AP - After a year of nasty infighting, members of the Screen Actors Guild decided by a large margin that the show must go on.
AP - After a year of nasty infighting, members of the Screen Actors Guild decided by a large margin that the show must go on.
AFP - Pablo Picasso's grandson on Wednesday voiced confidence that a sketchbook of 33 drawings stolen from the Paris Picasso museum will be recovered thanks to the Internet and cunning police work.
 Monsters and Critics.com | Futurama 'is to be resurrected' BBC News Animated comedy Futurama will return to US TV screens with 26 new episodes over two seasons - seven years after it was axed by Fox, according to reports. "Futurama" has new future on Comedy Central Comedy Central scores new Futurama episodes |
Reuters - One of Pablo Picasso's sketchbooks worth several million euros has been stolen from the Picasso Museum in central Paris, police said on Tuesday.
The Wrestler has traded in his staples for some far heavier metal.
Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau has released the first on-set photo of Mickey Rourke clad in the gear that makes him...
E! Online - Lucky there's a Family Guy. To set a precedent, that is.
Lucky there's a Family Guy. To set a precedent, that is.
Comedy Central has ordered up 26 new episodes of Matt Groening's Futurama, six years after the cleverly goofy animated...
Oh, those showbiz folk. Such divas, always running late.
Nearly a year after their previous deal expired, members of the Screen Actors Guild voted 78 percent in favor of approving a new...
 E! Online | Jon & Kate more popular than Brangelina? msnbc.com AP By Courtney Hazlett This time last year no one would have guessed that “Jon & Kate Plus 8's” Jon and Kate Gosselin and their brood would be every bit as cover worthy - if not more - than Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and their kids. Tori Spelling to Jon and Kate Gosselin: 'This, too, shall pass' Tori Spelling has a few words of advice for Jon and Kate Gosselin. |
Sandra Bullock is one lucky lady. In The Proposal, her new romantic comedy in which she plays a wretched book publisher who blackmails her assistant into marrying her, Bullock got to be very naked...
 New York Daily News | 10 must-see John Travolta performances msnbc.com By Dave White I just saw the remake of “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.” It's mostly generic and tired, a standard-issue hostage thriller with two alpha leads yakking at each other nonstop in big close-up shots. 'Pelham' remake raises question: Why not re-do these four films? 'Pelham' one great thrill ride |
Well, we don't recall anything like this ever happening before! Shia LaBeouf — star of Transformers, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the upcoming Wall Street 2, Disturbia, Eagle Eye, and all their rumored sequels and spinoffs — has given an interview to Wizard magazine in which he says he's dead set against starring as Yorick Brown in the sequel-friendly film adaptation of Bryan K. Vaughn's graphic-novel series Y: The Last Man, about the lone male survivor of a plague that kills every earthly mammal with a Y chromosome (a role for which he was once rumored).
"You take Sam [from Transformers] and you put a monkey on his shoulder," said LaBeouf of Yorick's sidekick Ampersand. "I don't know if it's that big a differential. It seems like he's the ordinary guy in an extraordinary situation again." He added, "I'm not willing to make that movie currently, and may be too old to play the role by the time it does come around."
Really, though, Yorick isn't just the typical, likable "ordinary guy in an extraordinary situation" — he's dopey and annoying, possessing many of exact the qualities that've made LaBeouf so irritating in his other movies, in which he's supposed to be the charismatic underdog anti-hero. Bryan K. Vaughan told Vulture last year that his protagonist is less a hero and more a "damsel in distress," which is a pretty good way to describe the only part LaBeouf knows how to play, regardless of who he thinks he's playing. Believe it or not, we actually hope he reconsiders this one.
No Y: The Last Man for Shia LaBeouf [Coming Soon via /Film]
Read more posts by Lane Brown
Filed Under: bryan k. vaughn, labeouf, movies, shia labeouf, y: the last man
Brandon Flowers is a fascinating guy to have contemplate the time when men were men, cars were boats, and Europe owed us a fat one for dubya dubya two, obviously because he’s a Eurosexual fit for a Prius convertible (were one to exist). Which is why we can hang with the new video for “A Dustland Fairytale,” Day & Age’s throwback to the unfortunate, Springsteen-obsessed Sam’s Town iteration of the Killers: For Brandon, the fifties — the apparent setting of this clip — is a fairyland (intended pun in there somewhere) indeed, an original Star Trek planet where the clichés grow wild and woolly. Is this how men (specifically, Brandon’s dad, according some random accounts on the Internet) behave, stalking around each other, throwing punches, plunging switchblades, all the in the name of a woman shrieking in the background? Or is this how our hero feels among men, how the shadows shoot up around him? We were wondering why this video moved us, and that has to be it: The little boy, just outside the picture, dreaming of guyliner days to come.
Related: See Ya, Springsteen
Read more posts by Nick Catucci
Filed Under: killers, music, music video, right-click, video
UPDATE: Perhaps not liking the idea of returning to Oklahoma City for a different kind of paperwork, Jessica Alba has apologized for hooking up with the White Mike campaign.
"I got...
E! Online - Dancing With the Stars is getting a little more fashionable.
AP - There's nothing like a little outrage to get theatrical juices flowing.
After the 700-member Boston Newspaper Guild rejected the New York Times Company's offer of a new contract conceding wage and other benefit cuts, the company made a pay cut of 23 percent, helping them achieve $10 million in savings. Combined with $10 million saved from other contract renegotiations, that brings the total amount of cuts to the level the company had said, in April, they could proceed with without shutting down the paper. While this is a good thing for the temporary future of the paper, reporters have written to Times Company CEO Arthur Sulzberger, saying that they know he doesn't want them to take a 23 percent pay cut. "We’re asking you to call off the lawyers, head off a bitter fight, and come forward with a plan that would attract a bit more support from the Guild." But from the company's standpoint, this sounds like a done deal.
