Defendants' activities, particularly Teza's decision to hire Aleynikov, an accused software thief, create a substantial risk that they have stolen, or may be planning to steal, Citadel's proprietary code, the hedge fund firm said in court papers.

Sounds a little more like industrial McCarthyism to us.

The Cold War in high frequency trading turns hot [Alphaville/FT]
Earlier: Intel's Coverage of Sergey Aleynikov

Read more posts by Jessica Pressler

Filed Under: ballsy crime, business, cold war kids, industrial mccarthyism, russians, sergey aleynikov, stereotypes

Source: Daily Intel | 10 Jul 2009 | 8:05 pm

This Weekend’s Events and Sales: Free Yoga at Gap; J.Crew Sample Sale Begins

EVENTS
TOMORROW
• Attend a free yoga lesson at Gap's Pure Body pop-up. Participants receive a free yoga mat from JadeYoga. Call 212-330-8080 to reserve a spot. 680 Fifth Ave., at 54th St. (212-977-7023); one-hour classes begin at 10, noon, 2, and 4.

SUNDAY
• The second installment of Kill Devil Hill’s sidewalk clearance sale features knickknacks, home accessories, CDs, and random oddities for under $10. 170 Franklin St., nr. Java St., Greenpoint, Brooklyn (347-534-3088); noon—9.

MONDAY
• Bags for the People leads the Etsy Labs Craft Night, demonstrating how to make drawstring bags and helping ambitious participants to create backpacks, carry bags, and messenger bags. 55 Washington St., nr. Water St., Dumbo, Brooklyn; 4—8. Update: Etsy Labs, 325 Gold St., nr. Flatbush Ave., third fl., Downtown Brooklyn (718-855-7955); 4—8.

SALES
ENDING TOMORROW
• Shop discounts of up to 60 percent at the Rachel Comey sample sale. Prices start at $60. Spring clog sandals are $150 (originally $345), silk print dresses are $165 (originally $380), and men's shoes are all $150. 335 W. 35th St., nr. Eighth Ave., seventh fl. (212-629-6868); W—Th (5—9), F (11—7), S (noon—5).

• Spring dresses, jackets, and more by designer Christian Francis Roth are discounted at the Francis sample sale. 288 Mulberry St., nr. Prince St.; Th—S (11—7).

• Find deep discounts at the Alexander Wang sample sale. The denim-and-black-leather motorcycle jacket is $745 (originally $1,495) and the fitted stretch-and-mesh combo dress is $395 (originally $795). 83 Wooster St., nr. Spring St.; Th (2—8), F (9—8), S (10—7).

STARTING SUNDAY
• Clothingline.com is hosting a J.Crew sample sale, featuring spring and summer merchandise for men, women, and kids. The linen sleeveless beach dress is $25 (originally $50), the soft tissue top with ruffles is $10 (originally $40), and the linen dress with a knotted, hand-appliqued neckline is $60 (originally $185). Through 7/16. 261 W. 36th St., nr. Seventh Ave., second fl.; Su (10—5), M—Th (10—7).

ENDING SUNDAY
• Overstock, rare samples, one-off designs, and more for women and men are up to 75 percent off at the Rogan + Loomstate sample sale. All collection items are under $100. 330 Bowery St., at Bond St. (646-827-7567); Th—Su (11—9).

ENDING MONDAY
• Designer dresses are $150 (originally $600-$1,500), shawls are $25, and handbags are 50 percent off at Ilus. 248 Elizabeth St., nr. Prince St. (646-454-1678); M—F (noon—7), S (noon—6), S (noon—5).

Read more posts by Lauren Murrow

Filed Under: fashion calendar, sales, shopping

Source: The Cut | 10 Jul 2009 | 7:55 pm

Humpday Director Lynn Shelton on Making the Leap Into Commercial Projects

“Maybe all the theaters will burn down before people get a chance to see it.” Her film may be opening today, but Lynn Shelton is still keeping her expectations low — which must come as a surprise to anyone who has been following the fortunes of the director’s Sundance phenomenon Humpday, a stupefyingly funny and amazingly poignant super-low-budget comedy about two straight best friends (Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard) who decide to make an amateur gay porn film together. But Shelton is a far cry from your starry-eyed overnight film-festival success. A forty-something mother with a background in experimental film, the Seattle-based Shelton has been following her voice and making decidedly independent videos and films for over a decade now, garnering numerous awards along the way. But Humpday has been a buzz title ever since its first rapturous screenings at this year’s Sundance, and Hollywood has come calling. Our hope is that her pile-on of good luck continues when American audiences finally begin to discover Humpday this weekend. Provided, yes, that all the theaters don’t burn down first.

