decode the MC's dark rhymes, in which he discusses his struggle with addiction and Proof's death.By Jayson Rodriguez Eminem's <i>Relapse</i> Photo: Interscope Records... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 19 May 2009 | 10:51 am
Plus: Audrina and Stephanie go on a double date with half a band, and Lauren gives Steph the boot.By Jim Cantiello Spencer Pratt and Heidi's Dad, Cowboy Bill Montag Photo: MTV Note to self: If... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 19 May 2009 | 10:51 am
Even though she has 17 new songs on her new album, "Abnormally Attracted to Sin," Tori Amos promises she'll play plenty of familiar fare during her Sinful Attraction Tour, which begins July 10 in Seattle.
As first reported on Billboard.com last month, rapper Raekwon signed with EMI for his ICE H20 label, which will distribute his highly-anticipated "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II" album. Now, that set finally has a street date of August 11.
Dolla, a rapping protege of hip-hop artist Akon, was fatally shot in the head Monday near a valet stand outside the Beverly Center, publicist Sue Vannasing told the Los Angeles Times.
French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg (centre), her husband Yvan Attal (left) and US actor Willem Dafoe arrive for the screening of the movie "Antichrist," directed by Danish director Lars Von Trier in competition... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 19 May 2009 | 2:56 am
French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg (2nd left) her husband Yvan Attal (left), Danish director Lars Von Trier (3rd left), his wife Bente Froge, Italian director Giada Colagrande (4th right), US actor Willem... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 19 May 2009 | 2:56 am
US actor Willem Dafoe arrive for the screening of the movie "Antichrist," directed by Danish director Lars Von Trier in competition at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival, on May 18. Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 19 May 2009 | 2:56 am
Week 11, only three celebs left.
Shawn Johnson, Melissa Rycroft and Gilles Marini took to the Dancing With the Stars floor Monday to make their last syncopated appeals to the judges and,...
After spending yet another season's end on the bubble, Law & Order is being welcomed back to NBC for a 16-episode 20th season, where it will tie Gunsmoke as the...
Front Page: Spielberg will produce DreamWorks pic -- DreamWorks has acquired the life rights to Martin Luther King Jr. and is bringing a biopic on the slain civil rights leader to the bigscreen.
Front Page: Agency partners with former Merrill Lynch bankers -- CAA has quietly extended its reach into the financing arena on a range of media and showbiz ventures.
While the imperious Basil Rathbone once set the standard for the Victorian detective in the movies, Robert Downey Jr. taps into the impish,...
Kanye West denies causing this bit of turbulence.
The hip-hop star pleaded not guilty last week to charges of battery, grand theft and vandalism stemming from his arrest for tangling...
• Gossip Girl: If you caught tonight's Gossip Girl, you might be wondering if Georgina (Michelle Trachtenberg) and Carter Baizen (Leighton Meester's real-life boyfriend Sebastian...
Contrary to a report in a British newspaper, Michael Jackson does not have skin cancer, says Randy Phillips, president and CEO of AEG Live, the promoter of the King of Pop's upcoming concerts at London's 02 Arena.
We've spent a good chunk of the day trying to figure out whether Darrell Hammond will be returning to SNL next season: We've heard chatter on both sides of the fence, but all the NBC spokesperson we emailed would commit to saying is that "We have made no announcements." However, it does appear that Saturday's show just might have been the last for longtime announcer Don Pardo. The 91 year-old was inducted into the Rhode Island Radio Hall of Fame last week, at which time he casually mentioned that the Will Ferrell/Green Day show would be his last as the show's announcer. That said, the door will likely still be open for his return should Pardo have a change of heart when next September rolls around. While Pardo officially retired from NBC a few years back, Lorne Michaels has so far been able to convince the legendary announcer to come in to do the opening "It's Saturday Night Live" voice-over work he's been doing since the show's 1975 debut.
AP - "As They See 'Em: A Fan's Travels in the Land of Umpires" (Simon & Schuster, 333 pages, $25), by Bruce Weber: Bruce Weber, once a theater critic for The New York Times, examines the lives and subculture of professional baseball's umpires. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 18 May 2009 | 11:14 pm
AP - "As They See 'Em: A Fan's Travels in the Land of Umpires" (Simon & Schuster, 333 pages, $25), by Bruce Weber: Bruce Weber, once a theater critic for The New York Times, examines the lives and subculture of professional baseball's umpires. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 18 May 2009 | 11:14 pm
That's what Curbed deduces from looking at a charity-auction listing for one of the rooms there. Also, just FYI, a two-night stay plus dinner and spa treatments at the luxury condotel is estimated to be worth $5,000. Just in case you're making plans now. [Curbed]
Paris Hilton may be all the way across the sea in Cannes, but she's still got us talking over here about her ring-finger bling.
The heiress is in France with boyfriend Doug...
AP - It's not often you get a play as skillfully constructed as Ian Bruce's "Groundswell," which manages to marry the suspense of a melodramatic thriller with a thoughtful examination of the aftereffects of apartheid in present-day South Africa.
The Playlist and Movieline direct us to the first, sixteen-second clip of Heath Ledger's performance in this fall's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, the Terry Gilliam film he'd half completed at the time of his death. In it, Ledger spouts Gilliam-y dialogue ("Can you put a price on your dreams?") while wearing one of those creepy long-nose masks popularized by extras in the orgy scene from Eyes Wide Shut. But is it good enough for the second posthumous Oscar that Gilliam has already announced plans to push him for? We'd probably need to see at least another fourteen seconds.
Michelle Obama's back in town! She opened a wing at the Met today wearing an Isaac Mizrahi coat and dress in an awfully pretty shade of purple. Over the weekend, she wore the same Michael Kors dress she wore in her official White House portrait to give a commencement speech at the University of California, Merced. See both looks in the Michelle Obama Look Book.
This afternoon's meeting between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went off without a hitch, with both sides feeling one another out over Iran's nuclear development and drawing soft lines on other issues, like a two-state solution with Palestine and the halt of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Obama insisted upon the latter, putting pressure on his counterpart — whose government had approved a new spate of settlements just this morning. Obama referenced Palestinian statehood, but Netanyahu only argued for the right of the Palestinians to self-govern, never mentioning a separate state. And while Obama said that he was "not naïve" about possible upcoming talks with Iran to discontinue their nuclear program, Netanyahu pushed for a firmer stance.
