It had a British director and was hailed at the Oscars in Los Angeles, but the box office hit "Slumdog Millionaire" is an Indian movie at heart because it embraces song and emotional... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 13 Jun 2009 | 8:24 am
"The Dark Knight" has taken eight Key Art Awards, including best theatrical poster and best TV spot, in the annual competition to honor the best in movie promotions in all mediums. The... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 13 Jun 2009 | 7:18 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 13 /PRNewswire/ -- ABC's MEN IN TREES, popular star on the Emmy winning THE WEST WING, and the blockbuster COMING TO AMERICA, are just a few of the... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 13 Jun 2009 | 6:38 am
Before Jada Pinkett Smith took the role of producer and star of TNT's "HawthoRNe," she made sure her family was fine with her being away from her mother and wife duties during filming.
AP - Hundreds of mourners honored Chicago blues icon Koko Taylor at her funeral Friday by singing her signature song "Wang Dang Doodle" and remembering why she was known as the "Queen of the Blues."
Usher is leaving the one he's with.
The Confessions artist proved the rumor mill right Friday as he went ahead and filed for divorce from his wife of nearly two years, Tameka...
AP - Witness testimony has ended in Los Angeles about whether Televisa or Univision can transmit Televisa's popular telenovelas online and via satellite in the United States.
Phish might technically be a Bonnaroo rookie, but the band's first performance at the Tennessee music festival had the feeling of a homecoming. Phish was to perform a highly anticipated... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 13 Jun 2009 | 2:46 am
Hundreds of mourners honored Chicago blues icon Koko Taylor at her funeral Friday by singing her signature song "Wang Dang Doodle" and remembering why she was known as the "Queen of the... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 13 Jun 2009 | 2:45 am
AP - Court records show singer Usher has filed for divorce from Tameka Foster Raymond after less than two years of marriage. The 30-year-old Grammy-winning artist, whose real name is Usher Raymond IV, filed the petition Friday in Superior Court in Atlanta. The court record did not give any details about the split between the R&B star and his wife, who were married in August 2007.
If not for the selfless actions of a few noble individuals, this could very well have been the most boring week in blog history. We salute those heroes now: Bret Michaels, thank you for having your face smashed in by scenery. Broadway stars, thank you for making Tonysnight so special. Jay-Z, thank you for killing Auto-Tune. Prince, thank you for teaching us the meaning of romance. Chandler Burr, we appreciate the assist. Paul F. Tompkins, thanks for the memories. Geoffrey Rush, thank you for closing down the party. Celebrities, thanks for putting Letterman over the top.
It's good to be reminded of the graceful things in life. Amid the aggressive European shoppers on Fifth Avenue, you can take a breather and enjoy the new windows at Bergdorf Goodman, which now bear themes, photos, and artifacts associated with the New York City Ballet and the 50th anniversary of Lincoln Center (the new home of New York Fashion Week). Even if you can't make it to this season's performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream, at least you can get a taste of Balanchine, and sophistication, on your way to pick up some NARS.
This former bodyguard to the stars is still deciding whether to dish his A-list details.
Mickey Brett, who prompted Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt to put their legal team on standby just...
Reuters - Top Mexican broadcaster Televisa and its U.S. licensee Univision on Friday rested their cases in a lawsuit to determine if Televisa can transmit its TV shows to U.S. markets on the Internet. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 12 Jun 2009 | 11:13 pm
Back when certain subsets of the online community were crowning Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion the album of the year twenty days into 2009, it was “My Girls” that was the obvious highlight, and the one Merriweather track we’ve spun the most since. But now that the crew’s dropped the video for “Summertime Clothes,” we’re beginning to remember how deep this album is. The video doesn’t do much: It’s a ho-hum weirdo–performance-art thing with girls trapped in globes Wayne Coyne–style, people gesticulating with quilts over their heads, and no appearances by the band. But the important thing is the song is as exuberantly joyful as we remembered — seriously, how do you make lyrics like “I wanna walk around with you” sound this triumphant?
That's what Wayne Barrett thinks. If Bloomberg hadn't campaigned so heavily for Republican Frank Padavan to beat Democrat and adamant gay-marriage supporter Jim Gennaro, Barrett argues, the latter might have won the close election and given Democrats in Albany a larger advantage — one that could have prevented this week's disaster and given less power to Ruben Diaz Sr. to stop a marriage bill from reaching the floor. Ironically, Bloomberg himself is a staunch marriage-equality supporter. [Runnin' Scared/VV]
You might not guess from their idyllic jacket art, but Binnie Kirshenbaum’s six mordantly funny, keenly observed novels share more with Philip Roth's work than with the Tuscany-based romances of Frances Mayes. Which might explain why the prolific Kirshenbaum, a native New Yorker who currently serves as a professor and chair of Columbia University’s MFA writing program (where she has taught literary wunderkinds Benjamin Kunkel and Tova Mirvis), has been floating under the radar for so long, even as she has been garnering praise from other writers throughout her entire career, from Joyce Carol Oates and the late Norman Mailer to Junot Diaz and Richard Ford. Her latest novel, The Scenic Route (HarperEcco/Perennial) is a wry and profound meditation on memory and self-preservation. Vulture spoke with Kirshenbaum to discuss literary obscurity, the future of publishing, and the nostalgia for "first big things."