Humpday is, in many ways, such a crowd-pleasing film that it’s interesting to find out that your background is in experimental film.
I first came to filmmaking at a very serious arts program, studying Photography and Related Media at the School of Visual Arts, which is really focused on helping people to become serious, professional gallery artists — like people who are going to show up at the Whitney Biennial, that sort of thing. I took a video workshop, thinking I’d get a chance to play around and not be very serious. In doing that, I started to find my voice. And when I started in video and film, it was about pure expression. I wasn’t thinking about audience; I was purely pleasing myself. My thesis project was an exploration of different levels of consciousness, about dream logic and dream states. Turning over a rock and seeing all the bugs and things under it. That was what my work was like.

So, when did that change?
I had a miscarriage, right in the middle of making a movie about the psychological and emotional effects of becoming a mother. I remember making a very distinct decision to make a film that would attempt to be accessible. I wanted to get the film shown on PBS. I still remained true to my visually poetic aesthetic, so what emerged was like a very grounded radio documentary, with beautiful, abstract, associative footage. And I realized I liked having an audience — I liked making work that was going to get seen by more than twelve people! I became less suspicious of making things more accessible. And I’ve discovered over the course of time that the things I like, other people like, too.

So, how did you get the idea for Humpday?
I wanted to work with Mark Duplass. We had a lot of mutual friends, and we had some bonding time in Seattle, on a movie called True Adolescents. I was the stills photographer, and he was just amazing to watch on set. I said I wanted to direct him in something. He said, “Pitch me something.” While I was thinking of something to put Mark in, another buddy of mine, Joe Swanberg, had come to stay with me. He saw some gay porn for the first time in this festival. It had a real effect on him. It was sweet — here was a straight guy talking about the gay porn that he had seen. And he talked about it a lot. It got me thinking about the relationship between straight men and gayness, and why that’s such a giggly thing. Even for the most progressive and open-minded straight guy, there is this residual anxiety when it comes to his own personal relationship to homosexuality. So that got my brain going. I loved the idea of two guys who were so straight that hey had boxed themselves in this corner, to be gay for a day.

It’s suspenseful — almost like watching people plan a bank robbery. It builds up to a specific event, and we see them preparing, and we’re asking, “Will they or won’t they?”
Yeah. I like that bank robbery comparison. It hopefully keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what’s going to happen next. Every scene draws you through — I have that very clearly in mind.

So, what about that final scene, when they go to the hotel room to try and make their movie?
Our outline ended at the hotel room door. We shot the film in sequence, and by the time we got to that hotel room, I told these guys, “You guys really know your characters well by now. We’re going for total honesty here. I trust you to live out this scene as these characters.” And so we left any preconceived ideas about the scene at the door. We totally dove in and then just worked on it chunk by chunk, all the while making sure these guys remained true to these two dudes they were playing. It was really exciting, and exhausting. By the end of the night of shooting that scene, the boys were actually convinced we didn’t have it. They thought I’d have to fly out to L.A. and have to do more shoots with them. But I was pretty sure we had it.

Read more posts by Bilge Ebiri

Filed Under: chat room, humpday, lynn shelton, movies

Source: Vulture | 10 Jul 2009 | 7:45 pm

Summer Vacation Plans, Fashion Edition [Q&A]

Over the past couple of weeks, Cityfile correspondent Douglas Marshall has asked a few figures in fashion about their plans for the summer. What Chanel Iman, Fern Mallis, Thom Browne, Minnie Mortimer Gaghan, and Bonnie Morrison had to say below.