Here's what the Internet punditry has to say so far about the meetings:
• While more than twice as many Israelis think Obama is pro-Israel than think he is pro-Palestine (more still think he is neutral), the Israeli press was skeptical of the visits. "Israel and its American ally clearly have a list of urgent issues to address," wrote Ophir Falk in Yediot Aharonot. "These include the global economic crisis and the imminent nuclear threat. The establishment of a Palestinian state is not of top priority. In fact, the Palestinian state may be a non-issue." [Fox News]
• "The problem is that Obama's desire to stand apart from his predecessor George W. Bush and go for jaw-jaw rather than war-war does not tally with Israel's preoccupations, especially after voters' shift to the right following disillusion the Oslo peace process and Israel's unilateral pull-out from the Gaza Strip in 2005," writes Lionel Laurent. "But sometimes discord can be a good thing. It is good that Obama is not afraid to publicly disagree with Israel's prime minister, and it is also good that Netanyahu was not able to dodge the issue of Palestine statehood in favor of the Iranian threat." [Forbes]
• Paul Hilder argues that, despite Bibi's tough streak, flexible Obama entered the meeting with the upper hand: "Israelis trust Obama as a leader far more than their own prime minister Bibi Netanyahu — with 59% of Israelis calling the US President trustworthy, and only 31% saying this of Bibi," he writes. "What is more, 65% of Israelis — that's almost two in three — want President Obama to get actively involved to help solve the conflict, as do 70% of Palestinians." [HuffPo]
• Jo-Ann Mort argues that despite Netanyahu's reputation as an inflexible hard-liner, even he can see that some of Obama's nuance is for his own good. "There is a tremendous economic advantage to Israel to take these steps and run with them," she writes, referring to easing off with threats of force and joining with potential Arab allies, like King Abdullah of Jordan, to curb Iran. "Bibi, a man of international finance and a fan of globlization [sic] and Israel's role in a globalized world, knows this. The alternative could be a dangerous economic status and continued brain drain in Israel." [TPM Café/TMP]
• Ben Smith points out that Bibi has also learned from his past state visits. In 1998, when visiting then-president Bill Clinton, he made a big show of meeting with conservative leaders (including Jerry Falwell) first. This time around, he went for a "low-conflict" approach, not including any GOP power players on his schedule while he's here. [Politico]
• In fact, Gideon Rachman thought that "Netanyahu, often self-confident and aggressive in private, was a real pussy-cat." And when Obama defended his overtures to Iran as not being weak, Netanyahu even "looked grave and nodded in apparent agreement." [FT]
Oh, and just so you know, the present Bibi gave Barack was a portentous one: A copy of "Pleasure Excursion to the Holy Land," from Mark Twain's 1867 book The Innocents Abroad. The story contains strong language warning against what happens to a Jerusalem under Muslim rule:
Rags, wretchedness, poverty and dirt, those signs and symbols that indicate the presence of Moslem rule more surely than the crescent-flag itself, abound. Lepers, cripples, the blind, and the idiotic, assail you on every hand, and they know but one word of but one language apparently — the eternal 'bucksheesh.' To see the numbers of maimed, malformed and diseased humanity that throng the holy places and obstruct the gates, one might suppose that the ancient days had come again, and that the angel of the was expected to descend at any moment to stir the waters of Bethesda. Jerusalem is mournful, and dreary, and lifeless.
Manhattan-based company Cellufun has created a cell-phone game that mimics the Ponzi scheme run by Bernie Madoff: To keep it going, players must attract virtual investments from online friends: "When your fund goes broke, you go, 'Holy crap, I didn't invite enough people,'" creator Neil Edwards tells CNN. He adds that although he invented it for fun, it's turned out to be educational as well: "Dad," his 9-year-old daughter told him recently after playing, "I've learned that this can't go on forever." [CNN]
Rumer Willis rocked a free-flowing bohemian look with a floaty floral dress at the Bash of All Bashes party in Beverly Hills last night, balancing what she covered (in a skirt with an ankle-length hem) with what was exposed (by a deep neckline).
Prolific Minneapolis piano-rocker and longtime Craig Finn buddy Mark Mallman has finally called in a favor, and we’re glad he did — “You’re Never Alone in New York,” coming off August’s Invincible Criminal and featuring a few select lines from the Hold Steady’s Finn, is a heartwarming little treat. It’s mawkish, for sure, with over-the-top keyboard stabs and sax solos, but that's perfect for the gushy sentiment. The real takeaway here, at least for H.S. obsessives, is that, despite having lived in New York since 2000, this is the first time Finn’s sung about the city explicitly. He doesn’t have any great insight, but does let himself get joyfully carried away — showing up on the bridge (which sounds pretty much exactly like a Hold Steady bridge); Finn reminds us, here, “you can change your mind / you can change your life.” You’re never alone in New York!
Looks like The Passion of the Christ director is going to have to develop a Passion for the Diapers! Media outlets are reporting that Mel Gibsonhas impregnated short-time girlfriend and full-time very Russian ladyOksana Grigorieva, who is in her second Trimester (or, in layman's terms, "past abortioning"). To be fair, the only time Holocaust deniers are ever cute is when they are babies -- with their tiniest of conspiracies and small wringing hands -- so we're actually kind of looking forward to meeting this little tyke!
It also goes without saying that if this kid is anything like its mom and dad, it will either have a drinking problem or a severely debilitating drinking problem.
Ahead, BWE.tv has obtained an exclusive image of the sonogram...
Speaking today about California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's request for $1 billion in TARP funds to ease the pressure on the state budget, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said that while the administration was "in touch" with California and other struggling local governments and may indeed end up providing them with federal assistance, he objected to the labeling of their involvement as a “federal bailout”:
“I wouldn’t use the word bailout or federal,” Geithner said. “I would say we’re in close consultation with the people who are looking at ways to make sure these markets are working so that states and munis can meet their needs.”
Anyway, it's not really a bailout, it's just a "little something to tide them over," if you don't mind. In addition, Geithner would prefer that everyone refer to their $15.4 billion deficit as "their little problem," and the deep cuts in education, safety, and health and human-service programs as "streamlining." It's for their own good, really. You know how they are out there on the West Coast. Sensitive.