Times Co. does not foresee closing Globe [Boston Globe]
Globe staff to Sulzberger: "We believe you don't want us to take a 23% pay cut" [Romenesko]
Read more posts by Chris Rovzar
Filed Under: arthur sulzberger, boston globe, ink-stained wretches, media, new york times company
Budget woes have caused stores to cut back on plus-size lines. Bloomingdale's has dropped or cut back on its plus-size offerings, Ellen Tracy no longer offers plus sizes, and Ann Taylor now only sells size 16 online, rather than in stores, citing low demand. From Mach 2008 to March 2009, sales of plus-size apparel fell 8 percent, while sales of standard sizes only fell 2 percent.
Even though the average weight of women in this country is 164 pounds and statistics don't show that number shrinking, the cutbacks make financial sense. Plus sizes are more expensive to make because they require more fabric. Imagine the reaction if retailers marked up prices on those clothes to make up for the costs. Yet, why have sales of plus sizes slumped so much more than those of standard sizes?
Plus sizes are notoriously more difficult to fit. When sizing clothes, manufacturers aim to fit a group of people. However the groups of people who fit truly well into size 18, 20, and 22 aren't very large. While many women will fit well in a size 6 or 8 or 10, many women will not fit well into plus sizes. More women in this country weigh 200 pounds than 120 pounds, but those who weigh more than 200 pounds come in a greater range of weights — a few at 200 pounds and a few at 250 pounds. A size 16 could be made to fit women whose weights vary by, say, 20 pounds. This explains why many plus sizes don't fit well. Why would cash-strapped shoppers want to invest in ill-fitting clothes?
This also explains, as Double X points out, why creating niche markets for plus sizes online makes sense. Women can find things that actually fit them and retailers can make clothes they're sure will sell. Who will be smart enough to invest in this largely untapped market remains to be seen. There must be an unemployed person out there somewhere who wants to take on a project.
The Real Reason That Ann Taylor Hates Plus Sizes [Double X]
Earlier: Recession Causes Stores to Cut Back on Plus-Size Clothes
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: ann taylor, bloomingdales, body issues, ellen tracy, plus sized clothes, retail
Apparently not! According to Adrianne Curry's Twitter, the currently unemployed former VH1–reality-television star and her husband, Peter Brady Christopher Knight, both gave NBC the Heisman when the network tried to recruit them as replacement stars on I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here. Fortunately for NBC, though, they were able to find someone willing to go down to Costa Rica: namely, Heidi Montag's sister, Holly. [Korbi TV/Zap2It]
Read more posts by Mark Graham
Filed Under: ben silverman, disasters, entertainment, i'm a celebrity get me out of here, nbc, paul telegdy, tv
The rules of attraction don't necessarily apply forever.
James Van Der Beek and his wife of nearly six years, actress Heather McComb, have split up, according to the actor's...
Last night, the iconic Apollo Theater celebrated its 75th anniversary with Jamie Foxx, Mariah Carey, Patti LaBelle, and Prince, among others (like Bethenny Frankel). So when we caught up with Quincy Jones, we wondered if the parties were this jammin' years ago. "I used to walk across the street post-show and drink white lightning for seventeen cents," he told us. "And we’d drink up to $17. I wouldn’t trade it for the world." View our Party Lines slideshow for more heyday memories.
Read more posts by Ericka Goodman
Filed Under: apollo theater, party lines, quincy jones
The Save Fashion sample sale in Port Authority ends on Friday, and markdowns have gotten steeper. Find merchandise by Shipley & Halmos, Band of Outsiders, VPL, Katy Rodriguez, and more. Alejandro Ingelmo woven platform sandals that were $695 are now $75. Also, an Acne men's button-down down that was $249 is now $60. See a video of the merchandise here. [Pipeline/Refinery 29]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: sale bonus, sales, shopping
The High Line opened up to the public today, so naturally we sent our man on the street Tim Murphy to get people’s reactions. What did he find? One man called it “absolutely delightful.” Another described it as “post-apocalyptic.” This other dude even saw what might have been a naked woman in the window of the nearby Standard Hotel. Overall, a success! Watch the video to tour the gleaming, brand-new park (or to see Tim’s best Gene Kelly impersonation).
If you're planning on visiting the High Line Park this week, you may want to look at our architectural guide to what you'll be looking at, and what you can expect to see spring up around it in the coming years.
Read more posts by Tim Murphy
Filed Under: high line, Our Man in the Park, parks, real estate
Could Chris Brown be keeping up with Khloe Kardashian?
Sort of. The two both partied at LIV nightclub at the Fontainebleau Hotel, but with a big group that included Bow Wow,...
John Bartlett may have just released his first collection with Claiborne, but he's already launching it beyond the throngs of Macy's. Starting June 18, the line will have its own stand-alone store at 143 Seventh Avenue South. The shop will be stocked with shorts for $55, polos for $39.50, and sport coats for $89.50 for four days only. Now, this is the joy of proper pop-up planning — with Father's Day that weekend, it might be worth the trip. 6/18–6/22. 143 Seventh Ave. S., at Charles St.; daily (11–7).
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: claiborne, claiborne by john bartlett, going saling, john bartlett, macys
Trista Sutter is no stranger to love or reality TV. She appeared on the first seasons of three of reality's biggest shows—The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Dancing With the...