Chanel Iman
Model and co-host of MTV's House of Style
Q: What are you doing this summer, Chanel?
A: I'm still trying to decide what I want to do. I just had an amazing vacation in La Jolla, California and it was crazy. It was me and my best friend—I brought her along with me. We went paragliding in the sky and it was so much fun. So I want to do something crazy and wild. Like jump out of a plane or something.
Q: Are you an adrenaline junkie?
A: I guess you could say I'm an adventurist.

Fern Mallis
Senior vice president of IMG Fashion and judge of The Fashion Show on Bravo
Q: Do you have any exciting plans this summer? Fun travels, perhaps?
A: I'll be in LA to film the finale of The Fashion Show in July. It's happening at the same time that we're doing our Miami swim shows, so I'll probably have to miss that. But I'm happy to spend as much time in Southampton as I can during the summer.

Thom Brown
Designer
Q: What are your plans this summer?
A: It's a lot of travel for work, but I always mix the two. So I'll be in Italy for work, but I'll probably go to the coast while I'm there and then come back here. I'll be relaxing and getting ready for September.
Q: Do you ever go out East at all or are you a Hamptons-avoider?
A: Not an avoider, really. You know, I go occasionally, but it's not my normal thing. I do different things during the summer.

Minnie Mortimer Gaghan
Designer, socialite
Q: What are your summer plans?
A: I'm going to London for a little bit in July with my husband who is doing research. [Minnie's husband is Oscar-winning screenwriter Stephen Gaghan.] He's going to talk to old spies and some people for a movie he's working on, so I'm going to tag along. Then I'm going back to LA and I'm going to surf until I get to Southampton because the waves are big in LA/Malibu. I'm going to be in Southampton for August.

Bonnie Morrison
Fashion publicist, girl about town
Q: What are your summer plans?
A: I'm always really bad about summer plans because I'm not terribly organized, so I always get to summer and don't have anything organized. But I am going to Rome next week. I'm sort of tagging along with a friend who's going for work. We're going to explore. We're going to do the Eternal City, the Vatican, all that stuff. So it's going to be super hardcore sightseeing, the sort of thing you can't stand to do when you are with your parents. But now I'm older.
Q: That's fun! Anything else?
A: Other than that? I think I'm just going to sort of let it rip.

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 10 Jul 2009 | 7:29 pm

CAPTION THIS: Antonio Banderas’ Invisible Harmonica

Bah! Benicio Del Toro. I am telling you, Benicio Del Toro suck SO SO MUCH at acting. He suck! He is sucking like this, SUCK, SUCK SUCK, SUCK…

Source: Best Week Ever | 10 Jul 2009 | 7:26 pm

Michelle Obama Wears a Designer Veil to Meet the Pope

Dressing to meet the Pope in the summer at the Vatican presents a sartorial conundrum. How does one stay cool, conservative, and chic all at the same time? Wearing expensive designer clothes is one way to make the dress code (and most things in life) more palatable, as Michelle Obama did yesterday. She met the Pope in a black skirt, top, and veil all by Moschino. See the full look in the Michelle Obama Look Book.

Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: designer, michelle obama, mobama watch, moschino

Source: The Cut | 10 Jul 2009 | 7:20 pm

Charlie Gasparino and His Family Played Fun Games Together

"In some ways Citigroup reminds me of this nasty neighbor I had as a kid. He was a hazard to both the community and his wife and kids whom he used to abuse on a daily basis. Then one day he got into an accident; I believe he fell off the back of a truck, cracked his skull and was in a coma. We prayed for his timely exit from this world but he hung on, first for weeks and then for months. 'Neither God wants him nor the devil wants him,' my father remarked with a laugh one afternoon as we laid odds on whether he would live or die." Wow. Long car trips with the Gasparinos must have been a blast. [Daily Beast]

Read more posts by Jessica Pressler

Filed Under: and all we ever played was "i spy", charlie gasparino, name that tune, wow that was kind of crazy revealing

Source: Daily Intel | 10 Jul 2009 | 7:16 pm

Michael Jackson Gets His Backseat Groove On During an R. Kelly Jam

As the news surrounding the death of Michael Jackson continues to grow more depressing and weird, we here at Vulture would like to interrupt the morbidness for a few quick moments to show you something MJ-related that ought to make you smile. In the following video, which was apparently shot by one Brett Ratner, Michael Jackson was riding around in the back of an SUV when R. Kelly's party classic "Ignition (Remix)" came over the car speakers. And while it doesn't appear that MJ actually knows the words to the song, that doesn't stop him from busting out some of the best backseat dance moves we've seen since the "Bohemian Rhapsody" sequence from the first Wayne's World movie. Truly amazing footage.