Playbill - Three studio titles will change and one production will move to the Main Stage in a major revision of the 2009-10 season of Portland Center Stage in Oregon. It's due to the economy, the troupe announced on May 14. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 18 May 2009 | 10:05 pm
When Katy Perry showed up on American Idol last week, she was wearing a glittery cape that stumped for Adam Lambert. However, if you purchase Idol via iTunes for posterity's sake, you'll notice that Lambert's name has been digitally erased from Perry's cape. However, in an unfortunate twist for music fans everywhere, producers apparently forgot to excise Perry's screechy live vocals. [TMZ]
MAKEUP
• Rachel Weisz learned from her makeup mistake at the Met gala (dark lipstick with a pale pink gown) and showed up yesterday at the Cannes Film Festival wearing natural makeup with an olive Christian Dior frock. Pretty! [Just Jared]
• Lynn Tilton, the new CEO of Stila Cosmetics, let out the news that Stila will launch a new mass line named Simply Stila when she mingled at the Makeup Show at the Metropolitan Pavilion this weekend. Prices will start at $7.99 and up. [ButterflyDiary]
• Terry Barber, the director of makeup for M.A.C. in the United Kingdom, says that the current beauty trend is "to make the wrongs right." One example is to change typical winged eyeliner into winged eye shadow by painting color stripes around your eyes. [Independent]
HAIR
• The Tinge is a $99 razor that doubles as a vibrator. It was created by Tammy Roberts, a mother who didn't want her children discovering her special toy. Is it just us or do you fear things would go horribly awry? [Sun UK]
SKIN
• C.O. Bigelow will close six of their eleven stores by the end of July. The Manhattan location on Sixth Avenue and 9th Street will remain open. [WWD]
We're receiving word that I've won another Peabody Award for Outstanding Television Journalism, no word yet on how giddy I am or whether or not I plan to smile later, but as soon as we find out we will pass that information along to you so stay tuned -- in the meantime, let's check out this United States-shaped pie chart of the amount of joy that I am currently experiencing...
Doug Benson kicks off a new season of Best Day Ever starting tonight at 11pm on VH1. Catch up on today's best moments, including John Mayer leaving an LA club covered in lipstick kisses, New Kids on the Block filling a cruise ship full of their biggest middle-aged fans, and the latest shenanigans from tonight’s premiere of The Bachelorette.
Watch Best Day Ever tonight at 11pm and then meet Doug in person at the BWE Tweet Up in NYC tomorrow night. In fact, here is a photo of Doug Twittering about it now. That is some real-time delivery. The future is now! Source: Best Week Ever | 18 May 2009 | 9:30 pm
That's the question that Claudia Eller raises in today's Los Angeles Times, pointing to the fact that the Disney–owned unit has seen its share of the "specialty label" box office slip from 20.2 to 12.1 percent in the last two years. She also notes that the studio's box-office revenues dropped nearly 50 percent from its 2007 levels last year, despite the fact that they released the same number of films (eight) in both years. More recently, with the film Adventureland, the studio was not able to turn the significant levels of online buzz the film received into actual ticket sales, and the project only ended up grossing some $16 million at the box office. It's been nearly four years since Bob and Harvey Weinstein fled the company that they both founded and molded into an international powerhouse, and in that time, the only film that Miramax has released that's made anything resembling a widespread impact on American audiences is No Country for Old Men (and even then, the profit was shared with Paramount Vantage). While we are fairly certain that the percentage of people who go to see films based upon a studio's brand name is very small (the exceptions obviously being Disney and Pixar), if we were Miramax president Daniel Battsek, we would definitely spend a few minutes this week making sure our résumé was up to date.
Journalism is in such a state of flux that Harvard undergraduates have become disillusioned with it. Pulitzer training ground the Crimson is suffering, and students considering journalism for a career have been forced to hide their interest lest they be scorned or pitied.
“People will undoubtedly tell you ‘Don’t do it,’” one freshman told Bloomberg today. “I tell my parents, ‘I’ll do this for two years and I’ll go to law school, I promise.’”
Alex Jones, the director of the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, told the news service it "makes sense" that kids would want to stay away from the field at the moment.
"It’s purely [a] matter of economics, because they’re not stupid,” Jones said. “If the media once again promises the opportunity to do some important work with a decent wage, they’ll be back.”
Emphasis ours, because, yipes. That was kind of an awkward thing to say to a reporter.
We imagine he realized and sort of backtracked, like, "No offense, dude. I mean, you look like you got into this gig a loooong time ago. Like probably you thought you were going to like "change the world" and "speak truth to power" and all that, and instead here you are reporting for a business news service on what deals rich guys are making. And then the Internet was just like, WHAM, and all of a sudden your expense account is gone and no one respects you or your craft and you're just forced to stay in your same crummy job, making your same crummy salary just so you can pay your rent. You're hatin' life, right? Tough times. Well, chin up. Maybe you'll get a buyout or something and then you can start up your own public-relations business. Or at least, maybe someone will take you on as their assistant. Or you could intern at a website. What's that? No, these academic gigs, 'fraid to tell ya, are hard to come by, what with the business as it is. Anyhoo. It's sure been nice talking to you. Always good to interface with 'real reporters' left out there; when you're trapped up in this 'ivory tower' like I am, you forget what it's like down on the ground, you know? Keep keeping on, my brother! Don't let your shoe leather get worn out."
Mel Gibson has one less headache to deal with now.
The Oscar winner has managed to avoid a potentially embarrassing trial and settled a lawsuit filed by the screenwriter of Gibson's...
Lakshmi Menon is poised to become the first Indian supermodel. At 26, she just landed her first solo spread in American Vogue — twelve pages all to herself. She has also jump-started a dialogue about why there are so few Indian and South Asian models on runways and in fashion magazines. The ongoing conversation about the underrepresentation of black models has made way for more work for those models, yet the conversation is just beginning for their Indian and South Asian peers.
When Lakshmi started modeling in 2006, work was scarce. She tells the Independent:
"When I first signed with agencies in Europe and the US I barely did anything; it was one show here, another there. At that time it was completely dominated by Caucasian girls, particularly Russians. There were a few black girls, of course, such as Liya Kebede – and someone like Naomi Campbell would do the odd show-stopper – but there weren't many girls of colour at all."
