Reuters - The father of a Malawian girl being adopted by Madonna says he has dropped his fight to get the child back and has urged the U.S. pop star to take good care of her. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 15 Jun 2009 | 11:10 am
AP - "Imagine That" director Karey Kirkpatrick had a little more input on the movie's soundtrack than many directors might: He produced nine of the album's 11 tracks and performs on another. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 15 Jun 2009 | 10:53 am
As part of MTV News' Class of '09 Week, the Jonases remember their home-school graduations.By Jocelyn Vena Joe Jonas Photo: MTV News With every June comes several million kids ready to graduate... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 15 Jun 2009 | 10:51 am
'I just love making great pop/dance music with beautiful lyrics,' singer/actress says from the set of her new movie, 'The Back-Up Plan.'By Steven Roberts, with reporting by Larry Carroll Jennifer... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 15 Jun 2009 | 10:51 am
We get info on the Yonkers collective and the Murder Inc. alum in Mixtape Daily.By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes D-Block Photo: D-Block We have a lot of the hip-hop... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 15 Jun 2009 | 10:51 am
Reuters - Traditional prints vamped up with stiletto heels and shoulder pads define the inaugural pan-African fashion week where designers from 20 countries are eyeing growth despite the global slowdown. Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 15 Jun 2009 | 10:42 am
AP - "Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 480 pages, $30), by Michael Norman and Elizabeth Norman: A new account of the Bataan Death March, in which more than 70,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war were victims of appalling barbarism a particularly grim episode of World War II following Japan's invasion of the Philippines.
Driven from Manila into the hills of the Bataan peninsula, the combined Allied forces fought without hope of reinforcement or escape until they had no choice but to capitulate. The... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 15 Jun 2009 | 10:19 am
AP - "Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 480 pages, $30), by Michael Norman and Elizabeth Norman: A new account of the Bataan Death March, in which more than 70,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war were victims of appalling barbarism a particularly grim episode of World War II following Japan's invasion of the Philippines.
AP - They were chanting "Bruuuuuce" at Bonnaroo all weekend, as Bruce Springsteen performed a three-hour set with the E Street Band one night and joined Phish on stage another.
AP - Thousands of "American Idol" hopefuls made it through the rain and the cold hoping to find their singing respected by the judges as Season Nine auditions kicked off near Boston.
AP - Thousands of "American Idol" hopefuls made it through the rain and the cold hoping to find their singing respected by the judges as Season Nine auditions kicked off near Boston.
Reuters - The party kept rocking for "The Hangover," the first big surprise hit at the North American box office this summer, while Eddie Murphy suffered a headache with his second consecutive flop.
AP - They were chanting "Bruuuuuce" at Bonnaroo all weekend, as Bruce Springsteen performed a three-hour set with the E Street Band one night and joined Phish on stage another.
For Jon and Kate Gosselin, the prospect of repairing their tabloid-addled marriage is looking dimmer.
Sources tell E! News that the reality show parents, whose tenth wedding...
Tami Farrell, who became Miss California USA last week when Donald Trump dumped Carrie Prejean, promises to avoid controversy during the five months of her reign.
The evidence? Friedman claims that at Isaac Hayes's funeral last year, Kelly Preston pulled him aside and called him a "religious bigot" for attacking Scientology in a number of his columns, and she later complained about him to Fox News' Roger Ailes and John Moody. "When she couldn't get Moody to fire Friedman, she called him a [obscenity]," says the source. Later, Ailes and Moody allegedly agreed to meet with a Church of Scientology spokesman and subsequently forbade Friedman from writing about the death of Jett Travolta. Also, Friedman was supposedly asked to go easy on Cruise's Valkyrie by 20th Century Fox chairman Jim Gianopoulos, since Fox was distributing the movie internationally (a fat lot of good that did!).
And in case you were worried that this story couldn't possibly get any more fantastic — don't! Friedman's attorney is claiming that Wolverine's leak was traced back to Rupert Murdoch himself, who asked for a DVD copy of the movie ("apparently, someone made another copy for themselves," says Garbus).