Alessandra Ambrosio wore her best ice-skating outfit to the 13th Annual Webby Awards at Cipriani Wall Street.
Is there such a thing as too much sparkle?
Read more posts by Amina Akhtar
Filed Under: alessandra ambrosio, look of the day
Well, how's this for a story on a slow Tuesday afternoon? Following the barrage of totally crazy editorials on the subliminal messages in Wall-E, we were almost disappointed that nobody seemed able to unscramble Up's secret politics. Enter /Film's Hunter Stephenson, who wonders today if Kevin, the exotic, rainbow-colored bird in Up, is a subtle statement from the studio in support of gay issues.
Kevin is named by a young kid, the ambitious boy scout, Russell. To Russell’s surprise after-the-fact, he discovers that this Priscilla, Queen of the Desert-looking creature is actually, whoa, a female. Kevin has babies after all. When Russell first finds out about Kevin’s sex, he giggles something rather cheesy yet profound like, “You mean, Kevin is realllllly a girl?!?” What is interesting to me is how many times Kevin’s name is said loudly by Russell on screen afterward. The effect of “Kevin” being said over and over is curious — family film formula, and pet calls withstanding — and Kevin itself constantly stands out against all surroundings, so as to be a deliberate decision on behalf the filmmakers. To young kids watching, I wondered then and now if a message was being implanted and hammered “home”: what “looks” and appears to be a boy can sometimes be a girl.
We don't quite buy it, but it's certainly more plausible than some of the things we've read about Pixar's politics.
Essay: Is Kevin, the Tropical Bird in Pixar’s UP, a Nod to the LGBT Movement? [/Film]
Read more posts by Lane Brown
Filed Under: movies, no, pixar, up
Based on the fact that Gossip Girl star Kelly Rutherford still breast-feeds her walking, talking 2-year-old boy (who is named Hermès, need we remind you), we were going to wait until she did something outlandish with the new baby girl she gave birth to today before telling you guys about it. You know, like naming it Viktor & Rolf, or something. (She actually named her Helena Grace.) Because these days just popping one out doesn't feel that special anymore — if Nicole Richie can do it once and Britney Spears can do it twice, then really, can it be that much of an accomplishment? (In fact, we're pretty sure Nadya Suleman ruined baby arrivals for all of America, forever.) But then Intel reader Molly pointed out that this will indeed affect our lives: No more will we have to suffer through pretending that Lily van der Woodsen's Kellys and Birkins were big enough to cover her enormously pregnant belly. And maybe, just maybe, if we're really lucky, next season they'll stop having her wear ruffles.
'Gossip Girl' star Kelly Rutherford gives birth to a baby girl [Dish Rag/LAT]
Read more posts by Chris Rovzar
Filed Under: babies, gossip girl, human puppies!!!!!!, kelly rutherford, the greatest show of our time
Last Saturday, after LeBron James refused to shake hands with members of the Orlando Magic when his Cavaliers lost to them and were eliminated from the NBA playoffs, we were treated to an entire week of commentary and distress on the part of fans and sportscasters. NBA commissioner David Stern even vowed to give James a "stern talking-to," and commentators wondered why James wasn't fined for also not speaking with the media after the game. We wondered whether this fuss was all because it was King James doing the snubbing, or whether there's always been this kind of fuss over handshake disses. Turns out, it's a combination of both.
Read more posts by Matthew Shepatin
Filed Under: cleveland cavaliers, lebron james, nba, orlando magic, sports, the sports section
If Lady Gaga called us up and asked us to style her, we'd fall on our face in hysterics and then reply with an enthusiastic yet collected "OMG, YES." But when she offered stylist B. Åkerlund the job, she said no. Åkerlund was taking some time off to have twins in Sweden and chose her babies over Gaga. But Gaga persisted, calling Åkerlund for every video she did. Åkerlund continued choosing babies. Finally, Gaga contacted Åkerlund's husband, Jonas, about directing the epic "Paparazzi" video. He asked his wife, “Should we do Gaga?” And by that time, she was ready. Åkerlund tells Anthem that it's unclear how Gaga knew about her.
I have no idea. She just said she knew. I asked her, “How do you know that we’re so perfect for each other?” and she said, “I just know.” She’s like a sister that I never had.
Åkerlund is Gaga's first official stylist. Before she came on, Gaga worked with a creative director named Matthew Williams. They collaborated on the apparel (for lack of a better term) she's made for herself, under the label she calls "Haus of Gaga." Sometimes she still makes her own pieces. Åkerlund explains:
She’s definitely a very strongly opinionated artist. She knows exactly what she wants and sometimes she’ll go ahead and make stuff on her own. I think she just needs me for more specific jobs, you know? I mean, she’s very busy and she’ll never do anything twice. On her promo tour around the world, she has about a million things going on all the time so I try to help out whenever I can.
Goodness she needs this woman. She's gone out without pants about 2,048,672,394,872,943,862,351 times, and we're not into math, but we know that's more than twice. And how is she going to top the zipper eye patch? The solar-system hat? Those pink lace-up thigh-high boot–pant-leg hybrids? She needs new tricks and she's too busy and important being — contrary to what our dear friends at Vulture think — a musical artiste to come up with them herself all the time now. And Åkerlund is perfectly suited to that task. She says:
I feel like I have a lot of input because I come from the world of fashion. I don’t like to pull fashion; I like to make fashion. I feel like Gaga and I are alike in that respect. It doesn’t necessarily have to be about the new hot designers; it’s whatever we feel like doing at the moment. If that means pulling from old resources of designers we like or archives of things or whatever it is. It doesn’t matter as long as it feels right.