Lakshmi thinks the election of Barack Obama created greater interest among Americans in non-white models. She also thinks the launch of Indian Vogue in 2007 (she appeared on the first cover) has something to do with increased diversity in the industry, since the issue circulates to Vogue editors worldwide within Condé Nast. But why has it taken this long for an Indian model to rise to the top?
"If there aren't many South Asian girls modelling, that's because the agencies haven't looked," [Lakshmi] adds. "I don't think anyone has really come to India to scout for girls, or at least not in the same way they go to South America or Eastern Europe. In a country of more than 1.2 billion, there are bound to be beautiful women – I mean, come on, who are we kidding?"
Storm modeling agency founder Sarah Doukas, who discovered Kate Moss, credits the glut of Indian and South Asian models to cultural differences.
Doukas thinks that if a barrier exists, it is a cultural one – modelling is simply not viewed as the glamorous, aspirational career that it is in the West: "Girls from Pakistan, ' Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India tend to come from religious backgrounds where traditions and sometimes old-fashioned ideals are upheld," she explains. "This is changing, slowly, as fashion and modelling gain a higher prominence in countries such as India, where the fashion industry is becoming more respected."
London stylist Nicola Formichetti, who cast Lakshmi for the cover of last month's Dazed & Confused, thinks it's a simple case of a fear of being different:
"It's a shame; there are even fewer Asian girls than black girls, which is why it's so exciting when you find a girl like Lakshmi," she says. "I think people are just scared of taking risks. They won't start doing it until everyone else does."
It's ironic — aren't great innovators in the fashion industry supposed to take risks and be different and not do what everyone else is doing? As Indian models rise in prominence they may have to fight ethnic stereotyping. Lakshmi's shoot for this month's Vogue depicts her at a Goan carnival while her shoot for Dazed was inspired by "ancient civilisations." And check out her Hermès ad, one of her first major campaigns:
Photo: Courtesy of Hermes
Lakshmi said that was the first time in her life she'd been near an elephant. Her recent campaigns for Givenchy and MaxMara are not ethnically oriented.
Lakshmi started modeling to earn extra money while in college. "I don't want to be 60 and find I've spent my life doing nothing but modelling. There are so many other things to do," she says. In the meantime, only time will tell if she's finally forged a place in the fashion industry for the beautiful Indian women of this world.
So far this month in coverage of the Astor-family-will trial, we've learned that Brooke Astor used to tell people that Bill Clinton hit on her, and forgot who her good friend Matthew Broderick was, in public. And now that we've heard testimony from the Carnegie Corporation president, we have three new, even-more-awesome social faux pas in which to delight:
• Astor once forgot which Douglas (father Kirk or son Michael) was at her own dinner table. After figuring Kirk was "not that young," she deduced that it was Michael.
• At that same party, Astor not only didn't recognize Douglas's wife, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, but she also went out of her way to burn her. "Who is this woman?" she asked when the Oscar winner passed. Upon being informed, she sniped loudly and within earshot: "Well, she's wearing the wrong dress for this occasion."
• Best of all, though, was on that same night when she got stuck in a conversation with the guest of honor, Camilla Parker-Bowles, Prince Charles's famous lover (this was before they were married). Noting that Parker-Bowles's great-grandmother also conducted a famous affair with Edward VII, she cracked: "Two generations providing mistresses! ... You're keeping this mistress business in the family!"
Trial lawyers used this as evidence that Astor was losing her marbles. But from where we're sitting, her wit appears to have been sharper than ever.
Surprise! ABC has canceled Christina Applegate's Samantha Who?, which most expected to be renewed. There'd been talk of changing the show from a single-camera format to a cheaper multi-camera one, but even that would not have appeased the people who pay for things. Hey ABC, you know how you could really save some money? Show those unaired episodes of Cavemen! [Ausiello Files/EW]
AP - "Amazing Tales for Making Men Out of Boys" (HarperCollins. 384 pages. $25.99), by Neil Oliver: Apparently, women aren't the only ones who complain that a good man is hard to find.
The Brüno movie (working title: Brüno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner in a Mesh T-Shirt) comes out July 10 and the aggressive marketing campaign includes a Twitter feed. Authored by Brüno. Yes: "Bruno has launched a charity campaign to send ze shtylist of Der Pussycat Dolls to Darfur to give one lucky girl a super-sexy makeover!!" And: "Tip of ze day - snack on Tampax. Just one heavy flow vill leave you feeling full up und looking fantastische for ze whole day!" Oh, so that's why he sucked on tampons at the Stella McCartney show. [Twitter/brunovassup]
For the past few months, we've heard tons of buzz surrounding Mo'Nique's performance in the upcoming drama Precious, about a morbidly obese teenage mother of two with an abusive mother of her own who seeks a way out of her miserable life. We heard that Mo'Nique, easily the best Showtime at the Apollo host ever, went above and beyond the dramatic call of duty in her role as a tyrannical mother, so much so that she's almost a lock for an Oscar nomination. Friends of friends who worked (or wur'qued) on the film back when it was called Push assured us we would not recognize our favorite hairy-legged mistress of the comedic stage. The film has already snagged the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, as well as a Special Jury Prize for Mo'nique's performance.
But nothing -- NOTHING -- prepared us for the film's trailer, which is at once sad and terrifying, abusive and emotionally hungry. Mainly - BECAUSE MARIAH CAREY PLAYS A WOMAN NAMED MRS. WEISS ZOMG. **Crossing fingers that they show her lighting the Sabbath candles**
As we were saying, it looks like you can already get both your office Oscar pool as well as your human tears on started.
Last week Obama plucked salt-and-fat-hating New York health commissioner Thomas Freiden out of city government and made him the director of the CDC. Today, Mayor Bloomberg announced he'd be replaced by Dr. Thomas Farley, an infectious-diseases specialist and marathon runner who already told the AP that he plans to "focus on dietary issues probably beyond calorie labeling." We're calling it now: The White Rhino will not stand for this. [Newsday]
In this week's issue of New York, Jada Yuan drops in on Mandy Moore on the occasion of her new album, new marriage, and new love for cooking. Logan Hill interviews Terminator Salvation's Sam Worthington. Need something to read this summer? Read this! Jada Yuan spends 110 minutes with The Brothers Bloom's Adrien Brody. David Edelstein reviews Terminator Salvation. Catherine Coreno drops in on T.I.'s last supper. Brian Raftery interviews New Brunswick's Screaming Females. And Vanessa Grigoriadis talks to film critic Glenn Kenny on portraying the “most influential man in prostitution" in Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience.