So is any of this true? Since it's one of the least crazy things Scientologists have ever been accused of, we're quite inclined to buy the whole thing. But since we'd like to keep our own job, and because we have no idea how deep this conspiracy runs, we'll also point out that it does still sound pretty crazy.
Bernie Madoff may have helped upend the economy with his $65 billion Ponzi scheme. But in a way, he's also helping it rebuild. The trustee in charge of liquidating and redistributing what is left of his assets is making a tidy sum for his firm. Society photographer Patrick McMullan has made a bundle off of his iconic Madoff photograph. And as long as Bernie's wife, Ruth, manages to stay out of the Big House the paparazzi will be kept busy. Plus, an entire marketplace of Madoff Tchotchkes has sprung up. We've put together some of the best of them in a slideshow.
Under close observation: Kristen Stewart, Drew Barrymore, and Megan Fox.
Ah, summer: 'Tis the season of Malibu beach houses, blockbusters in which at least one international landmark explodes, and skirts so short they almost don't exist. It's also traditionally when celebrities go completely off the rails. (Remember the summer of Nicole Richie's DUI, Paris's slammer time, and Lindsay's coke pants? It was a veritable open bar of drama.) At least, that's how it used to be; these days, all is quiet on the West Coast front. Too quiet. But far from thinking every star in Hollywood has forsaken mug shots for paparazzi photos of their bikini bodies, we actually fear this is the calm before the storm. We're overdue for a tabloid train wreck, and we've got a short watch list of troubled Tinseltown souls we're afraid might step up to the plate.
Megan Fox: Her rampant verbal diarrhea — from tarring all of Middle America as white-trash homophobes to a lengthy discourse on how High School Musical has a molestation subtext you must be stoned to understand — has even her admitting she's ill-prepared to be famous. In the same breath she noted she may well be headed down Lohan Street and straight to Crazy Plaza. We're not sure you can be a true train-wreck if you can see your crash coming a mile away, but we're flipping on the warning siren anyway.
The Twilight Cast: Frankly, half of them could blow at any moment. Robert Pattinson wears a permanently frightened expression, possibly because a cabal of teen girls has taken up residence in the bushes in front of his house waiting for the right moment to propose; ditto Kristin Stewart, except those girls are more likely to try and shank her. Who wouldn’t crack under that pressure? We just hope new cast member and famed good girl Dakota Fanning is a calming and responsible presence, and that photos of her hitting the town with Stewart are innocuous. Because if she gets sucked into the vortex, we’re giving up and crying into a carton of Ben and Jerry's.
Britney Spears: The last time Britney went on tour and dated someone in her inner circle, it got her in trouble. Now, not only is she on the road again and allegedly dating her agent, but she's presumably back to nonstop workouts to get the kind of washboard abs that make our laundry piles whimper. We fear it's a recipe for a relapse: Yes, you'd think her agent, who makes a living off her, would have a vested interest in keeping her on track — but then again, you'd think K-Fed would've had that same interest, and look where that got her.
Lindsay Lohan: The echoes of Lindsay's past are eerie, too. She's mired in relationship drama, she appears to weigh approximately ninety pounds soaking wet and in steel-toed boots, and the lady doth protest too much that everything is awesome. All that's missing is her mother bleating about how Lilo’s just blowing off steam — but of course, her mother appears to be missing, period. We'd like nothing more than for Linds to keep it pulled together, but we're nervous that the conductor hopped off this train three stops ago.
Shia LeBeouf:In this week’s Parade, Shia admits he’s “an alcoholic” and says that his sense of humor stems from “watching [his] parents having sex" — this just a month after telling Playboy that he would be dating his mother now if she weren't his mother. Considering the kid already has a DUI under his belt, we’re just crossing our fingers that Oedipus, Jr., will act out no further than this episode of extreme TMI.
Amanda Bynes: Other than a raft of online image galleries labeled "Amanda Leaves [Hollywood club du jour] Looking The Worse For Wear," we have no real gossip causing us to fear a Bynes breakdown. But we are a little worried that the once-winsome starlet has nothing better to do than get self-tanned by day and bleary-eyed — in a series of increasingly tiny dresses — by night. That didn't work out so well for Paris Hilton.