She did not go on to explain why pants feel so wrong.
B. Akerlund [Anthem]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: b akerlund, industry players, just pants, lady gaga
HAIR
• There had to be a motive to Heidi Pratt's obsessing over dry shampoo in every scene of I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here. Turns out she's launching a line of the waterless product this year. [Just Jared]
• Lauren Conrad explains her relentless side braid: "I've gone a little overkill with the braid. I cut my own bangs, so I have to braid it back a lot. I have weird Girl, Interrupted bangs going on." [BellaSugar]
• Placenta hair masks apparently have a big cult following, so here are three products for you if you're looking to try it yourself. [Beauty Department/Glamour]
NAILS
• Sarah Palin got a pedicure and put rhinestones on her big toe. [HuffPo]
FRAGRANCE
• Nicole Miller will launch her fragrance Frenzy in August, which will include notes of patchouli, orange, and yellow gardenia. Lovely. [Now Smell This]
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: beauty, beauty marks, fragrance, hair, heidi montag, i'm a celebrity get me out of here, lauren conrad, nails, nicole miller, sarah palin, the hills
Unless you have some sort of a serious stake in the entertainment industry, you probably didn't notice all of the drama that went down a few weeks ago when Endeavor took over merged with the William Morris Agency. And with good reason, too; as an outsider, it's kind of difficult to get emotionally invested in a business whose most famous product is a fictional character on an HBO show that's nearing its expiration date. Of course, we're talking about Jeremy Piven's sushi-addled portrayal of Ari Gold on Entourage, a character who, as just about everyone knows, is based on the real-life antics of Mark Wahlberg's agent, Ari Emanuel. However, as Kim Masters reports over on the Daily Beast, now that Ari is calling the shots as the head of the new William Morris Endeavor Entertainment group (WME), he's put himself in a position to become one of the agency world's most powerful figures since the days when Michael Ovitz ran CAA in the late eighties.
So what does this all mean, exactly? Well, to be blunt, it means that everyone in town is afraid of him. Not only does he control the careers of a number of Hollywood's best and brightest talents, but the fact that his older brother Rahm is Barack Obama's chief of staff gives Ari an added aura of power and mystique that rivals some of Hollywood's all-time biggest power brokers. One thing that Masters does not make clear in her piece is exactly how Emanuel will begin wielding his power to shape the agency entertainment company in his image. As long as we're writing about it, though, we'd like to offer up a suggestion for Ari: how about starting off by ensuring that Andy Samberg stops making fun of one of your most prized clients? Let's see if he has the clout to pull that off.
Hollywood's New Don [Daily Beast]
Read more posts by Mark Graham
Filed Under: ari emmanuel, entourage, jeremy piven, players
The cocktail dress rivals only the LBD for importance in a girl's closet. The cocktail is feminine, fun, and sexy, and made for a night out — what's not to love about that? And so it's only fitting that it get an entire book devoted to its history, curated and written by Style.com's Laird Borrelli- Persson. The Cocktail Dress traces the history of the piece, from its conception in the twenties to Dior's New Look interpretation to Audrey Hepburn's Givenchy number in Breakfast at Tiffany's to more recent couture looks. And, true to Borrelli-Persson's other image-heavy books, this one is filled with contributions by designers like Peter Som, Cynthia Rowley, and Isaac Mizrahi, and shows off dresses by Vionnet, Marc Jacobs, and more. And many of the contributors will be toasting the tome at the official launch tonight. Check out our favorite images from the book in the slideshow.
Read more posts by Amina Akhtar
Filed Under: designers, fashion library, laird borrelli-persson, slideshow, the cocktail dress
Assuming that, at some point, the locks are removed from the gates of the Senate chamber and the new Republican-Espada-Monserrate-and-maybe-additional-Democrats regime takes over, what will become of the gay-marriage bill that's been such a focus of New York politics for the past two months?
Here's what we know: Democrat Pedro Espada, the new president pro tempore, is a co-sponsor (along with nineteen other Democrats) of the gay-marriage bill. Earlier today, he told the Daily News that he would be "pushing very very hard for issues like same-sex marriage to not be pre-determined in a smoke-filled room, but to let it air out in full debate on the Senate floor as soon as possible." Dean Skelos, the new majority leader, is against gay marriage, but had previously instructed his caucus to vote how they pleased on the issue. Both men discussed the issue with the Post's Fred Dicker on Albany's TALK 1300 this morning. Espada expressed hope that the bill would come to a vote, while Skelos, according to Newsday, "didn't disagree." "We should vote up or down on bills, that's part of the reforms we've brought," Skelos said.
That would seem to indicate that perhaps the bill will be allowed to come up for a vote after all. But though Skelos might relish a high-profile opportunity to demonstrate that he'll be running things more openly and small-"d" democratic than did Malcolm Smith — who vowed to only allow a vote on gay marriage if the votes were lined up — would he do so with the knowledge that gay marriage would actually pass? A win-win for Skelos would be if he knows gay marriage would fail but allows a vote on it anyway — sort of the anti-Malcolm position. For what it's worth, Skelos's spokesman, Scott Reif, tells us that no decision has been yet been made on whether to bring the bill to the floor.
Whether the bill has enough support to pass is unclear. NY1's vote tally has been fairly stagnant, with the last count showing 20 senators in favor, 28 against, and 14 who are undecided or won't say. But Alan Van Capelle, the Empire State Pride Agenda's executive director, released a statement today claiming that the bill had been "gaining momentum" and urging the State Senate to hold a vote "as soon as possible." Perhaps he thinks the votes are there, or maybe he would just rather take a chance and at the very least know exactly where he stands for the fight going forward. Clearly, there are a lot of unknowns involved here. But it's safe to say that, while the bill isn't dead yet, its prospects are likely worse than before.