Patricia Field thinks it's time to simplify clunky footwear: "I am getting tired of these heavy shoes," she said at the WWD CEO Summit last week. "I’m ready for nice, refined shoes. I’m wanting that Halston simplicity. But that’s just a feeling." Hey, we feel the same way, too — only we express it while cursing the shoes that slowly kill our feet with bunions and calluses. [WWD]
When an apparent rash of stoop-sale busts swept Eastern Brooklyn, locals already suspicious of the mighty Brooklyn Flea immediately assumed the young market was behind the effort, elbowing out competitors at all cost. But the Times' Local blog investigated, and reports (with the help of Jonathan Butler of Brownstoner) that the police are only targeting non-resident, non-licensed vendors who set up tables outside the Flea hoping to get in on the action. So, Brooklynites, please feel free to return to your regularly scheduled, recession-based housecleaning. Just don't expect us to buy all those VHS tapes; we already sold our VCR in our own stoop sale. [Local/NYT]
I wasn't planning on buying Eminem's new album, until I saw this Family Guy / Eminem cross-promotion from Fox's Sunday Night animation block. After hearing Stewie say the release date of the album along with like three other words, I have decided that am going to buy the album! Family Guy and Eminem you put so much effort into your jokings!
I just don't understand how the record industry could be dying after dynamite, totally not phoned-in cross-promotions like this:
"There's a lot of stuff I try to do to make myself look more adult," 18-year-old Dodge Landesman, a York Preparatory Academy junior, tells The New Yorker this week. "I drink coffee. I wear suits." But, he says, "I try to avoid alcohol because I'm a minor, and I don't support that." Landesman's reasons for trying to seem more grown-up are politically motivated: He's running as a Democratic candidate for City Council in the Second District of Manhattan this year. Why, you ask? What inner passion would cause a common 18-year-old to forgo the Jäger bombs and outdoor dry-humping that are inalienable adolescent rights for a life of public service? Well, neither this week's "Talk of the Town" about young Dodge, or the attendant video profile of him, really get into that much. Instead we learn about how he missed doing his math homework because he was so busy working on the campaign, and how if he wins, his teachers said he can miss school for the important votes (most of them are in the afternoon anyway). But by the time he gets to this line, we're thinking we have an inkling as to where the origins of this young whippersnapper's desire to serve in public office lie: "I'd be lying if I told you I liked high school. A lot of high school kind of aggravates me. You know, it's so much work." Well. We don't know if we'd give the kid our vote, but we sure will give him an A+ for thinking up the most creative and elaborate scheme to get out of going to class since Ferris Bueller.
"I'm happy there's no scenes of me picking my nose. I do that occasionally."—Nick Jonas kept, and then revealed, his dirty habit secret during the filming of Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Experience [StarPulse]
"Absolutely not. It was all me, never even thought of using a double. Although I was thinking about baby fat — but I think most of it had gone by the time I went before the cameras. "—Rachel Weisz on her superior genes for onscreen nudity [FemaleFirst]
"I hope Jay ... Jay-Z still likes it. I call him Jay like I've met him more than twice, but we flipped [Bob Dylan's] 'Forever Young.' But to be on a Jay-Z album and a Kanye West album in six months ... I'm pinching myself. To be honest, it just does not sink in."—Mr. Hudson on desperately seeking Jay-Z's approval [MTV]
"I think that's the whole point is that we don't need a massive amount of blood to get feisty."—Nikki Reed on the lack of blood in New Moon [MTV]
"There was this one night where I had had a couple of drinks. I had new material and I had on this amazing outfit. I didn't want to start singing while they were talking, so I got undressed. There I was sitting at the piano in my underwear. So they shut up. That's when I made a real decision about the kind of pop artist that I wanted to be. Because it was a performance art moment there and then."—Lady GaGa [Female First]
"Yeah, I spend a lot of time telling everyone they look great. And every day I bring cookies to the writers' room."—Abby Elliott on wooing the SNL writers [VF]
"The director would be like, 'Okay, the shark just attacked the submarine from the left, so everyone jump to the right.' So I'd do it and he'd tell me I looked like I was having a seizure."—Debbie Gibson on her superior acting skills in the upcoming Mega-Shark vs. Giant Octopus [People]
Should the New York Times' most controversial columnist's byline read "Maureen Dowd & Friends"? Over the weekend, Dowd was busted for including a sentence in her Sunday column that was reproduced almost word-for-word from a blog post by Talking Points Memo's Joshua Micah Marshall. The Bushworld author immediately 'fessed up, sort of: She never read Marshall's post, she claimed; instead, the passage in question came from a conversation with "a friend." Dowd has so far declined to identify the friend in question (or, for that matter, to comment on how often she presents the sentences of others as though she had written them), and has yet to respond to our e-mail query.
Which means it's guessin' time! There's no shortage of names to speculate on, thanks to Dowd's unusually active social life and rich dating history.
Alessandra Stanley: The Times TV critic and the redheaded op-edder are the best of besties, the kind of pals who jet off to a high-end spa together and charge it to the paper. But the explanation Dowd gave to the Nytpicker — "we were going back and forth discussing the topic of the column and he made this point and i thought it was a good one and wanted to weave it in" — would seem to rule out Stanley as well as the other Gray Ladies in their tight-knit girls' club, like Michiko Kakutani and Jill Abramson.
Aaron Sorkin: Dowd and the West Wing creator used to date, and they're still friendly. He's exactly the kind of liberal who would read TPM religiously and get worked up about torture and phony Iraq intelligence. And it wouldn't be the first time their correspondence yielded an e-mail snafu: Back in 2001, when they were first heating up, Dowd accidentally sent a series of flirty e-mails meant for her new crush to her Times colleague Andrew Ross Sorkin, a business reporter.