Brett Ratner and Michael Jackson getting down to the ‘Ignition (Remix)’ while on vacation in Miami [Money, Cash, Ho's]

Read more posts by Mark Graham

Filed Under: brett ratner, ignition (remix), it's the freakin' weekend baby, michael jackson, r. kelly

Source: Vulture | 10 Jul 2009 | 7:15 pm

The Many Moods Of Malkovich

Master thespian John Malkovich attended the 44th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic yesterday (yep, THAT Karlovy Vary International Film Festival). Not to disappoint, John put on display his enigmatic, multifarious personality (translated: the dude is a nutbar) which I have catalogued here:

SARCASTIC AIR QUOTES MALKOVICH

LET ME REMOVE MY COAT BEFORE I KILL YOU MALKOVICH

DID I LEAVE THE IRON ON? MALKOVICH

STARING AT MY NEW INVISIBLE PET GOLDFISH MALKOVICH

COOL J CREW CATALOG POSES MALKOVICH

WAIT, DID YOU JUST SAY WE’RE BREAKING UP? MALKOVICH

HEY KIDS, LET’S DO A FUN JIG MALKOVICH

TURNING IN TO GENE HACKMAN MALKOVICH

SERIOUSLY, DID I LEAVE THE IRON ON? MALKOVICH

Source: Best Week Ever | 10 Jul 2009 | 6:45 pm

The Publicist/Hacker and the Scheming Decorator [Scandal]

We've received a bit more info on Ali Wise, the Dolce & Gabbana publicist and social fixture who was arrested this week for allegedly hacking into the voicemail account of interior designer Nina Freudenberger. And it looks like Freudenberger may not be quite as innocent as she's led on. As Page Six reported today, the man at the middle of this little squabble is Josh Deutsch, the founder of Downtown Records. 

Both women were romantic with Deutsch, as Freudenberg confirmed to the Post today. The feud started, our source tells us, when Freudenberger caught wind that Wise had gone on a romantic weekend getaway with Deutsch—back when she was still involved with her boyfriend of several years, hotel owner Jason Pomeranc.

When a jealous Freudenberger learned that Wise had cheated on her boyfriend, we hear she took the initiative to call up Pomeranc and brief him on this news personally, which led Pomeranc to end his relationship with Wise. Naturally, Wise wasn't all that thrilled that Freudenberger had turned her in, and she retaliated by hacking into Freudenberger's voicemail account. "The paranoia started from there," the source tells us, which is why, as Page Six's source indicates, Wise has since "been targeting people who have been with Jason and her ex-boyfriend."

So no one is really innocent here. Not that anyone who travels in these circles ever is, of course.

WHOLE LOTTA HACKIN' GOING ON [NYP]

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 10 Jul 2009 | 6:28 pm

The 10 Most Convincing Obama Impersonator Commercials

Barack Obama’s six month presidency can be interpreted any number of ways, but I think we can at least all agree on one simple fact: Obama’s impact on the world of local commercial impersonators is absolutely unprecedented.

Below, a list of ten commercials abusing Obama’s likeness that really sold me on their product, because I just love Obama so much, seeing any black guy with short hair in a suit reading copy off a prompter instantly convinces me of anything. Let the Obama-sploitation begin…

10. Ford of Champaign

Think we can film him from even further away? He’s starting to almost not look unlike the president…

9. Indonesian Heartburn Relief

The Secret Service Guys are really on top of things…

8. Horizon Screen Printing

The impression’s a little too accurate for me to be totally convinced, but I’m a big fan of the “no graphics, logo, phone number, etc” approach.