Your novel portrays two troubled souls engaged in a doomed romance as they road-trip from Italy through Eastern Europe. As the title suggests, they take the scenic route, but you do too, with digressions about their personal histories.
Life is a compilation of stories. Because the narrator is middle-age and without family and children and friends, there's this realization that, who's going to tell stories about me? If nobody tells stories about you, it’s as if you never were.
This struck me as a more personal endeavor than your earlier work.
Maybe what struck you as personal is that sense of reaching middle age and experiencing the fear of, Is all the joy in life behind me? All the first big things have happened: I’m not going to fall in love again or move to New York again or publish a first book again or lose my virginity. I transferred that mind-set onto [the narrator] Sylvia, and, in that way, she’s very close to me.
It’s not uncommon for debut novelists to publish in paperback, but it is rare for a veteran author. Did you sign on for that?
No. And I was initially resistant to it. But one editor friend said, “If it was up to me, I would do everything as a paperback original, especially in this market.” After the stock market tanked, I was actually glad [for the decision] because if people are going to buy a book, they’re going to buy a paperback. Hardcovers are expensive and I don’t want to be an artifact on the shelf.
How timely that the novel opens with Sylvia being laid off.
One of the things I always have trouble with is characters’ jobs, because of my own job experience — camp counselor, waitress, creative-writing professor, writer. Mine is a rarefied world of academics and writers. At my high-school reunion, someone said “I arrange for people to go into nursing homes.” I thought, There's a job like that? When I first started writing this book, in 2003, I didn’t address Sylvia’s job. A friend suggested the layoff to me. Needless to say, it was prescient.
You are prolific and critically praised. Why aren’t you better known?
I think the targeted demographic kind of hates [my outlook]. I have gotten letters saying “This is so depressing, and I didn’t want to be depressed.” For my last book, I confess, I’d read the Amazon reviews. There was one Amazon review that I really thought was wonderful. This woman hated it because the people were nihilistic and she wasn’t looking for that. She thought because of the title, An Almost Perfect Moment, it was going to be about religion and was going to be inspiring. The last line of her review said, “I haven’t hated something this much since Mark Twain’s The Mysterious Stranger.” I thought, That should be a blurb! So you hate me and Mark Twain pretty much the same. I’ve never reached the audience who might really like my work. Someone told me I’m not taken seriously as a writer because of my name — several reviews have mentioned it, actually. One guy told me he expected “Binnie Kirshenbaum” to be someone his mother plays mah-jongg with.
Maybe you should change your name to Jonathan.
BK: [Laughs] Mine is sort of a Bubble Silverberg kind of a name. The world seems to understand that men can be funny and dark, but women narrators are supposed to be likable, and my characters are not necessarily nice and/or likable. But they are funny.
But most surprising of all? The smackdown Kenny Chesney’s “Out Last Night” put on the Rankings this week. We admit, when we slotted Chesney in last week at No. 8, it may have had just a touch to do with his token-country qualification. But “Out” has proven us prophetic, jumping from No. 60 all the way to No. 16 on the Hot 100. Now we realize that we underestimated this thing — why wouldn’t a silly song about being irresponsibly wasted take off? (We especially like this part: “I was a doctor, a lawyer, a senator’s son / Brad Pitt’s brother and a man on the run / anything I thought would get the job done.” Classy, Kenny.) Could it really give the big dogs a run for their money? As long as Mr. Chesney continues to refuse to wear sleeves, we see no reason why not.
1. Black Eyed Peas, “Boom Boom Pow”: Now that their new album is out, Black Eyed Peas should have another chart to dominate: If estimates hold, The E.N.D. will top the Billboard 200 next week.
4. Keri Hilson feat. Kanye West and Ne-Yo, “Knock You Down”: Back with a vengeance. Cracking the Hot 100’s top five will do that.
5. Kenny Chesney, “Out Last Night”: Seriously, if anyone’s written a more carefree, seasonally appropriate jam this year, we’d like it brought to our attention.
6. Jamie Foxx feat. T-Pain, “Blame It”: Slowly and steadily slipping, this time down to No. 10 on the Hot 100. Has it been done in by its own airplay ubiquity (and when, oh when, will this happen to “Boom Boom Pow”?).
7. Pitbull, “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)”: Peaking at No. 2 on the Hot 100 means we can no longer ignore you, Pitbull. Welcome — you should probably go ahead and make yourself comfortable.
8. Sean Kingston, “Fire Burning”: The newbie's already the No. 3 most-downloaded song on iTunes. Plus, it uses a heat metaphor to describe the attractiveness of a lady dancing — always good for this time of year.
9. Green Day, “Know Your Enemy”: They’re still everywhere — but is that a good thing? And have you actually heard this playing during any kind of summer activity?
10. Animal Collective, “Summertime Clothes”: Releasing the video for “Summertime Clothes” means A.C. bumps Grizzly Bear’s “Two Weeks” for the indie-barbecue-playlist spot.
Front Page: Stephen Sommers was never let go from project -- One day you're directing one of the summer's biggest tentpoles, the next you're not. Depending on which websites you read.
And you thought it wouldn't last...