Kevin Federline: He's become so beside the point these days that even bravely gaining about three hundred pounds yielded him zero press. Where is his sensitive People cover on which he proclaims that he is proud of his curves? What more does this guy need to do to get attention — have his own talk show? Wait, never mind.
Drew Barrymore: We’re sure Drew’s substance abuse problems remain firmly in her past, but have you seen what she’s been wearing lately? It’s like a parade of American Apparel’s Most Awkward Moments. Her wardrobe breakdown is shaping up to be worse than some people’s actual breakdowns, and we’re scared.
Spencer Pratt: We’d actually bet money that America’s most loathed reality personality is twenty minutes away from developing a serious addiction to something — anything — so he can finagle a spot on Celebrity Rehab.
Gwyneth Paltrow: Rather than doing it for the headlines, we've decided America's favorite lifestyle guru is going to hit the sauce like a nursing infant just so she can craft a poignant newsletter recommending the nation's best rehab centers. It's the very special episode of GOOP you won't want to miss.
Fashion's annual CFDA awards are Monday night, and we'll be spending most of the day sitting on our hands, trying to control ourselves — will Marc win for both womenswear and accessories? Or could this be Rodarte's year? And will there be kudos for Jason Wu? The tension as is as thick as bouclé. Plus, there's a People's Choice award this year — why, that's downright populist! So exciting! To pass the anxious hours, let's review the fall looks from some of the men's, women's, and accessories nominees.
How is Hillary Clinton doing as Secretary of State? Two recent quotes tell you all you need to know.
On May 27, frustrated by unusually thoroughgoing U.S. opposition to Israeli settlements on the West Bank, Benjamin Netanyahu complained, “What the hell do they want from me?” They: Clinton and Barack Obama.
A couple of months earlier, Colin Powell, asked to comment on Clinton’s attempt to redirect American foreign policy toward diplomacy and foreign aid, said: “We all know we ought to be moving in this direction, but it takes money.” We: Clinton, Powell and the foreign policy establishment.
Just over a year ago, Clinton was bottoming out in her doomed presidential race, telling reporters she was soldiering on against Obama because, after all, "we all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California." Now, she has turned herself into Obama’s greatest asset, on Capitol Hill as much as around the world, in fashioning a national-security policy that has closed off all policy differences between the former Democratic rivals, co-opted many Republicans and left the rest of the administration’s opponents astoundingly marginalized.
On the inside, Clinton has steadily accumulated power while expending hardly any political capital. For one thing, she has stirred an effective mix of politicos and diplomats into the top tiers of the State Department. Hillary has Cheryl Mills, a lawyer best known for defending Bill Clinton during impeachment, running her staff. And she has divided the position of Deputy Secretary of State into two jobs: supersmart Jim Steinberg, who was Deputy National Security Adviser under Bill Clinton but supported Obama in 2008, is her policy maven, while Jack Lew is her management chief. Lew helped Hillary secure a 10 percent increase in the State Department’s budget from Obama while Tim Geithner was still figuring out how to turn the lights on in his office.
Further, Clinton hasn’t made mistakes. There have been no Joe Biden-like gaffes, Tom Daschle-like embarrassments or Judd Gregg-like turnarounds coming from Hillary. Or from her husband — these days, Bill Clinton would have us believe he spends his time shopping for trinkets, unable even to get Hillary on her cell phone.
Meanwhile, nobody else has developed an alternative foreign-policy power center within the Administration. Obama likes Biden, but the Vice-President is no match for Hillary in mano-a-mano bureaucratic combat. For example, Clinton favored sending 21,000 more troops to Afghanistan, while Biden opposed the move. The result: “She crushed him,” according to Mark Kirk (R-Ill). At the same time, National Security Adviser Jim Jones has been an utter cipher; when Time’s Mark Halperin graded the Obama Administration, he gave Hillary an A- (“significant, powerful, worldly, respected”), but had to give Jones an “incomplete.” And Obama’s presidential envoys, such as Richard Holbrooke in Afghanistan and Dennis Ross in Iran, are mostly old Clinton hands who aren’t about to usurp any authority from Hillary.