7. Chrysler Radio Ad

ObamaREEEEEEMIIIIIIIIIXXXXXX!!!!!!

6. Live! Casino

A preview of Obama’s first State Of The Union Address. Both the audio and the camera angles.

5. Chia Obama

It’s real audio, but I didn’t realize Obama was talking about a Chia Pet that whole time. I’m voting for him again this year, somehow.

4. Denny’s

A submission for the Denny’s “Vote For Real Breakfast” Contest. It didn’t win.

3. Ford of Champaign II

I’m starting a “Concerned Car Dealer Man” Supporting Actor Oscar campaign. Who’s on board?

2. Central Kia

Wow, this car dealer actually got the real Obama! I’m impressed.

1. Japanese E-Mobile Monkey

Ooooooohhhhhhhh kayyyyyyy…………..  are we sure this isn’t an ad for the Post?

Other Obama-sploitation ads? Leave ‘em in the comments.

Source: Best Week Ever | 10 Jul 2009 | 6:00 pm

Report: Charlize Theron Hospitalized With Serious Virus

The Oscar-winning actress spent four nights in a Los Angeles hospital last week after contracting a painful stomach virus
Source: FOXNews.com | 10 Jul 2009 | 5:38 pm

'You Tube-ing' All the Way to the Bank

Homemade YouTube videos are becoming a source of entertainment and income.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 10 Jul 2009 | 5:22 pm

Billy Mays' Final TV Pitches Set To Air

In the Mighty Tape pitch, Mays dons scuba gear, goes underwater and punctures a hole in the hose connecting the air tank to his mouth
Source: FOXNews.com | 10 Jul 2009 | 5:10 pm

Harry Potter Takes New York (Fashion Wire Daily)

Fashion Wire Daily - For anyone that thinks that Harry Potter is getting to be old news, the excitement at the New York premiere on Thursday night, July 9, proves that he's one wizard that is still beloved by fans, even after all these years.

Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 10 Jul 2009 | 5:08 pm

Spotted [Out & About]

Blake Lively and Leighton Meester walking down Prince Street yesterday where they were filming scenes for Gossip Girl ... Hugh Jackman playing with daughter Ava at a playground in the West Village ... Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban leaving their downtown apartment separately ... Vanessa Williams walking in Midtown ... Daniel Radcliffe signing autographs for fans on his way into Regis and Kelly ... Naomi Watts carrying shopping bags in NoHo ... Kate Mara filming scenes for Happy Thank You More Please downtown ... Kat Von D arriving at MTV's studio in Times Square ... Penn Badgley standing on the sidewalk in Midtown ... and J.K. Rowling leaving Monkey Bar on East 54th.

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 10 Jul 2009 | 4:45 pm

Thin Will Be In This Fall [Fashion Mags]

If you were thinking you could save a little money by canceling your gym membership and lifting the September issue of Vogue over your head in sets of 10, well, you're probably going to need to come up with a new plan: "You won't need a forklift to pick up those typically thump-heavy September fashion magazines this year. As publishers approach their closing deadlines next week, most are resigned to the fact that the issues will be about a third lighter than in years past." [WWD]

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 10 Jul 2009 | 4:27 pm

Jim Carrey Grandpa Headlines Give Everyone A Chance To Name Jim Carrey Movies

If you haven’t heard, Jim Carrey is going to be a grandfather. Congrats, Jim! We knew you had it in you (or I guess your daughter had it in her… I’ll stop). For some reason, though, several news outlets felt it necessary to remind people what movies he’s starred in right there in the headline. From People.com:

Get it? No lie? Because he was in Liar Liar. From E! Online:

Yes, Man! I remember that movie! From some Canadian site:

Swing and a miss, Canada. Son of the Mask was that terrible sequel with Jamie Kennedy. We’re trying to forget that happened here in America.

I say we all get in the Jim Carrey Movie Headline game. I’ll start:

Grandpa Jim Carrey To Be The Cradle Guy!

Jim Carrey Expecting An Eternal Grandson-shine Of The Spotless Mind

Coming Soon: How The Gramps Stole Christmas Starring Jim Carrey

Horton Hears A Who’s Pregnant?? Jim Carrey’s Daughter!