David Geffen: When the former Dreamworks mogul wanted to kill Hillary Clinton's presidential candidacy in the crib, he poured a stream of vitriol into Dowd's ear, which she eagerly transcribed. These days, Dowd and Geffen have more to talk about than ever, with the latter engaged in a coy-but-public bid to buy the paper. And why does he want it? According to "a person close to him," it's because "[h]is favorite people are political journalists." Hmmm ...
George H.W. Bush: Okay, this one's a stretch. But consider that, according to Ariel Levy's 2005 profile of Dowd for this magazine, she and the former president were e-mail pen pals and remained so even after she took to regularly pummeling his son in print. Sure, it's hard to imagine an 84-year-old Republican ex-head-of-state spending his Friday afternoons forwarding blog tidbits to a columnist for a left-tilting op-ed page (even if Bush 41's ambivalence over the second Iraq war has been much-reported). But it's also hard to imagine a writer as idiosyncratic as Dowd thinking she could pass someone else's language off as her own.
Valentino is retired, but that hasn't stopped him from having thoughts — or changed that he doesn't have much of a filter when it comes to expressing them — as anyone who's seen the documentary Valentino:The Last Emperor might gather. But that's what makes him all the more lovable. Vava seems to be enjoying the publicity derived from the very successful film, and is having journalists over to his house to mouth off about his new coffee table book and the industry he's definitely not missing. The Guardian reports:
"I think now all the girls look very ugly," says Valentino — not talking about women in general, but those glamorous enough to wear couture. "I saw the pictures of the Metropolitan gala evening [in New York] last week and I never saw something more ugly, all the girls have their legs out with the most terrible proportions." He shakes his head and mutters "no, no, no", wiggling his finger like a disappointed schoolmaster ... "I have so many ideas I could design a collection in two days but don't miss it at all."
Indeed, we didn't notice any bold-faced names in attendance at the Gala wearing Valentino. But in the documentary, the designer says women shouldn't show their legs unless they have model-like proportions. So basically no one should show their legs. And here summer is upon us! Even though he's so over designing, Valentino will create costumes for the new year gala performance of the Vienna State Opera Ballet. If the dancers don't pass muster, will he awkward them out in pants?
Reminder Numero Dos to all BWE Fans– The Best Week Ever TWEET UP is TOMORROW! If you miss it we'll be :(
As mentioned, BWE panelists and show producers will be there drinking and Twittering-- or, more likely, be standing around watching American Idol finale which will be shown on the TVs there. So, please join us Tuesday evening, in New York City for an event that surely will not soon be remembered!
Where: Professor Thom's, 219 2nd Ave (at 13th Street), East Village, NYC.
When: Tuesday May 19th, 7-10 pm.
How Much: FREE and there will be lots of drink specials and Best Week Ever swag.
RSVP: Not necessary! Just take your Twitter fingers and show up. Must be 21 or older to attend.
Who Is Definitely Attending: Paul F. Tompkins (@pftompkins), Doug Benson (@dougbenson), Chuck Nice (@nicechucknice)...and some fancy surprise guests!
Follow @bwetv on Twitter for more info, and check out the fancy color invitation after the jump.
It's been a rough few years for Jenna Elfman fans, but CBS is ensuring that she'll get a chance to end the decade on a high note. Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the Tiffany Network is set to green-light the family sitcom Accidentally On Purpose, in which Elfman plays "a single movie critic who gets pregnant by a younger man." We can only hope that CBS is smart enough to figure out a way for this show to cross over with Criminal Minds; after all, we think that a mini–Dharma & Greg reunion is just what the doctor ordered. [Hollywood Insider/EW]
Woody Allen's lawsuit against American Apparel for unauthorized use of his image on billboards ended Monday with a $5 million settlement to be paid to the actor-director by the clothing company.
Robert Zemeckis' infatuation with creepy motion-capture CGI'd people has been well-documented, from Polar Express to the Beowulf monsters to the surprisingly likable Monster House to Tom Hanks in Cast Away (completely CGI'd).
Next on the list? Ebenezer Scrooge from an animated Christmas Carol:
Can you guess the celeb behind Eyebrows McGiantfrown? Or just make up a joke after clicking after the jump to find out who it is because we're not really sticklers for rules here?
Answer after the jump:
It's Steven Tyler Elf from The Polar Express !
No, actually, it's Jim Carrey. Steven Tyler Elf plays Tiny Tim.
Mia: The Piano Man
More parent(ing) issues. We feared the show was setting up a miscarriage; Mia is grieving. Her mother, recognizing that something's amiss, comes over to talk: Mia’s birth didn’t ruin her mother’s faltering modeling career, but her mind. Mom spent a depressed postnatal year in bed, during which Mia and her father bonded. Paul asks Mia to grapple with the possibility that her mother isn’t as bad as she always thought. She resists and things get tense — Paul also pushes her to consider that her father isn’t as perfect as she’s insisted either, and to face this before her parents die. He’s the one who shunted her to Jersey as a kid and sold the piano. It’s not that Mia never found the right guy; she’s been pushing them away while clinging to this false idea of her father. In the end, Mia explains that she was never really pregnant; she’d never got around to a pregnancy test, and initially mistook her period for a miscarriage.
April: Trust Baby
Mia’s episode sets a high bar (for dramatic revelation and capturing the nuances of the client/therapist relationship), and April’s episode just about reaches it. Worried Paul called her mother and explained the cancer diagnosis when she was hospitalized for an infection; April is furious. Paul figures that her mother, afraid of autistic Daniel’s uncontrolled emotions, taught young April to toughen up; since then, April has been unable to trust — and she’s been quietly, independently perfect, always her mother’s hero-after-the-fact. Paul encourages her to use this struggle as a rebirth, helps her to leave, and asks her to let him know about the blood tests — just as he asked Mia to call and let him know how she’s doing. Looks like Paul’s regained his balance between humanity and professionalism, and learned how to offer his experiences without becoming overly involved. Things, however, do not look so good for April.