In public, Clinton has spent the last six months fundamentally realigning American foreign policy away from reliance on military force, toward what she calls (in a wise abandonment of the lefty academic phrase “soft power”) “smart power” — more diplomacy and international economic assistance. She has also been striving to ensure zero daylight between her and Obama on any issue, big or small, whatever positions she might have taken as a New York senator or presidential candidate. If Clinton minds toiling in Obama’s shadow, or representing her former rival as America’s best face to the world, she hasn’t shown it. With Hillary, it’s always hard to tell where duty stops and happiness begins, and her new job has brought out her cheerfulness and indefatigability at the same time; as she put it on her first trip to Asia, “Showing up is not all in life, but it counts for a lot.” And whether it’s laying down conditions for Cuba’s readmittance to the Organization of American States or appearing on the Indonesian teen variety showAwesome, Clinton has been showing up, albeit fairly quietly, all around the planet.
On April 23, Hillary smacked down Rep. Mike Pence, an Indiana Republican who had tried to scold Obama for “warmly greeting” Hugo Chavez. “We spent the last eight years trying to isolate Chavez, and what has been the result?” Hillary replied. “We want your feedback, but President Obama won the election. He beat me in a primary, in which he put forth a different approach, and he is now our president.” Something similar happened last weekend, when she told George Stephanopoulos that Obama had passed the “3:00 AM” test that she had posed in the primaries. Clinton has become a master of selling Obama simply by stating her support for him. And conversely, by expressing that support as an act of volition, she is demonstrating her power, if not her independence.
The overall effect of Hillary’s efforts has been to bolster her reputation for being smart, effective and a team player without associating her too strongly with the wrenching policy changes, such as in Iraq and Afghanistan, where Obama has thrust himself far into the spotlight. And the results have been fairly amazing. Clinton’s approval ratings have been consistently above 70 percent — higher than Obama’s — with majority support even among Republicans. And media coverage has been orgiastic, probably peaking so far with Andrea Mitchell calling Clinton a “foreign policy superstar” on the Today show. Even Obama probably never imagined how much mileage he and Clinton would be able to get out of their kiss-make up-and-go off to work around the globe routine.
Finally, nobody has enabled Hillary’s rehabilitation like congressional Republicans and their talk-radio allies. Since Obama’s election, the neocons have doubled down on full-throated Cheneyism, pushing torture and preventive if not endless war. And from William Kristol and Newt Gingrich calling for an attack on North Korea to John Bolton wanting Israel to bomb Iran to Daniel Pipes saying, “I would vote for Ahmadinejad,” the leading lights of today’s GOP are pushing George H. W. Bush-type Republicans, such as Powell, Brent Scowcroft and a large chunk of the country straight out of the Republican Party. There’s nothing but upside in that dynamic for Clinton: already established in the public mind as less multi-culti and quite possibly tougher than Obama, she now also appears to be a sane, sober alternative to the crazies running the GOP.
And for the moment, the opposition doesn’t realize how much it should care. “I realized today that I’d be a happier person if Hillary Clinton were President,” a financial contributor to National Review Online wrote last week. “That scared me enough to make a donation.” Keep sending those $100 checks, pal, and your fantasy could still come true.
But what the study doesn’t account for is how ultimate fighting will cost the state. There's regulation, which would be handled by the New York State Athletic Commission — a historically underfunded patronage mill that will have to hire more staff and spend countless resources to train and re-train new teams of doctors, referees and judges.
There's also medical bills: To ensure safety standards and reduce costs for promoters, the state now subsidizes brain scans, eye tests, and heart exams for boxers; the medical bills for each boxer that steps foot in a New York ring comes out to roughly $650 per boxer per year (it’s hard to imagine taxpayers too thrilled about having to pay for the medical tests of ultimate fighters from Alabama or California who are stopping by New York to literally kick the shit out of one another).