Womb and Womber – Jim Carrey Expecting A Grandchild

Ace Ventura is still up for grabs. Get on it.

Source: Best Week Ever | 10 Jul 2009 | 4:26 pm

Psychics see magic in Michael Jackson's life

For many fans, the lure of Michael Jackson as a performer and pop icon was magical. Those who deal in the paranormal are tuned in to that magic.
Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 10 Jul 2009 | 4:23 pm

Billy Mays returning to tempt you to buy tape - Entertainment Weekly

Los Angeles Times

Billy Mays returning to tempt you to buy tape Entertainment Weekly In case you're curious, the official mourning period for the death of a TV pitchman is 30 days. At least that's how long Media Enterprises and an amaaaazing product called Mighty Tape will wait before airing infomercials featuring the late Billy Mays. ... Unseen Billy Mays Ad -- Pitchman Hits High SeasTMZ.com Billy Mays pitches from beyond the graveLos Angeles Times Billy Mays ads: Old ones return to air with new ones still to comeChicago Tribune FOXNews -New York Daily News -The Associated Press all 392 news articles »

Source: Entertainment - Google News | 10 Jul 2009 | 4:21 pm

A visitor poses for pictures with Mickey and Minnie Mouse at Hong Kong Disneyland

A visitor poses for pictures with Mickey and Minnie Mouse at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2006. Hong Kong's lawmakers on Friday approved a long-awaited plan to expand the beleaguered Disneyland amusement park...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 10 Jul 2009 | 4:20 pm

Author-goat farmer's memoir a surprise delight (AP)

AP - "Goat Song" (Scribner, 256 pages, $24), by Brad Kessler: You won't find "Goat Song" on any lists of must-read summer potboilers. After all, it's a hermit writer's memoir, about raising goats and making cheese on a Vermont farm. Not exactly the stuff of best sellers.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 10 Jul 2009 | 3:56 pm

Today Show Guest Loses A Million Billion Pounds (Somehow Without Eating Subway)

This morning the Today Show had on a man named David Smith who once weighed 650 pounds, had a personal trainer move in with him, and then lost over 400 pounds [or the metric equivalent of one Kirstie Alley -- BOOM!]

The footage from the TLC documentary The 650-lb Virgin features some choice “fat guy stuffing his fat face” b-roll, which makes seeing the now skinny-David that much more mind blowing. Seriously, he doesn’t look like the same person.

Ladies, before you go running down to Rockefeller Center to throw yourself at this incredible shrinking man, you may want to wait for the pictures of all his excess skin at 3:34. It looks like melting ice cream coming off his body. My friend Pete thinks he should hold off on his planned surgeries to removed it and use all that excess skin to fight crime. I concur. Also, no word yet on whether David is still a virgin.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Source: Best Week Ever | 10 Jul 2009 | 3:19 pm

Reality Check: Inside the Judges Decision on 'SYTYCD'

Find out which wannabe dancers were sent home on 'So You Think You Can Dance' and what the judges really think
Source: FOXNews.com | 10 Jul 2009 | 3:18 pm

Emma Watson and Rupert Grint dish on 'Harry Potter' kiss - New York Daily News

ABC News

Emma Watson and Rupert Grint dish on 'Harry Potter' kiss New York Daily News Emma Watson and Rupert Grint will share an on-screen smooch in the last installment of the 'Harry Potter' franchise. Do you think Hermione and Ron are a good match? Yes - they balance each other out really well. ... 'Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince' Stars Get Over Kissing QualmsMTV.com 'Harry Potter' late release boils down to moneySan Francisco Chronicle Free Harry Potter film festivalChicago Tribune Rotten Tomatoes -ABC News -FOXNews all 2,846 news articles »