Today Jon and Kate Gosselin are marking the 10th anniversary of their hitching, and so far they've been spending the big day pretty much the...
As a person who recently skydived (for the second time, no less) and spent most of his 45-second freefall screaming a wordless, animal howl of terror until there was no air left in his lungs, allow Intel Chris to assure you that he will NOT be doing it again. Especially not when he is in his eighties. Which is why George H.W. Bush gets a hat tip from us today for celebrating his 85th birthday by jumping out of a plane. Sure, he's done it so often it's kind of his thing, but still. He was even looking somewhat studly in that jumpsuit!
FRAGRANCE
• Avon boasted Reese Witherspoon as an ambassador for the past two years, and now the company will reward all her hard work: The actress gets her first fragrance this fall, named In Bloom. [WWD]
• Tom Ford will launch a four-fragrance collection named White Musk this fall. Guess what the main scent note will be. [WWD]
MAKEUP
• Estée Lauder, L’Oréal, and Procter & Gamble all are in the process of developing lower-priced lines so people can afford to spend money on makeup again. [Style.com]
• Sephora's new summer catalogue features a photo that shows you how to look like a mermaid by wearing rhinestones on top of your eyebrows with teal and purple eye shadow. Is sparkle week over? [Beauty and the Blog/Sephora]
• Women who wear red lipstick supposedly have better sex lives than their bare-mouthed pals, and the deeper the shade of red you wear, the more confident you are. To which we say: Hogwash. [Daily Mail]
Well folks, the last Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins of 2009 airs tonight at 11 pm. What monster twist does the show have in store for the season finale? Are we finally going to learn the truth about the Lost statue? Was PFT really dead the whole time? Was Chuck Nice actually Doug Benson's father or vice versa? At the risk of spoiling anything, all three of these things are true.
Tune in to VH1 tonight at 11 to find out what's in store!
In the meantime, though, BWE.tv won't be going anywhere -- we'll be here all summer long, because inane online high-larity knows no season!
The Oscar winner adamantly denies nearly all of the allegations put forth by an acquaintance who has sued him for negligence...
A tipster just sent us a link to a new behind-the-scenes video from in-production Twilight sequel New Moon containing actual footage of star Taylor Lautner's suffering from what appears to be a serious episode of Restless Leg Syndrome (if you haven't been following our coverage of this tragic story, catch up here). Skip ahead to 1:30, where Lautner and co-star Kristen Stewart seem to be waiting for his spasms to subside before they shoot an important scene in someone's garage. He is so brave. Warning: Some viewers may find the images in this video disturbing. Click to watch!
If they're anything like the old shows, the new 90210 and the upcoming Melrose Place revamp will have some characters crisscrossing between them.
Right now, however, it doesn't...
"A very hip one," ex-boyfriend Hugh Hefner told E! News at last night's AFI tribute to Michael Douglas. "Her heart is...
High-collar cotton top ($250) and silk tulip skirt ($325) for fall 2009; the storefront; silk wrap dress ($595) for fall 2009.
Peruvian boutique owner Elena Ramos-Velita unveiled her sleek womenswear shop in Soho earlier this month, juggling decorating and production decisions with her day job as a consultant at Citigroup. Fittingly, the modern, white-on-white space is geared toward professional women, with small bouquets of flowers and Danish antique furniture providing understated accents. Working closely with DKNY designer Masha Gard, Ramos-Velita offers versatile basics in Italian fabrics that span staff meetings to happy hour: draped cashmere and modal-blend tops, high-collar cotton button-downs, wrap dresses, shapely tulip skirts, and lightweight blazers. The spring collection is on racks now (with prices ranging from $195 to $335), and fall styles will start trickling in late next month.
Velita, 79 Sullivan St., nr. Spring St. (917-213-0274); T—Su (noon—7).
Yesterday when we saw this picture of a funny sign attached to a tree in Greenpoint, we thought: "Heh, look. A funny sign attached to a tree in Greenpoint." And then we moved on. But today we saw it again, and we realized there is way more going on in this picture than just a clever warning. Is that a Sad Puppy in the background? And is he sad because he got called a mutt? (Or a slut??) [Newyorkshitty]
Mike Britt signs off this season of Best Day Ever the way Walter Cronkite signed off his last show: a fake pregnant belly and fart noises. They just don't make them like they used to. Enjoy:
Playbill - The 2009 Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre, one of the nation's leading forces in musical theatre, launches 21/24 Signature Lab, a new initiative for the creation of musical theatre works by emerging young composers. Readings will give DC-area audiences a first look at new musicals. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 12 Jun 2009 | 9:14 pm
We was robbed.
Not only did Bones and Booth not have baby-making sex on Bones last season, they probably aren't going to creating a li'l Brennan anytime soon. Bones star Emily...
In late April, traders at some banks were shocked to find out from monthly remittance reports that the bonds they had bet against had been paid off in full. Normally an investor can't pay off loans like that but if the amount of outstanding loans falls to less than 10% of the original pool, the servicer -- or company that collects mortgage payments from homeowners and forwards them to investors who own the securities -- can buy them and make bondholders whole.
We're just going to admit it: The only words we really comprehended were "shocked," "paid off in full," and "normally." What was going on? Did we have to turn to the Church of L. Ron to figure it out? No, we figured, that would take too much time. So we called a hedge-fund friend— a real one, not an imaginary one—and asked him to explain in the language of humans.