And then there's the economic effect on depressed upstate towns: Opponents of the bills argue that selling popcorn and other ancillary things at ultimate fighting matches won't encourage sustained economic development — the money is transient and mostly profits the mixed martial arts promoter — the biggest being UFC, whose owners run a casino empire in Las Vegas that has been staving off bankruptcy.
If the legislation passes, New York will make out slightly better than other states that have legalized ultimate fighting: 8.5 percent of all ticket sales for matches, and 3 percent for all television rights and pay-per-view proceeds — but it's capped at $50,000. Granted, the only state that’s wrangled a better deal is New Jersey, which has a $100,000 cap on television proceeds. Still, that's popcorn kernels compared to what UFC has been taking in: In 2007, some $23 million in pay-per-view sales per show. To put a $50,000 cap on a single event that could actually bring in as much as $23 million? That's quite a catch.
Tomorrow beginning at 12 PM ET, 11 PM Central, MTV is launching a brand new daily comedy talk show called "It's On with Alexa Chung". Those of you that are also not British people might be asking who this "Alexa Chung" character is (suspicious quotes ours). Allow us to save you a Google search and instead direct you here. Or you could just take it from the horse's (in this case my) mouth: Alexa's got the goods. She's funny, quick, spirited, lively, heavily-accented and a former model. (*slowly puts half-full Snackwells box in trash, and clears throat.*) To borrow from way back in 2002, it's going to be "off the hook."
And guess what? I'll be joining her on the premiere tomorrow! Look out for me at the top of the show, in the daily "What's Happening" segment. Oh, yeah, she'll also be joined by Jack Black and Michael Cera, but whateeeeeevs. (JK, BRB, Dying.) I AM BLOGGING ON A SUNDAY NIGHT TO TELL YOU ABOUT THIS, so please, set your DVR/Tivo/Apple TV's accordingly, unless you are unemployed, in which case see you at noon!
xo
Michelle Collins Source: Best Week Ever | 15 Jun 2009 | 3:12 am
This month's magazines comprised the most whimsical batch in ages. Dogs, a cat, and parrots made a strong and adorable showing. i-D found a clever way to shoot ultra trendy pink clothes. A cat-like Beyonce posed with her stage costume designer, the great Thierry Mugler. Nylon tried (and failed) to break down Lady Gaga's style for the masses. French Vogue delivered a kinky girl-on-girl-on-hose editorial. And In Style somehow managed to make Chace Crawford look less than sexy. See those images and more in the slideshow.
The Mouseketeers' prerogative, it seems, is to rage against the Disney machine that made them. But when it comes to the Disney-friendly Jonas Brothers, the rebellion is quieter. The group's new album is out Tuesday.
2.The Andy Pettitte you remember is gone. Do you realize that it has been four seasons since Andy Pettitte had an ERA under 4.00? Take away his three-year interlude in Houston, and Pettitte hasn’t had an ERA under 4.00 since 2002. His record after losing Saturday is 6-3, but that’s deceiving: he’s only made it out of the seventh inning once in his last 10 starts, his strikeout rate is dropping, and if you take away his solid April, his ERA is a whopping 6.22 over the last month and a half. A.J. Burnett’s seven shoutout innings yesterday were encouraging, but if Pettitte doesn’t turn it around (and at 37 years old, that’s unlikely), the lineup is going to have to bash its way to wins three or four times a week. After Chien-Ming Wang’s shellacking in Boston — in which he gave up four runs in 2 2/3 innings and lowered his ERA — the Yankees have two holes in their rotation. When will they cry uncle and give one of those spots — surely Wang’s first — to Phil Hughes?
3. Some players would like to amp up the Subway Series. His “feud” with Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez — Bruney said K-Rod’s histronic celebrations were “a tired act,” and Rodriguez responded with “he better keep his mouth shut" — bubbled over into an actual confrontation Saturday, with Rodriguez screaming at Bruney and teammates eventually stepping between them. This is a completely pointless feud, but it has been nearly a decade since the Roger Clemens-Mike Piazza feud, and the Subway Series has lost most of its bad blood. If it takes two relief pitchers jawing at each other over nonsense to bring out the fisticuffs again, we’ll take it. Also: We learned that Brian Bruney is awfully mouthy for a middling middle reliever currently on the disabled list. K-Rod's anger at Bruney, like his histrionics, was genuine.