Read more posts by Dan Amira
Filed Under: albany, dean skelos, equal rites, gay marriage, malcolm smith, same-sex marriage
Don't miss our latest slideshows of the 2010 resort collections. New today: Burberry Prorsum and Jason Wu.
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: burberry prorsum, jason wu, resort 2010
Father's Day is next Sunday. Don't know what to get your Pops? We're here to help. From gadgets to clothes to grooming items and more, we found 130 great ways to say "Thank you, Dad" for our latest Shop-A-Matic. Our guide includes a stylish messenger bag that doubles as a diaper tote, grill swords for backyard barbecues, and a great bottle of cognac. Plus, we included 96 items under $100, which means you can impress the dad in your life with your great budgeting skills. Check out our top five gift picks below.
Journey Pack Daddy Diaper Bag by Scout by PPB
Price: $165
Why we like it: The gray felt messenger bag is a discreet way for new dads to lug around diapers and still look stylish.
Classic-Fit Madras Plaid Shirt by Polo Ralph Lauren
Price: $85
Why we like it: Madras is a perennial summer print that adds a preppy touch to a casual short-sleeve shirt.
Pour Homme Straight Razor by Zwilling
Price: $149
Why we like it: Shaving with a straight razor is the classic way to get the closest shave possible. And the blade lasts a lifetime.
Broken-In Tees by J.Crew
Price: $25
Why we like it: Made from ultrasoft cotton and available in a variety of colors, these slouchy tees are great for lounging around in.
Noho Hat by Block Headwear
Price: $53
Why we like it: Snag this structured trilby made of straw for a father who likes to spend time outside.
Shop-A-Matic: Father's Day Gifts
Read more posts by Diana Tsui and Sharon Clott
Filed Under: father's day, gifts, retail therapy, shopamatic
AP - Capsule reviews of films opening this week:
Because some merry prankster at the Treasury Department was apparently like, "Why don't we have a little fun and do this thing like a blind item," the government did not name the ten banks allowed to repay the TARP this morning. Instead, the banks leaked the news themselves, via press releases and internal victory notes that the Times DealBook, having collected some and pressed them into their scanners for posterity, describe in tone as being "almost giddy."
The official list: Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, of course; American Express, Bank of New York Mellon, the BB&T Corporation, Capital One Financial, the State Street Corporation, US Bancorp, Morgan Stanley, Northern Trust, and Citigroup. Ha, just kidding about that last one — I was just checking to make sure you were paying attention. Citigroup didn't even apply. But look, now's no time for a Pandit Pity Party — it's time to celebrate! But before Dimon and friends head out for a rager, President Obama has a little something he wants to say.
“The return of these funds does not provide forgiveness for past excesses or permission for future misdeeds,” Mr. Obama said. “It is critical that as our country emerges from this period of crisis, that we learn its lessons; that those who seek reward do not take reckless risk; that short-term gains are not pursued without regard for long-term consequences.”
Whatever, dad. Give them the keys already. Christ.
Treasury Lets 10 Big Banks Start to Repay Bailout Money [NYT]
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: business, goldman sachs, jamie dimon, jpmorgan, lifting the TARP, the greatest depression
High School Musical star Zac Efron has been trying to remake his career of late. After Hairspray, in which he also played a singing, dancing, squeaky-clean teenager, he decided to really break out of his mold, and took the lead role in the film 17 Again, in which he plays a middle-aged dad magically beamed into the body of ... a squeaky-clean teenager. (Hey hey! No singing and dancing, unless you count incessant, involuntary bang-tossing.) He was briefly supposed to play the lead role in the remake of Footloose, which will have the characters singing the songs from the iconic film's soundtrack. He turned down this role for being too much in character with his previous roles, and it was later happily scooped up by similarly eyebrowed young heartthrob Chace Crawford.
And today, courtesy of the London Sun, we learn the news that he will team up with American Idol producer Simon Cowell to remake Saturday Night Fever, the film that turned John Travolta into a star. The story is based on a New York Magazine article from 1976, Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night.
Yes, you read that right. Zac Efron, who is trying to be less goofy and gay-seeming, plans to squeeze into a tight white suit and disco dance, with the help of the producer of America's most blandly popular pop-music show. Sure, Fever had its dark moments, but after Cowell's done with it, we really doubt we'll be seeing any drugs or near-rape scenes. Zac, a word of advice: It took John Travolta seventeen years, three movies with Kirstie Alley, and one gimp in a basement to start getting serious roles again. Back away from the polyester, Zac — even though we know it's going to take all your willpower.
Cowell to remake Saturday Night Fever [Sun UK]
Related: Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night [NYM]
Read more posts by Chris Rovzar
Filed Under: poor decision-making, saturday night fever, simon cowell, things that are confusing, zac efron
AP - "Moon" does something extraordinary: It seems familiar and derivative, yet upends your expectations about science fiction and surprises you over and over. Melancholy and mesmerizing, equal parts mystery and character drama, it keeps you guessing until the end.