Here is what he said:
HFF: Okay, so you know what a CDS is, right? Daily Intel: Yes! It is insurance on something not getting paid back! HFF: Okay, good. So. JPMorgan had $335 million worth of securities that they bought from Lehman Brothers. When they bought them, they thought they were investing in something with a high rate of return. But then everyone defaulted on their mortgages, and there was only $29 million worth of loans in the securities, or 10 percent of the value. Daily Intel: Wow. HFF: Those are the actual mortgages that are paying the interest. All that is left is $29 million. And of that $29 million, half of them are not paying their mortgages, they are in default. So JPMorgan has this on their balance sheet, and they're aware that there is very little they are going to get out of it. So they say, let's get rid of it. Let's buy a CDS, the insurance on it, so at least we can be assured of a percentage. Daily Intel: So who sells them the CDS? HFF: Amherst, the Texas brokerage. JPMorgan had to pay 90 cents on the dollar. Amherst says, Okay, JPMorgan, we'll insure that, but you have to pay us 90 percent of the value of what's left. And JPMorgan is like, okay, it's a risk-free trade. We're protected, we'll at least get 10 percent. And Amherst said, okay, the worst thing that will happen to us is that the default will go from 90 percent to 100 percent, and we lose 10 percent. So JPMorgan ends up paying like $130 million to insure this $29 million of securities, with the expectation that the loans will default and they will get 10 percent back. But then, Amherst gets a really good idea. They said to themselves: What if we can get someone to pay off the underlying loans? So they get this company, Aurora, to pay off the amount that is remaining. And in the end JPMorgan's swaps were made worthless, and Amherst kept the fee they paid. Daily Intel: I think I get it. But what was in it for the other company, Aurora? HFF: It doesn't say in the Journal: "Amherst won't provide specifics and won't comment on its arrangement with Aurora." There was probably some kind of backroom deal, like a "We'll split the profits on it" type of thing. Daily Intel: Sounds like a sneaky thing to do. But not actually illegal, right? HFF: It was a totally legal and even reasonable trade. One of the risks, one of the reasons so much money was made, is that there are all these little holes that can be exploited. There's a lot of loopholes in the process. Falling into them is risk you take when you play around with these securities. Daily Intel: Still, it doesn't seem very nice of Amherst to do. HFF: It's true, it's not a very good-guy thing to do. You'd be pissed if your friend did it. Daily Intel: I really would.
EVENTS TOMORROW
• Stop by the Billy Reid Big Apple BBQ for food from Alabama barbecue joint Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q and a musical performance by the Monuments. 54 Bond St., nr. Bowery (212-598-9355); 7–9.
• Former Domino editors Dara Caponigro, Tom Delevan, Chase Booth, and Tori Mellott are hosting a tag sale at Delevan's Hamptons home, offering furniture, designer clothes, home décor, and fabrics for bargain-basement prices. 75 Main St., nr. Oak Ln., Amagansett; 9–4.
• Meet celebrity makeup artist Gina Brooke at Barneys before she leaves on a worldwide tour as Madonna's makeup artist. Learn which Shu Uemura products and tricks she uses on high-profile clients. Call for appointment. 660 Madison Ave., at 61st St. (212-826-8900); 11–7.
SALES STARTING TOMORROW
• Butter by Nadia is hosting its annual sample sale. Signature wraps are $50 to $125 (originally $250 to $270), jersey and satin ball gowns are $150 (originally $360), and collection items start at $25 (originally $225 to $365). Through 6/14. 405 Van Brunt St., nr. Van Dyke St. (347-410-3203); S (11–7), Su (noon–5).
ENDING SUNDAY
• Women’s five-pocket jeans, denim skirts, jackets, and men’s jeans are $70 (originally $125 to $275) and men’s shirts and sweaters, and kid’s jeans, are $20 to $40 (originally $62 to $300) at the Earnest Sewn sample sale. 260 Fifth Ave., nr. 28th St. (212-242-3414); M (1–8), T–F (10–8), S (10–7), Su (10–3).
• Select items from the Isabella Oliver 365 ready-to-wear collection are up to 25 percent off. Online only. Type the code sale25 at checkout.
• Kiki de Montparnasse lingerie is 30 percent off in the boutique and online. Online, type the code JuneLove at checkout. 79 Greene St., nr. Spring St. (212-965-8070); F (11–7), S–Su (noon–7).
STARTING MONDAY
• Sport coats, shirts, ties, leather, outerwear, and sweaters are up to 80 percent off at the Isaia menswear sale. Through 6/30. 730 Fifth Ave., nr. 56th St., Ste. 1004 (212-920-1211); T (10–7), W–Th (10–6).
• Kate Spade handbags, small accessories, apparel, and footwear are discounted at Clothingline. A small selection of men’s bags and small accessories are also available. 261 W. 36th St., nr. Seventh Ave., second fl. (212-967-4791); M–T (11–7), W–Th (10–7).
• Wedding Atelier is offering 25 to 60 percent off gowns from Nicole Miller, Priscilla of Boston, La Sposa, and more at the bridal sample sale. 103 Fifth Ave., nr. 18th St., second fl. (626-638-3263); M (10–7), T–Th (10–8), F–S (10–6), Su (10–5).