Source: Entertainment - Google News | 10 Jul 2009 | 3:06 pm

While You Were Turning Your Office “Days Without Celebrity Death” Counter To ‘2′

• Mel Gibson will star in a upcoming movie called The Beaver about a depressed man who finds solace in a beaver hand puppet. Dave Coulier is kicking himself.
• Police said the investigation into Michael Jackson’s death could turn criminal depending on the results of his toxicology tests. Is it finally time for a Law & Order series finale starring Chris Tucker?
• The Brad Pitt Moneyball movie, which was scrapped days before shooting, could resume again with a new script from Aaron Sorkin. Producers claim the original script just didn’t have enough absurdly-literate characters interrupting one another.
• Comedy Central greenliit a new comedy series starring Napoleon Dynamite’s Jon Heder. Here’s hoping the series isn’t ruined for me in advance by billions of AIM profile quotes.
• I’m only casually familiar with the work of veteran soul artist Bill Withers, but this interview with the man is absolutely fascinating. Also, he never donated sperm, nor is he Paris Jackson’s father (spoiler).

Source: Best Week Ever | 10 Jul 2009 | 2:41 pm

Pop Tarts: MJ's Lavish Lifestyle and Car Compulsion

Aside from forking out funds to support his lavish lifestyle with private planes, zoo animals, fantasy rides, antiques, hotels and personal staff, court papers from his 2000 divorce with Debbie Rowe also reveal that MJ had a "thing" for cars.
Source: FOXNews.com | 10 Jul 2009 | 2:29 pm

David Arquette to Live in Box for the Hungry

The actor will live in a box at Madison Square Garden to raise hunger awareness.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 10 Jul 2009 | 2:09 pm

From Jackson's Mind to Your Wardrobe

Merchandise line designed by pop star before his death is coming soon to stores.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 10 Jul 2009 | 2:00 pm

Review: 'Bruno' no 'Borat,' still outrageous

Achtung, baby!
Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 10 Jul 2009 | 1:56 pm

80s-Themed Fitness Chain Dials Up 867-5309

For a good time, or at least a good work out, gym rats can now call 867-5309. The rapidly expanding health club chain Retrofitness, has acquired the rights to the phone number made famous by eighties one-hit wonder Tommy Tutone. It also recently inked original MTV veejay Martha Quinn to voice its fall radio campaign.

Source: Billboard.com | 10 Jul 2009 | 1:02 pm

LAPD: Michael Jackson's Drug History To Be Probed

Detectives investigating the death of Michael Jackson are looking at his prescription drug history and trying to talk with his numerous former doctors, the Los Angeles police chief said.

Source: Billboard.com | 10 Jul 2009 | 11:50 am

40 years on, Michael Lang tells story of Woodstock (AP)

AP - "The Road to Woodstock" (Ecco, 304 pages, $29.99), by Michael Lang: Former headshop owner Michael Lang had scant promotional experience when he dreamed up Woodstock as a massive festival different from anything before it. As this memoir released 40 years later makes clear, it's a wonder that Woodstock even happened at all.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 10 Jul 2009 | 11:22 am

Nas' Next Album All About 'Peace And Love'

Though he's in the midst of finishing his "Distant Relatives" collaboration with Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, rap superstar Nas is looking towards making a followup to his 2008 album "Untitled." "After this (Marley) project is done," he tells Billboard.com, "I'll start my record."

Source: Billboard.com | 10 Jul 2009 | 11:02 am

PHOTOS: Michael Jackson Memorabilia

Michael Jackson's official online store offers MJ merchandise for fans to buy.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 10 Jul 2009 | 10:44 am

Shakira To Debut, Give Away 'She-Wolf' On ABC Music Lounge

Shakira's new single, "She-Wolf," will be available as a free download at the ABC Music Lounge from Sunday, July 12 at 7 p.m. ET until Monday, July 13 at midnight ET.

Source: Billboard.com | 10 Jul 2009 | 10:36 am

Daughtry, T-Pain, Dierks Bentley Set For Free Samsung Concert Series

Daughtry, the Offspring, Dierks Bentley and T-Pain, among others, will perform as part of the third annual Samsung AT&T Summer Krush, a free summer concert series designed to highlight the Samsung JACK mobile phone.

Source: Billboard.com | 10 Jul 2009 | 10:33 am

Michael Jackson Dominates Euro Chart

Michael Jackson achieves unique pan-European sales domination this week with the top four titles on European Top 100 Albums, and five of the top six.

Source: Billboard.com | 10 Jul 2009 | 10:30 am