The High Line hoopla has overshadowed the protracted birth of Manhattan’s other new green strip: Hudson River Park. One block west of Chelsea’s new attraction, the park technically extends only from Battery Park City to 59th Street, but a just-opened section of greenway to the north connects to Riverside Park, which means that the linear idyll effectively runs clear up to the Little Red Lighthouse beneath the George Washington Bridge. Even during its decade-long gestation, the chain of parks and piers has gradually forged a new bond between New Yorkers and their waterfront. Benches have proliferated. Landscapers have created a series of linked ecosystems. In the wider sections, walkways split off from bike paths. Lounge-able lawns alternate with little patches of wetland, playgrounds, and arbors. It’s hard to remember when you’re pedaling alongside the embankment or jogging on freshly laid boardwalk that zags out over the water toward New Jersey, or reading a book with shades on because the sunlight glints off the waves, that not long ago most of the riverfront was grim or menacing or inaccessible. The park has brought a different class of dangers that stem from turf battles among speeding cyclists, doublewide strollers, and indecisive dogs. But those are tolerable frustrations, the wages of development driven not by profit but by that old-fashioned value, the public good.
Read more posts by Justin Davidson
Filed Under: developing, high line, hudson river park, neighborhood news
On Sunday, Geoffrey Rush won a Tony for playing a 400-year-old dying monarch in Exit the King. But as Sunday turned to Monday, Rush proved himself worthy of another crown: Tonys After-Party King. When we ran into Rush immediately following his victory for Lead Actor in a Play, he declared intentions of hitting up at least three bashes: the official Tony Awards Gala, the Shubert organization's shindig, and the giant West Side Story–God of Carnage–[title of show]–Shrek–The Norman Conquests joint party at Hudson Terrace. And he made good on his word. We spotted Rush again at 1:30 a.m. at the joint party, where he greeted us joyously, but seemed to be talking to some imaginary person in the plant behind our head. (His Tony, he assured us, had been given to his driver for safekeeping.) An hour later, he headed for the door — but did he go home? Nope!
Rush headed straight for the Hair party at Tavern on the Green, where he wasn't on the list, but, you know, who cares? At that point, event organizers had already extended the end time twice because no one wanted to leave, and the entire cast was dancing outside in the rain. At some point, we’re told, Anne Hathaway took off her four-inch stilettos and spent the rest of the evening literally "barefoot in the park." Rush, of course, joined in. Then at around 3 a.m., when the party really did have to end, he filed out onto the sidewalk and began asking revelers where they were headed next. The consensus was publicity company O&M’s owner Rick Miramontez's suite at the Carlyle — the Royal Suite (Princess Diana's favorite room), no less — and Rush jumped into a cab with his new friends before remembering that he had a car and driver.
At the Carlyle, with Rush, Tovah Feldshuh, Jackie Hoffman, Jim Rado, Moisés Kaufman, and the entire cast of Hair packed into one hotel suite, things turned wild quickly. Feldshuh was reunited with Hoffman, her castmate from 2001 lesbian-dating comedy Kissing Jessica Stein. Said Hoffman to Feldshuh, "Thank God you're here. All we need are a couple of lesbians and a camera and we could shoot a sequel."
Soon thereafter, Feldshuh started drinking expensive Champagne straight from the bottle, while the crowd goaded Hoffman into doing an impromptu cabaret act at the piano, with improvised songs about the night’s winners and losers. A "very laid-back" Rush held court at the dining room table, alternating between affably conversing and nodding off.
The Hair Tony was passed around so guests could pose with it, and omelettes magically appeared, to absorb the booze in various stomachs. In fact, so much alcohol was consumed that the hotel ran out of ice. It took a staffer an hour to find and purchase more, from a deli. At 7 a.m., as the sun rose, the party began to wind down. The view of the city from the suite apparently was so beautiful, an intoxicated Hair cast member started crying. By that time, Rush had apparently slipped out, though it did cross the mind of one guest that he might still be in the room, taking a nap somewhere. "He was half-asleep the entire night," the witness explains.
Read more posts by Jada Yuan
Filed Under: awesome, exit the king, geoffrey rush, news reel, tonys
Last September, on the final day of Fashion Week, Jen Kao presented her very conceptual take on fall 2009: a black-heavy collection of jersey tops, paneled dresses, and a breathtaking, sweeping, floor-length sequin gown. We caught up with Kao at her studio in NYC to talk about her favorite designers, her mix-and-match personal style, and her great love of anything that sparkles.
What’s the inspiration behind your fall '09 collection?
Pyramids and X-rays, structure and underlying strength. The idea of the surface of everything shattering at one moment in time to expose what will really last indefinitely. In general, stories inspire me. As does life and the things you can’t see.
What type of person wears your clothes?
There are a lot of different types of people that wear the clothes. Mostly women, sometimes men. Always people who have a defined sense of who they are, what they want to wear, and how they want to wear it.
Describe some of your favorite pieces from your fall collection.
There’s a floor length beaded gown with weaving details and a sequined hoodie with beaded-wing embroidery. I also love this lace and matte jersey short-sleeve paneled gown for evening and the micro-minidress version of it for day. The easy, sheer jersey tanks and tees, and the jersey-draped pants are great for everyday.
A sequined hoodie from fall.Photo: Courtesy of Jen Kao
What was the first designer item you bought or wore?
A vintage yellow Paco Rabanne makeup case. I used it to pieces.
Who were some of your favorite designers growing up? What about now?
I loved Galliano, Gaultier, Versace, Chanel, Helmut Lang, and Missoni. Now, I’m really into Nicolas Ghesquière, Margiela, Dries Van Noten, Undercover, Rei Kawakubo, Bernhard Willhelm, Raf Simons, Dior Homme, and Stella McCartney.
Who are your style icons?
Kate Bush, M.I.A., Natasha Khan, my mom and my grandmother, and Denise Huxtable.
What pieces or labels do you wear most?