ENDING MONDAY
• Swimwear starts at $49 (originally $150 to $500) at the Rosa Chá sample sale. 2 Great Jones St., nr. Broadway; daily (noon–7).
• Summer dresses, tops, skirts, pants, and jackets from Elaine Kim are 50 percent off online. Silk dresses with leather detailing start at $165 (originally $330 and up), sculpted Cupro cotton dresses are $200 (originally $400), and leather-trimmed silk racerback tanks are $100 (originally $200). Online only. Enter promo code EK50 at checkout.
ONGOING
• Womenswear, shoes, children's clothing, and accessories from brands like Sonia Rykiel, Ports 1961, Orla Kiely, and Jerome Dreyfuss are 30 to 50 percent off at Kisan. Through 7/31. 125 Greene St., nr. Prince St. (212-475-2470); M–S (11–7), Su (noon–6).
• Apparel from Bodkin, Coven, Henrik Vibskov, and more is 30 percent off at No. 6. The Burfitt belted high-waisted denim skirt is $217 (originally $310), the Stine Goya silk-dotted overalls are $315 (originally $450), and the Nom-D gray inside-out printed dress is $227 (originally $325). Select vintage pieces from Europe are also available. 6 Centre Market Pl., nr. Grand St. (212-226-5759); T–S (noon–7), Su (noon–6), M (closed).
Ryan Kwanten can't seem to keep his shirt on.
At least when he's playing Jason Stackhouse on HBO's True Blood.
"The moment Jason gets a little heated, whether...
Do you enjoy reading about television programs in addition to watching them? How would you feel about creating page views by clicking on posts that relate the events of each episode of the HBO series True Blood, which begins its second season on Sunday? Exercise your right to choose by issuing a response in the comments!
Matt Lauer can't seem to catch a break: First, a certain couch-hopping A-lister called him glib. Now, according to Sarah Palin, he's "extremely naive."
That is, per the...
This morning a baby girl was born on the B61 bus in Brooklyn at Greenpoint and Manhattan Avenues. Yesterday another baby girl was born on the R train at Whitehall station. (Both the subway and bus were washed down afterward, FYI.) This brings up a question we hadn't ever thought about, but now can't stop pondering: Which MTA transit system would you rather be on when a baby starts emerging from your womb? [NYP]
Kendra Wilkinson turns 24 today and she's got a lot to celebrate!
Her E! reality TV show Kendra debuted to big numbers, she's getting married to Hank Baskett this month and...
"They could have been killed instantly." — Michael Bay on a dangerous Transformers 2 stunt involving Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, and Tyrese Gibson [Sydney Morning Herald]
"While I was writing about Virginia Woolf, my mind was never far removed from the idea of girls in bikinis being hacked up by guys wearing hockey masks, and I vowed that if I ever had a good idea, I would write one of these scary movies." —Michael Cunningham [MTV]
"The term friendosaurus isn’t about the girl being unattractive. The friendosaurus knows I’m interested in her friend, and she’s the doubting sober driver who’s saying, 'This is ridiculous! Let’s get out of here.' So I immediately befriend the friendosaurus." —Bret Michaels with some Rock of Love lingo [Elle]
"It's very bad for the soul, all this banging on about yourself. And it induces simultaneously a sort of grotesque narcissism and paranoia and self-loathing. I've found that it gives you a tiny glimpse into the world of proper celebrities and why they are so nuts." —Zoë Heller on doing media interviews [HuffPo]
"Usually I'm pretty good at it. But I was pretty nervous on this set. So, I tried improvising. But you know what? Woody Allen was staring at me, and Larry David was staring at me. And I just lost it. I just didn't know where I was in the scene, and I lost it. But — once I got comfortable, then it was okay, and I would throw things in there every now and then." —Evan Rachel Wood on working with the scary Woody Allen [Female First]
Ah crap, he's just getting an honorary degree from Cambridge. I was hoping he was getting closer and closer to, say, forcing elephants to race one another in solid gold Indy cars to entertain his fellow eccentric billionaire friends. Letdown. Source: Best Week Ever | 12 Jun 2009 | 8:08 pm
We've been hearing tell of "Friday Night Throwdown" (a.k.a. "Model Fight Club") for months now. Some of us have even breezed through the somewhat exclusive event featuring male models risking damage to their money-making mugs in boxing matches with local pugilists. Thankfully, the folks at Paper's VIP video section finally snuck in a camera, hostess Michelle De Swarte, and her considerable East End accent. It goes much as one would imagine — or in some cases hope — sweaty boys, right hooks, pretty mugs rendered red and puffy. When the boys, Zac "the Maniac" Taylor (Abercrombie & Fitch, Mossimo, etc.) and Nick Lemons (Armani Jeans, D&G, etc.), square off against the pro fighters, it's clear that they'll need a bit more training before earning their Golden Gloves. Nonetheless, if you ever wanted to watch a son of Zoolander get his comeuppance, or you find restrained violence a bit of a turn-on, take five minutes out of this half-assed summer Friday and enjoy a taste of what they call "the Sweet Science." FRIDAY NIGHT THROWDOWN [Paper]
If you've ever been tempted, when you see a dude walking down the street in a fly pair of Gucci sneakers, to whip out your handgun and demand he give them to you, you should probably reconsider. Because Gucci kicks not only come with gorgeous Italian hand-stitching and ego-boosting recognizable patterns. They also come with karma. From today's Post police blotter:
A thief was shot in the foot by one of his accomplices as they swiped the sneakers off a man's feet at gunpoint in Jamaica, cops said yesterday. The bizarre incident occurred at 11:35 p.m. last Saturday when William Carter, 17, Fritz Fontaine, 19, Saeed Fortune, 17, Chavon Lindsay, 19, and Jaleel Warren, 18, surrounded the 21-year-old victim at Memphis Avenue and 247th Street, police said. Carter allegedly pulled a handgun and took the victim's Gucci sneakers and shirt. As the suspects were fleeing, Carter's gun went off, and Lindsay was hit in the foot, sources said. The suspects drove Lindsay to Franklin Hospital. Police soon arrested the four on various theft charges, DA Richard Brown said.