Vogue editor-at-large André Leon Talley presented Isabel and Ruben Toledo with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Savannah College of Art and Design fashion show on Saturday in Georgia. "They're like two oaks, branches intertwined forever," Talley said of the couple. The Toledos join an elite list of recipients, including Oscar de la Renta, Karl Lagerfeld, Miuccia Prada, Tom Ford, Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs, and John Galliano. [Reuters]
At first, we thought that some ignorant editor at People Magazine didn't realize the sexual connotations that the term "Cruising" invokes... things like "moose knuckles" and "HJs". But the closer we inspected the article, the more it seemed that Cruising meant exactly what they wanted you to think it means:
They also have a plan for getting shipwrecked that involves some Gilligan's Island role-playing. So remember that, folks! If you plan on going cruising, wear a life preserver, and Nair your balls.
Cruising Tips from New Kids on the Block via People Magazine
(with thanks to KatieLibby for the tip!) Source: Best Week Ever | 18 May 2009 | 6:57 pm
Last week, countries across Europse, and even some beyond, agreed to drop any bad blood, if only for an evening, and join hands the only way they know how: A fabulously gay singing competition. And while you might not be surprised by the over-the-top production values for this international talent show -- one of Europe's most famous yearly traditions, after the Annual Summerly Delousing -- what might surprise you are the artists/songs certain countries believe will actually give them a shot at the title.
We've gone through all the entries -- hours and hours of tuneless scale runs -- to bring you the following list: 10 Eurovision Songs That Will Make You Proud to Be An American. And if you don't at the very least sit through #1... well all we can do is pray for you. Because it will change your life.
10. Greece: Sakis Rouvas - This Is Our Night
It's a good thing the Eurovision does not air in 3-D, because if it did, both of my eyeholes would be pregnant with Sakis' groin babies. I'm fairly certain that on his off-nights, Sakis teaches body sculpting at the Equinox in Manhattan's Chelsea district. Sakis Rouvas makes Ricky Martin look Jack Effing Palance, and makes Adam Lambert's eyeliner/glitterpants look like the beige khakis of the new Millennium. It is physically impossible for America to even produce someone this fabulous! Which is actually a disgrace. Come on, USA, let's put our toddlers in LED banana hammocks and hope for a brighter tomorrow! (ps We actually love this man.)
9. Finland: Waldo's People - Lose Control
Watch your back, Eminem. Because this Finnish white rapper will seriously kill you. Not with a knife, or a gun... this hard-core motherf*cker will have a moose ass impale you from behind while he ice skates on your flash frozen balls. Finland is known first and foremost for "creative murder", and second for their ability to make everything and anything "more white." Also the only way I would ever seriously listen to this band is if they wore red-n-white striped shirts and had walking sticks and a severe astigmies.
Click ahead with the understanding that you have to watch all 3 minutes of #1.
8. Sweden: Malena Ernman - La Voix
THIS IS THE MOST INTENSE THING YOU WILL EVER WITNESS OER-EM-GEE. Clearly, Malena Ernman was the inspiration for Cate Blanchett'scharacter in Lord of the Rings, because your soul will quite literally disappear if you stare into her eyes/biceps. Kudos to Malena, however, for bringing Robert Palmer's back-up dancers back from the dead. 1:26 reads like the trailer for the latestLars Von Trier pic.
7. Ukraine: Svetlana Loboda - Be My Valentine (Anti-Crisis Girl)
The soundtrack to my upcoming docudrama "Getting R'd in a Ukrainian Nightclub." Please watch this for the UHMUHMUHMUHMUHMAYZING Trojan Back-Up Dancers, who need to be deported to my wildest fantasies ASAP.
6. Bosnia & Herzegovina: Regina - Bistra Voda
Bosnia's most famous boyband. And while the lead singer is rocking a pretty sexy "Kate Gothelin", it's the drummer whose passion has won over my mind and, more importantly, my heart. Bosnian Les Miserables is kind of sexy, you guys. In other news, 6 shots of vodka later, who of us would not have our tops off dancing on a table to this?
5. Portugal: Flor-de-lis - Todas As Ruas Do Amor
If the lyrics to this song are to be believed, she is singing about saltines, douchebags, and ecstasy. NOTE: The graphics used in this video were used without permission from Portugal's hit show, Melhor Semana Sempre con Paulo Effe. Gonçalves.
4. Germany: Alex Swings Oscar Sings - Miss Kiss Kiss Bang
Take everything we said about video #10, throw in a Dita Von Teese cameo, a pair of tweezers, and Hitler rolling over in his grave, and we present you with the following video.
Alexander actually won the competition. Did he deserve it? Well, if cute but terrible violinists is your thing, then definitely. (We've saved our personal favorite video for the #1 slot.) It's good to know that Alexander was able to revive his career after helping Frodo get the ring back to Mordor. (Ed. Note: 2 LOTR references in one post? My work here is done.) And if you have trouble understanding how this yokel with a violin won, check out his cover of Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours", and see that deep down under the clothes bought at a Bronson Pinchot yardsale, Mr. Rybal is actually kind of adorable.
1. Hungary: Zoli Ádok - Dance With Me.
As a full-blooded Hungarian, I am literally overcome with TEARS at how ABSOLUTELY unbelievable the Hungarian entry is this year. If scoring the Eurovision winner is based on a combo of talent, Euroness, and gayness, this performance would score a 10/10/12. Not gonna lie, this is the BEST WORST THING WE HAVE EVER SEEN. From Zoli's expert grapevining, to the LAST NOTE, to -- most importantly -- 1:56-:157, you'll quickly come to realize that the robot dance that kicks this performance off is the least hilarious thing about it. Simply put: lskdflskdfjlskdjflskdjflkjsdf.
I don't begrudge David Cross'mainstream success or his decision to date the 19-years-younger Amber Tamblynn, but I just never thought I'd see the day when David Cross casually walking his dog with his girlfriend would ever be considered celebrity gossip news:
The day Just Jared posts a pic of Patton Oswalt holding a Starbucks cup with the headline "Patton Needs His Caffeine Fix!", I will resign from the internet and join multiple monasteries. Source: Best Week Ever | 18 May 2009 | 5:30 pm
US actor Jim Carrey arrives in front of the Carlton palace to promote the movie "A Christmas Carol" directed by US Robert Zemeckis, at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival. Scrooge came to Cannes in a horse-drawn... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 18 May 2009 | 5:19 pm
US actors Jim Carrey (L), Colin Firth (R) and Robin Wright Penn poses in front of the Carlton palace to promote the movie "A Christmas Carol" directed by US Robert Zemeckis, at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 18 May 2009 | 5:19 pm
US director Quentin Tarantino arrives for the screening of the movie "Vengeance" in competition at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2009. Tarantino was one of a select crowd invited to a Cannes... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 18 May 2009 | 4:57 pm
It was the hottest ticket in town. Colin Farrell was there. So were Michelle Branch, Josh Groban and Chris Isaak. No, we're not talking about a Britney Spears or U2 concert. We're talking about a star-studded, invitation-only club show by Yusuf -- the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens.