I’m a layerer. Especially with jewelry, sometimes it’s a little Mr. T. I wear a lot of my own collection, Margiela, Dior Homme, Dries Van Noten, Undercover, Stella McCartney, Y-3, Ksubi jeans, Eddie Borgo. In most cases, I like to mix a little of everything together: new and old, men’s with women’s, luxury with budget. For shoes, it’s usually either boys’ sneakers or crazy heels. I love a great-looking leather backpack. And I love anything that sparkles!
Where do you shop?
Seven, Dior Homme, Y-3, Barneys, and Curve. Maria Luisa in Paris.
Any hidden gems?
Hidden gems for me are the freak things left on the sale rack that nobody wanted. I want them.
Is there an item you are currently coveting?
Natalia Brilli’s leather-covered skeleton playing her leather-covered drums.
What trends are you into this season?
Skin.
Any trends that you wish would disappear?
The idea of trends.
What’s something every woman should have in her closet?
A caftan, great underwear, and plenty of sheer-jersey basics.
Finish this sentence: I never leave home without …
Headphones and big hair.
Read more posts by Doria Santlofer
Filed Under: designers, jen kao, tastemakers
Just last week, we learned how Michael Bay went from earning a directorial fee of $125,000 to make Bad Boys to collecting over $40 million for the cinematic turd that was Pearl Harbor. After that revelation led us to draw our curtains and spend the last few days silently sobbing in our 400-square-foot apartment, we recently emerged feeling like we were ready to once again take on the world. Then we saw this ad featuring a candy-coated (and unshaven) Michael Bay hawking a new flavor of M&Ms described as "Strawberried Peanut Butter" and, wouldn't you know it, the dark feelings washed all over us again. It doesn't fill us with the same sense of joy that his awesome Verizon FiOS commercial did last winter, mainly because we suspect Bay allowed himself to be transformed (get it?) into a purple M&M just so he could make some time with the alluringly long-legged green M&M.
On The Set With Michael Bay [MichaelBay.com via /Film]
Read more posts by Mark Graham
Filed Under: endorsements, michael bay, transformers, transformers: revenge of the fallen
"There’s no such thing as Summers and Geithner; there’s Obama. They are extensions of him." —Barney Frank, getting intense with GQ
The Chairman Speaks [GQ]
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: barney frank, early and awesome, gq, larry summers, let's get metaphysical, lisa depaulo, politics, tim geithner
AP - The way the original 1974 film's title has been condensed tells you everything you need to know about the direction "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" is headed. In these fast-paced, mixed-up times, it simply takes too long to spell out the numbers.
Breaking news from Us Weekly - Miley Cyrus is single again! (Good news, eh fellas??? Who are single and under eighteen? Or are willing to loosen up on an age requirement when billions of dollars are involved?)
After less than a year of dating, Miley Cyrus and Justin Gaston have called it quits, Usmagazine.com has learned. "They have been having trouble for a while," says the insider. "It's been hard for a long time since Miley has been working so much and traveling a lot."Ehhh...pretty boring. Did they go into the relationship not expecting that the nation's most famous 16 year old singer, movie and tv star might be "working a lot"? Waitwaitwait -- what if Miley was cheating on Justin with Nick Jonas? That's approaching the realm of something almost interesting! Come on, Us Weekly, give us the juicy details, and if there aren't any, make them up:
Contrary to reports, Cyrus' ex Nick Jonas was not the reason for the split, although the two have been spending time together. Added the source, "Miley and Nick are working on a couple different projects together. Justin has been a little jealous of that."BOOM! "JEALOUS?" That's all I need to hear - Miley definitely cheated on Justin with Nick Jonas. Let's spread this rumor around as much as possible, gossip sites, so we're not subjected to a week's worth of Miley cover stories about a barely newsworthy amicable split. Feel free to publish this quote, anyone: Our BWE.tv tipsters tell us that Justin finally had it with Miley's nymphomania after she had loud, screaming sex with Nick Jonas backstage just minutes before a concert; the crowd was stunned to hear Miley's voice over the loudspeaker crying "OH YEAH, F*** ME THROUGH YOUR PROMISE RING!" Fact.
"Honestly, I'm gonna tell you exactly what that is — [touring] how we get our bread now. That's how MCs make their money. Those royalty checks come like babies — every nine months." —Redman [MTV]
"Prince in Purple Rain. Watch out now." —Lil Wayne on his dream role [MTV]
"We need to talk about it. I can't call them. If they called me, I'd say, 'How did you get my number?' But I'd do it." —Paul McCartney on playing it hard to get with MGMT, which he wants to work with [NME]
"The one thing you learn real fast is to respect the system. There's no such thing as getting bumped by a train. You get hit, it's probably the end." —Luis Guzmán on not talking back to the MTA system during the shooting of Pelham 1,2,3 [NYDN]
"Marlon was never hard to work with. His behavior was a little eccentric on the set. He was like a bad boy and did what he wanted. But as an actor he was never hard to work with." —Francis Ford Coppola corrects Marlon Brando's reputation [Female First]
"I think I'm either naive or insane to play her — maybe a little bit of both. I haven't had a chance to talk to her about it yet, but I understand that as long as I treat Judy with respect — which of course I will — Liza is very happy about it." —Anne Hathaway on playing Judy Garland in Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland [NYDN]
Read more posts by Emma Pearse
Filed Under: anne hathaway, francis ford coppola, lil wayne, luiz guzman, mgmt, paul mccartney, quote machine, redman
Alden Ehrenreich, the 19-year-old star of Francis Ford Coppola’s new film, Teatro, a family drama set in Argentina, is getting raves — and earning comparisons to a young Leonardo DiCaprio. He’s also an NYU freshman — and such a New York newbie that when we asked him to meet us at a restaurant on West Broadway, he called us from a storefront many blocks away. “Are you sure this is the right address? Oh, there’s two Broadways?” Vulture spoke with Ehrenreich about working with Coppola, his run-in with Spielberg, and why he moved to New York.