And, you know, karma — like Gucci itself — is a bitch.
On tonight's season finale of Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins our friend (and current SNL writer) John Mulaney returns to weigh in on the week's best stories. In this preview clip from tonight's show, John talks about 2009's hottest party this side of Kennebunkport: First Lady Barbara Bush's 84th Birthday party!
Earlier today a Boston jury found Rockefeller impersonator Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter guilty of kidnapping his 7-year-old daughter, and of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for injuring a social worker during his getaway. Just now, the judge in the case sentenced Gerhartsreiter to six to eight four to five years in prison. As the sentencing was handed down, Gerhartsreiter looked emotionless and as creepy as always. [NYP]
Hey, this is dumb: Alec Duffy, the guy who won exclusive rights to an unreleased Sufjan Stevens song in a 2007 contest, is making people hang out with him in Prospect Heights if they want to hear it. Duffy, a 33-year-old theater director, nabbed "The Lonely Man of Winter" by submitting the winning track to "The Great Sufjan Song Xmas Xchange." Now, instead of uploading the thing to the Internet as any reasonable person would do, he's letting presumably creeped-out Sufjan fans listen, but only if they visit his Brooklyn apartment.
Duffy holds listening sessions once a week, where he doles out tea and chocolate-chip cookies, passes around the package he received along with "Lonely Man," and then lets the visitors listen — on headphones only, to make sure nobody records it. Duffy says "this is the finest way we felt we could curate this song. It brings people together … [rather than] being lost among 14,000 iTunes."
It is at this point that we'd like to join the greater Internet community in saying — dude, come ooooonnn. We think the anonymous blogger quoted in The Wall Street Journal story says it best: "Given the economic woes and geopolitical instabilities of the day, is now really the time to hold effete little tea parties?" Sufjan Stevens hasn't commented on the situation, but we feel it safe to say he thinks Alec Duffy’s an assclown.
The Alaskan governor returned to the air today to talk about David Letterman's bad joke and further humiliate her teenage daughter, this time with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. [Political Ticker/CNN]
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and Michelle Obama are like two peas in a pod this week. After the two First Ladies both wore similar white dresses with belts at the D-Day memorial this past Sunday, both came out asserting they do not wear fur. Bruni issued a letter to PETA that said she doesn't buy, own, or wear any fur or skin and would give it away if she did. Not to be outdone, Michelle Obama's press secretary also confirmed that the First Lady is 100 percent fur-free. How long until PETA tries to use both women in a commercial? [Washington Times] Related: The Michelle Obama Look Book
Footloose may have a scene like this, but Ortega will stand in for Blair.
Actors love talking about their "craft," but when it comes right down to it, they often aren't really invested in giving themselves over to the role. In getting inside the character. Like they're always letting stunt doubles and body doubles do the really hard stuff, and insisting on adding these clauses to their contracts that stipulate they won't do nudity unless it is "vitally important to the character." Not Chace Crawford. When the actor best known as Nate Archibald shows up at an audition, he is focused and present and willing to do whatever it takes, according to Kenny Ortega, the director of upcoming Crawford vehicle Footloose, who described to a British website how Chace nailed the role of a lifetime. "I didn't know what Chace was going to bring into the room," he said.
"All I can say is that he flew in early in the morning from the East Coast. Arrived just so in the zone, so ready and dedicated to do it."
And then did he ever do it.
"It was the most colorful and dynamic and fun audition I think I've ever had ... I mean he was just jumping into everything."
Seriously, Meryl Streep in Silkwood had nothing on this kid. And then!
When I said, 'OK, let's dance,' you know the normal would be you'd see a little bit of a head bop, right?" he said. "And he just said, 'OK, where?' 'Face the mirror, man.' And he was there. He took off his shirt, he was in his T-shirt and jeans, and hit it. And that's the kind of man I wanted for this role."
At a hearing chock-full of lawyers this morning, State Supreme Court judge Thomas McNamara tried his best to foster a compromise between the Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans, who are feuding over who is legally in control of the Senate. He requested that, though he would make a ruling on Monday if necessary, he not be forced to intrude on the business of a co-equal branch of government. "It would be in everyone’s best interest if the Senate over the weekend got together and … let calmer heads prevail and resolve this among yourselves," he said, apparently seriously, almost as if he were talking to two mature, reasonable parties. But it took none other than Democratic turncoat and apparent president pro tempore Pedro Espada to quickly dispatch with that optimistic notion. "There is no negotiated settlement possible, because what happened Monday speaks for itself, was legal, and will stand," he told the Daily News. Intrude away, McNamara!