4.There might be something wrong with Johan! After all the holes sprung in the Mets’ dike, the one person the team wasn’t concerned about was Johan Santana, but he was hammered yesterday, giving up a career-high nine runs in three innings. Speaking of pitchers faltering after a hot start, Santana — the lifeblood of the staff, the one true Mets savior — has been falling back of late, putting together three rough starts in a row in June. (In his last start before yesterday’s game, Santana gave up four home runs against the Phillies, the most he’d ever allowed in one game.) Yesterday’s start was even worse.
It’s a little early to start wailing about Johan — he’s had just three starts, after all — but his velocity has been down this month (he appears to be topping out at around 92-93 mph on his fastball) and there are fears that he might have an injury no one has diagnosed yet. Obviously, given the intensive care unit the Mets clubhouse has become, an injury to Johan would be devastating. Hopefully he’s just going through a rough stretch (one like he’s never seen before) and will be back to normal in a week or so. Johan says he’s “not hurt … been battling soreness here or there, that’s it.” But if he is hurt, or doesn’t return to form … it’s difficult to imagine how the Mets can possibly remain competitive. They’re four games behind Philadelphia already. It is getting late, fast.
Hayden Panettiere has been framed!
Trying out stylish sets of spectacles at a Beverly Hills boutique, the Heroes star is just one of the latest celebs to go with glasses.
And...
Denzel Washington and John Travolta did all right for, you know, movie stars.
The A-listers' remake of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 debuted with a solid $25 million at the weekend box...
Cast member Bradley Cooper arrives at the premiere of "The Hangover," at the Grauman?s Chinese Theatre in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles, California on June 2, 2009. Raucous adult comedy "The Hangover"... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 14 Jun 2009 | 8:04 pm
In the midst of the tumultuous investigation surrounding his death, David Carradine has been laid to rest in Los Angeles.
Private funeral services took place Saturday afternoon for the...
These are tough times for Paris Hilton, dashed on the shoals of true love once again, her trip to the altar delayed by the myriad vicissitudes of impetuous Lady Venus...Who are we kidding, right?...
Less than a month after being told by Donald Trump that she can keep her Miss California crown, Carrie Prejean has been fired Source: FOXNews.com | 14 Jun 2009 | 3:18 pm
Megan Fox thinks being sexy is a bitch. She wants us see her as more than a sexpot! All while spilling saucy tales of falling hard for a stripper or comparing acting to...
Hundreds gathered to honor David Carradine at a sprawling hillside cemetery during a funeral that was attended by family, former co-stars and other Hollywood friends. Source: FOXNews.com | 14 Jun 2009 | 2:06 pm
On Saturday night, Bruce Springsteen found himself in a position he probably can't remember last being in: having to preach to the not necessarily converted.
For Jon and Kate Gosselin, the prospect of repairing their tabloid-addled marriage is looking dimmer.
Sources tell E! News that the reality show parents, whose tenth wedding...
Hayden Panettiere has been framed!
Trying out stylish sets of spectacles at a Beverly Hills boutique, the Heroes star is just one of the latest celebs to go with glasses.
And...
Denzel Washington and John Travolta did all right for, you know, movie stars.
The A-listers' remake of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 debuted with a solid $25 million at the weekend box...
In the midst of the tumultuous investigation surrounding his death, David Carradine has been laid to rest in Los Angeles.
Private funeral services took place Saturday afternoon for the...
These are tough times for Paris Hilton, dashed on the shoals of true love once again, her trip to the altar delayed by the myriad vicissitudes of impetuous Lady Venus...Who are we kidding, right?...
Megan Fox thinks being sexy is a bitch. She wants us see her as more than a sexpot! All while spilling saucy tales of falling hard for a stripper or comparing acting to...