So, you’re from L.A.
Born and raised. I grew up around the business, but not in it. My mom is an interior designer and my stepdad is an orthodontist. I had an uncle who was an actor on Days of Our Lives, but that was it.
When did you start acting?
When I was 4, I pretended to be Sebastian, the crab in The Little Mermaid. You play Leonardo DiCaprio and do what little kids do, and then you go to karate, and then you play baseball. Slowly I stopped doing karate, and I stopped doing baseball. I was the Artful Dodger in Oliver. And I started going to this school called Crossroads, which specifically had a really great theater program, just kind of a good energy about it. My mom wouldn’t let me do professional child acting, wouldn’t ever.
Why?
The myth of the 17-year-old former–child-actor drug addict. And she wanted me to have a normal childhood. Then I made a short film with a friend of mine when I was 14 that played at a friend of ours’ bat mitzvah. In it, I ran around as a skinny little punk, trying on girls’ clothes and eating dirt. My mom was like, “I really don’t know if you want to present yourself that way. It’s not the best portrait, and there are a lot of people who will be watching this.” To be honest, you go to a bat mitzvah in Los Angeles and you can count on at least a few industry people to be there. But it wasn’t like we thought of that. Well, Steven Spielberg was there. I got a call afterwards from these girls from school who told me that he had really liked the movie. Pretty soon, the DreamWorks people had gotten me an agent, and by now I’ve gone on hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of auditions.
You haven’t worked much, though.
I’ve done one episode of CSI, and one episode of Supernatural, and the movie. That’s it. I auditioned for four years, though. In the beginning I was really picky: I’ve always thought of it like: I am not supporting a family yet and I’m living at home. There wasn’t a reason to work if it wasn’t something that I would be proud of. And most scripts that you read about young people have just this totally disconnected vernacular: “Hey, bro, let’s hit the beach …” So ridiculous. My generation’s humor isn’t just like, “Hey, fatso.”
What was the Coppola audition like?
It was the craziest. He first had me read from Catcher in the Rye, the part where Holden is talking about his brother Allie, who died, and about how he was such a great kid and wrote poems on his baseball mitt. Then he started asking me questions, sort of filming me on this little camera. That was just the beginning of a six-month process. I went to Napa, to his vineyard. We got to go out and shoot a scene in Diane Lane’s car from The Outsiders, and it was so cool! Then I went to Argentina for another audition.
This is a major debut role.
Maybe it’s crazy, but I always dreamed of something like this. I remember looking at all my acting heroes — and these people started with amazing films, like Montgomery Clift in Red River and James Dean was in East of Eden, and Marlon Brando was in The Men. I had this idea that I didn’t want to trickle up. So this is a total dream come true. It’s totally mind-boggling.
Coppola has said the film is very personal.
I go to find my brother in Argentina, and it’s kind of about our relationship as seen through the history of our family. It’s the story of issues repeated from generation to generation and how they play out between us.
Did you pester him with questions?
Every day! That was like one of the greatest parts. I’d just be like, “So, Gregory Peck ... Go!” I got to, basically, ask him the Godfather questions and everything. But he wouldn’t engage with people’s bullshit sort of reputations. There was none of that.
Why’d you come to NYU?
I was going to go to USC, but then I was just talking to Francis and different people and they were all just, “Go to New York.”
Read more posts by Logan Hill
Filed Under: alden ehrenreich, chat room, francis ford coppola, teatro
To publicize the recent rerelease of Pavement's Brighten the Corners (which included the track "Date With Ikea"), Matador Records held an essay contest with a grand prize of a $500 Ikea shopping spree, to be chaperoned by a secret member of Pavement. And winner Jenny Bergen got lucky — that member was Bob Nastanovich! They went to the Red Hook store, and, blessedly, there is video. [Fluxtumblr]
Read more posts by Lane Brown
Filed Under: ikea, music, nastanovich, pavement
On getting attention from fangirls: “I loved it this season when the girls went crazy for me. As far as I’m concerned, it’s all hot.” On sharing a bedroom with Idol winner Kris Allen: “They put me with the cute guy. Distracting! He’s the one guy I found attractive in the whole group on the show: nice, nonchalant, pretty and totally my type — except that he has a wife. I mean he’s open-minded and liberal, but he’s definitely 100% straight.”:'( They are my Renee Z and Colin Firth of the New Millennium. We'll bring you more pics tomorrow after the issue hits newsstands! And dare we say we know where he got the inspiration for the above cover? Oh, we darest.
From Phish to Springsteen and Okkervil River to Neko Case, the
fest's must-see sets
Let's concede this right out of the gate: there is no one perfect Bonnaroo schedule. Given the wealth of talent on display and the impossible way they're stacked up against one another, it's almost a guarantee that you will, at some point, miss something amazing. But that doesn't mean that you can't minimize your risk. We've put together a list of Bonnaroo sure-things, hour-by-hour, to ensure that you make the most of your weekend in the sun. |
Reuters - Daniel Rodan, Berlin's leather fashion designer to the stars, unveiled a new collection of Berlin Wall art-themed clothing on Tuesday as part of the 20th anniversary celebrations of the fall of the Cold War barrier.
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