Club Monaco is generally known for its jewelry collections: stylish, well made, and with prices bordering on affordable. The Alexander Calder–inspired fall collection is no exception. The twelve necklaces, in stores July and August, combine molded gold and silver wire with colorful resin stones that reference Calder's architectural mobiles and sculptures. Statement necklaces are the item to purchase right now, and these bold pieces will update any outfit. Necklaces will retail for $79 to $139 and can be purchased at Club Monaco stores starting next month. For those of you who must have them first, a waiting list is available at the flagship Flatiron store (160 Fifth Ave., at 21st St.; 212-352-0936).
Producer and keyboard player Barry Beckett, who recorded and accompanied singers Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, Paul Simon and numerous country music stars, has died, his family said on Friday.
AP - There's mercy for Madonna Malawi's highest court ruled Friday that the pop star can adopt a second child from the African nation, citing her love, determination, and "income tax returns."
Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wetz did a photoshoot for the NOH8 campaign, a group devoted to overturn the ban on California same-sex marriages.
Apparently, they raise money for the campaign every time someone looks at this pic of them with duct tape over their mouths and immediately thinks, "Well...Good!"
Next up -- a Heidi and Spencer photoshoot for PETA calling attention to animal cruelty with pictures of the two of them being mercilessly beaten by pillowcases full of soap bars. Source: Best Week Ever | 12 Jun 2009 | 6:35 pm
To quote whimsical gnomeTim Kurkjan, "Every night we go to a Major League Baseball game, we might see something we've never seen before." Like, I don't know, the Cleveland Indians winning a game in extra innings by hitting a ball off a seagull in center field?
More bizarre that the bird incident itself, however, is the fact that the prophetic movie Major League 2 TOTALLY PREDICTED this would happen, albeit with the Indians losing.
Click after the jump to have your mind blown by crappy PG sequel Nostradamus:
Here's the Major League 2 clip (skip to 1:25):
And this morning, an LPGA golfer's drive struck and killed a robin. Is this the beginning of the bird apocalypse? Without prematurely jumping to outlandish conclusions, I am going to say "definitely." Source: Best Week Ever | 12 Jun 2009 | 5:45 pm
Chastity Bono, gay-rights activist and child of performer Cher and the late entertainer and politician Sonny Bono, is in the early stages of transitioning from a female to a male and will be known as Chaz, his spokesman said Thursday.
AP - The "Wiimote" the motion-sensing wand that controls the action on Nintendo's Wii serves many purposes. It doubles as a sword, a gun, a racket, a steering wheel or whatever else a game designer might dream up.
Danny DeVito appeared on a Fox station in Philly for an It's Always Sunny... interview, and for the first time in the history of his life (that I can recall), he appeared to be intoxicated and hilarious. Whether or not he was acting, we'll never really know, but either way, the little man makes one hell of a drunk:
They were childhood chums. Then they drifted apart, lost touch completely, and only renewed their friendship decades later, when illness struck. Source: FOXNews.com | 12 Jun 2009 | 4:40 pm
Malawi's high court ruled in favor of pop superstar Madonna on Friday, saying she will be able to adopt a young girl from the country, a spokesman for the attorney general's office said.
Dammit, Sarah Palin, I thought you'd disappeared from the pop culture consciousness, but now you have to stampede back onto the pages of People magazine, demanding an apology from David Letterman over a joke about your daughter getting knocked up by Alex Rodriguez at a Yankees game:
"I would like to see him apologize to young women across the country for contributing to kind of that thread that is throughout our culture that makes it sound like it is OK to talk about young girls in that way...
"No wonder young girls especially have such low self-esteem in America when we think it's funny for a so-called comedian to get away with such a remark as he did," she said. "I don't think that's acceptable."
Alright - while I don't profess to be Cultured McGee when it comes to women's issues, I am very aware of the role of misogyny in comedy as an extremely lame, easy fallback option frequently used to illicit shock responses or "am I right guys" mindless agreement, but that's not what Letterman is doing here; it's a joke specifically about Sarah Palin's daughter who did get knocked up and is also extremely famous. Palin's comments immediately transport the joke to the most general possible issue, using an arguable connection to instead talk about the self-esteem of all young girls, which no one would dare attack. It'd be like making a joke about something someone in the military did, and that person responding with "Do you not support our troops? Do you know how many people sacrifice their lives every day..." etc.
I'm not saying Letterman should be totally absolved of any out-of-bounds implications his jokes contain, but does this clearly absurd Alex Rodriguez joke strike anyone as particularly offensive, especially by Letterman's nightly standards?
Or maybe I'm just automatically pissed at anything that causes me to hear more from the woman who I thought had mercifully disappeared from my day-to-day pop culture life. And for that, I suppose, I will blame Letterman.