Veteran R&B singer/songwriter Al B. Sure! has signed with Hidden Beach Recordings and will release a new album on June 23. "Honey I'm Home" signals the artist's first new studio project in over 15 years.
The end of “American Idol” Season 8 is near. Glam rocker Adam Lambert and soulful folk-pop singer Kris Allen will vie for the crown on Wednesday night’s finale (May 20, FOX) , which will also feature performances by Black Eyed Peas, Carlos Santana, Keith Urban, Queen Latifah and, rumor has it, Britney Spears. But before this year’s ‘Idol’ is finally revealed, Billboard is looking back on all of the highlights—good, bad and ugly—of the 2009 season. See if yours made the cut.
British new wave ska legends The Specials rounded off the Brixton leg of their 30th-anniversary tour with an electric performance that threatened to bring the crumbling south London venue crashing to the ground.
Front Page: 'Good Wife,' 'NCIS' spinoff on slate -- CBS has settled on its new series pickups, spreading the good word to producers Monday on orders for four dramas, a comedy and a reality skein for the 2009-10 season.
The Black Eye Peas singer follows Lindsay Lohan, Lady Gaga, and Megan Fox in revealing that she is bisexual. Source: FOXNews.com | 18 May 2009 | 2:53 pm
Kim Kardashian is one of Hollywood's sexiest stars, but ask the sultry reality gal what she thinks is sexy and you might be surprised it's working up a sweat Source: FOXNews.com | 18 May 2009 | 2:53 pm
The 23-year-old British lingerie model and Guess runway girl embodies everything we love about the great fashion legends who came before her Source: FOXNews.com | 18 May 2009 | 2:20 pm
The Emmy-winning actor quipped that he was "thinking about getting a Filipino mail-order bride at this point ... or a Russian one." Source: FOXNews.com | 18 May 2009 | 2:20 pm
Kenny Chesney played a free show last night at Pizza Hut Park in Dallas that drew about 25,000 people. The free concert came in the wake of a rain-shortened May 2 performance, though Chesney was not contractually obligated to come back and play again.
David Byrne is happy to be "the guinea pig" at this year's Bonnaroo Music and Art Festival. Byrne is helming the first artist-curated stage in Bonnaroo's eight-year history, presenting a Friday night (June 12) lineup that will include his own "Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno" show along with Santigold, the Dirty Projectors, Ani DiFranco, St. Vincent and the all-female Norwegian alt-folk band Katzenjammer.
US actor Willem Dafoe and French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg in Cannes on May 18. Scandal hit Cannes on Monday as Denmark's Lars Von Trier offered a shock thriller on sex and madness in "Antichrist",... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 18 May 2009 | 11:42 am
• What do you make of the new New Moon one-sheet poster? Kristen Stewart is still pouting, Robert Pattinson is still broody and hot and Taylor Lautner is still fighting for his place....
Week 11, only three celebs left.
Shawn Johnson, Melissa Rycroft and Gilles Marini took to the Dancing With the Stars floor Monday to make their last syncopated appeals to the judges and,...
Kanye West denies causing this bit of turbulence.
The hip-hop star pleaded not guilty last week to charges of battery, grand theft and vandalism stemming from his arrest for tangling...
• Gossip Girl: If you caught tonight's Gossip Girl, you might be wondering if Georgina (Michelle Trachtenberg) and Carter Baizen (Leighton Meester's real-life boyfriend Sebastian...
Paris Hilton may be all the way across the sea in Cannes, but she's still got us talking over here about her ring-finger bling.
The heiress is in France with boyfriend Doug...
Doug Benson kicks off a new season of Best Day Ever starting tonight at 11pm on VH1. Catch up on today's best moments, including John Mayer leaving an LA club covered in lipstick kisses, New Kids on the Block filling a cruise ship full of their biggest middle-aged fans, and the latest shenanigans from tonight’s premiere of The Bachelorette.
Watch Best Day Ever tonight at 11pm and then meet Doug in person at the BWE 
Mel Gibson has one less headache to deal with now.
The Oscar winner has managed to avoid a potentially embarrassing trial and settled a lawsuit filed by the screenwriter of Gibson's...
Reminder Numero Dos to all BWE Fans– The Best Week Ever TWEET UP is TOMORROW! If you miss it we'll be :(
As mentioned, BWE panelists and show producers will be there drinking and Twittering-- or, more likely, be standing around watching American Idol finale which will be shown on the TVs there. So, please join us Tuesday evening, in New York City for an event that surely will not soon be remembered!
Where: Professor Thom's, 219 2nd Ave (at 13th Street), East Village, NYC.
When: Tuesday May 19th, 7-10 pm.
How Much: FREE and there will be lots of drink specials and Best Week Ever swag.
RSVP: Not necessary! Just take your Twitter fingers and show up. Must be 21 or older to attend.
Who Is Definitely Attending: Paul F. Tompkins (@pftompkins), Doug Benson (@dougbenson), Chuck Nice (@nicechucknice)...and some fancy surprise guests!
Follow @bwetv on Twitter for more info, and check out the fancy color invitation after the jump.
Last week, countries across Europse, and even some beyond, agreed to drop any bad blood, if only for an evening, and join hands the only way they know how: A fabulously gay singing competition. And while you might not be surprised by the over-the-top production values for this international talent show -- one of Europe's most famous yearly traditions, after the Annual Summerly Delousing -- what might surprise you are the artists/songs certain countries believe will actually give them a shot at the title.
We've gone through all the entries -- hours and hours of tuneless scale runs -- to bring you the following list: 10 Eurovision Songs That Will Make You Proud to Be An American. And if you don't at the very least sit through #1... well all we can do is pray for you. Because it will change your life.