Feel free to preach away in the comments, I imagine there's people who care about this story more than myself. Source: Best Week Ever | 12 Jun 2009 | 4:10 pm
The last thing the world needs is another New Kids on the Block which is exactly why the band is suing someone for allegedly trying to form a fake New Kids on the Block. Source: FOXNews.com | 12 Jun 2009 | 4:00 pm
I've said it before numerous times, but if the internet has brought us one truly positive thing (and even that's debatable), it has opened the entire nation up to every boneheaded local news broadcast mistake that has ever happened, usually within ten seconds of its occurrence.
Today, a WGN reporter finds out how a tiny child reacts when you dunk a basketball in his face then taunt him with a barrage of trash talk (you'll never guess!) Rushmore, anyone?
Champagne-swilling Ronaldo Cristiano and Paris Hilton got down and dirty as they teamed up to celebrate the soccer ace's $131 million transfer. Source: FOXNews.com | 12 Jun 2009 | 3:10 pm
In the new "The Taking of Pelham 123," a minor '70s classic gets a big-ticket upgrade in Tony Scott's subway thriller. Ostensibly based on John Godey's novel, not Peter Stone's screenplay for the 1974 film, this adaptation represents an evolution, but not necessarily an improvement.
Teen pop sensation Miley Cyrus has announced dates for her first U.K. tour which will start in December, as she continues to build a pop music career in her own right rather than as her alter-ego Hannah Montana.
Despite reportedly ending her treatment recently, the cancer-stricken 'Charlie's Angels' star has remained stable Source: FOXNews.com | 12 Jun 2009 | 1:16 pm
Czech artist David Cerny poses in front of his Entropa art installation on June 11 in Prague. The artwork, marking the Czech European Union presidency that was displayed partly covered in Brussels after... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Jun 2009 | 1:15 pm
Las Vegas Hilton officials say the 80s rock group best known for "I Want You to Want Me" will band with an orchestra to perform the one of the Beatles' most popular albums during a special run in Las Vegas.
Bollywood film actors Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan at the premiere at their film "Chandni Chowk To China" in London on January 12. A Bollywood producer said Friday he might have... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Jun 2009 | 1:12 pm
The Black Eyed Peas are "trying to up our game" for the group's headline tour supporting its just-released new album, "The E.N.D.," according to Fergie.
An Indian couple check film screening schedules outside a theatre in Mumbai on June 5. Movie-mad Indians on Friday went back to the cinema, after two long months that saw no new films released because... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Jun 2009 | 12:21 pm
New York State Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb is calling on the CEO of CBS television to fire David Letterman for crude comments he made about Sarah Palin and her daughter. Source: FOXNews.com | 12 Jun 2009 | 12:05 pm
Hugh Laurie stars as the unconventional medical genius Doctor Gregory House. The US drama out-gunned its rivals in 2008 to become the world's most watched show on television. Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Jun 2009 | 11:21 am
AP - Robert Cox risked his life chronicling the first years of Argentina's Dirty War (1976-83) that left thousands missing. Decades later, though, he still couldn't bear to write his own story of confronting a deadly junta.
A double dose of the Black Crowes is slated for this fall, when the band returns on September 1 with "Before The Frost...". Fans who purchase the record will then be granted a unique download code, with which they can obtain a second Crowes record, "...Until The Freeze."
As predicted throughout the week, the rains came down midway through opening night at Bonnaroo on Thursday, scattering campers, bringing the ponchos out early and cutting up the festival grounds into mud puddles on an otherwise temperate and diverse opening night.
Usher is leaving the one he's with.
The Confessions artist proved the rumor mill right Friday as he went ahead and filed for divorce from his wife of nearly two years, Tameka...
This former bodyguard to the stars is still deciding whether to dish his A-list details.
Mickey Brett, who prompted Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt to put their legal team on standby just...
And you thought it wouldn't last...
Today Jon and Kate Gosselin are marking the 10th anniversary of their hitching, and so far they've been spending the big day pretty much the...
Well folks, the last Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins of 2009 airs tonight at 11 pm. What monster twist does the show have in store for the season finale? Are we finally going to learn the truth about the Lost statue? Was PFT really dead the whole time? Was Chuck Nice actually Doug Benson's father or vice versa? At the risk of spoiling anything, all three of these things are true.
Tune in to VH1 tonight at 11 to find out what's in store!
In the meantime, though, BWE.tv won't be going anywhere -- we'll be here all summer long, because inane online high-larity knows no season!
If they're anything like the old shows, the new 90210 and the upcoming Melrose Place revamp will have some characters crisscrossing between them.
Right now, however, it doesn't...
We was robbed.
Not only did Bones and Booth not have baby-making sex on Bones last season, they probably aren't going to creating a li'l Brennan anytime soon. Bones star Emily...
Ryan Kwanten can't seem to keep his shirt on.
At least when he's playing Jason Stackhouse on HBO's True Blood.
"The moment Jason gets a little heated, whether...
Matt Lauer can't seem to catch a break: First, a certain couch-hopping A-lister called him glib. Now, according to Sarah Palin, he's "extremely naive."
That is, per the...
Kendra Wilkinson turns 24 today and she's got a lot to celebrate!
Her E! reality TV show Kendra debuted to big numbers, she's getting married to Hank Baskett this month and...
Dammit, Sarah Palin, I thought you'd disappeared from the pop culture consciousness, but now you have to stampede back onto the pages of People magazine, 
