AP - For the second time in less than a week, authorities have targeted the property of Michael Jackson's personal doctor in their ongoing investigation into whether he committed manslaughter by administering a powerful anesthetic to help the pop singer sleep.
AP - For the second time in less than a week, authorities have targeted the property of Michael Jackson's personal doctor in their ongoing investigation into whether he committed manslaughter by administering a powerful anesthetic to help the pop singer sleep.
AP - For the second time in less than a week, authorities have targeted the property of Michael Jackson's personal doctor in their ongoing investigation into whether he committed manslaughter by administering a powerful anesthetic to help the pop singer sleep.
AP - On the day Michael Jackson died, his personal chef says her first hint of something amiss was when his doctor didn't come downstairs to get the juices and granola he routinely brought the King of Pop for breakfast each morning.
How long as Bernie Madoff been in a North Carolina prison now? A couple of weeks? Well, it sounds like he's settling in nicely. According to the lawyer who visited him behind bars today—and spent four and half hours in his company—Madoff is "buff-looking" and "seems to be working out." And you were worried he'd have trouble fitting in. [ABC News]
• Madonna's "secret weapon" to looking good, at least according to her longtime makeup artist? Her eyelids are dusted with "a mixture of white shadow and flawless, crushed rose-cut diamonds." Certainly sounds expensive! [SW] • Is Vogue about to undergo a makeover with "a new circle of models" and "an influx of fresh, young photographers"? One blogger says yes; the magazine, however, says no. [Cut] • Rachel Roy is partnering with Estelle to create a jewelry line. [WWD] • Coach president Reed Krakoff has confirmed plans to launch an eponymous "lifestyle brand" for the company, as rumored. [FWD]
• The CFDA met today to "fix the fashion show system." Good luck! [Cut, F'gie] • Celebrity launches du jour: Eva Mendes is debuting a second home decor collection for Macy's; and Jessica Simpson is launching a new perfume for fall. • Bravo's latest attempt to replace Project Runway (and make up for the non-success of The Fashion Show): a new series called Launch My Line. [Cut] • A few fashion recommendations for the—count 'em!—three Vogue models (Gisele, Karolina, and Jourdan Dunn) currently expecting. [Vogue] • One procedure you should definitely not add to to your plastic surgery to-do list: cosmetic "leg lengthening." But feel free to decide for yourself. [WSJ] • Until recently, Dasha Zhukova "was just another wealthy Russian girl schlepping a croc Birkin around London in a chauffeured Mercedes." Now? She's a star ("paparazzi run after her in New York"), and she's taking over as editor of POP. It's a tough life, yes, but Dasha makes the best of it. [Interview]
Bella Swan better look out: The face of evil will look different next year.
It will still be ringed by long, red locks, but otherwise...different.
Bryce Dallas Howard, most...
Front Page: Duo to turn Dr. Seuss book into 3-D animated pic -- Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment are joining forces to turn the Dr. Seuss book "The Lorax" into a 3-D CG animated feature.
Front Page: Network gives 10-episode order to dark comedy -- Diving deeper into the original series biz, Starz has given a 10-episode order to a half-hour dark comedy from multihyphenate Eric Schaeffer and "Seinfeld" alum Jill Franklyn.
Front Page: Actress sets Christopher Buckley book -- Charlize Theron's Denver and Delilah Films has acquired screen rights to Christopher Buckley's satirical novel "Florence of Arabia."
AP - First comes the noise: a systematic banging of metal poles underwater, a wall of sound that frightens the dolphins and sends them scurrying in the opposite direction.
Reuters - "The Forbidden Door" would make Hitchcock and Almodovar proud. Its protagonist, a sculptor who is both inspired and haunted by female reproduction, becomes hooked on a warped reality show that unlocks childhood secrets behind the "forbidden door" in his own home. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 28 Jul 2009 | 6:39 pm
Original Bachelorette Trista Sutter is putting her reality-TV experience to use for us here at Watch With Kristin, blogging about Jillian Harris' quest for the perfect guy. Take it away,...
We've made no bones about our lack of enthusiasm for the overly self-important streak that populates Green Day's most recent album, 21st Century Breakdown, but seeing as how the band has built a solid reputation over the last fifteen-odd years as one of the most energetic live bands in the land, we went into last night's show at Madison Square Garden with an open mind and even more open ears. From our perch high in the rafters of MSG, we saw and heard the sounds of a band at a crossroads, a band who initially rose to popularity thanks to their irresistibly bratty, three-minute power punk songs but now finds themselves dually burdened by the weight of adulthood and critical expectations.
The evening started off on a high note, as Green Day bounded onto stage filled with the sort of enthusiasm that you would've expected from them back in the mid-nineties when they were all much, much younger. After opening with the title track from their latest record, they broke into a spirited version of their hit single "Know Your Enemy," which closed with lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong leaping off stage, sprinting up into the crowd, slamming a fan's beer and kissing a girl. However, the show's momentum quickly slowed down from there, likely due to the fact that the band's first ten songs came from their two most recent records. Even Billie Joe could sense the sold-out crowd's energy waning, so he fell back on the tried and true arena rock trick of shouting "New York City!" every time he sensed a lull in the arena. Throughout the evening, he would revisit this trick more times than we were able to count, and even briefly lost his temper with the crowd full of teenagers, screaming "Put down your iPhones, put down your cameras, this is a fuckin' memory, so live it!"
However, once the band started dipping into their back catalog, the vibe in the arena was immediately lifted. Old faves like "2000 Light Years Away," "When I Come Around" and "Longview" sounded just as snotty and energetic as they did when they were first released, mainly due to the fact that the songs required bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool to actively engage themselves in propelling the tracks forward. Although there were a few missteps along the way — the prime example of which was the seven-plus minute medley of "Shout", "Earth Angel" and "I'll Be There", which came complete with a saxophonist dressed like Michael Jackson and made us pray with all our might that their next career step won't find them playing the house band in Tony and Tina's Wedding — the band was clearly having fun on stage and the crowd responded in kind.
By the time the band wrapped up their encore, it was nearly midnight; a quick glance at our watch revealed that Green Day had been playing for a Springsteenian length of time, some two hours and forty-five minutes. For the most part, the show was highly entertaining, and we have never heard Billie Joe's voice sound this good. However, we would be remiss if we didn't point out the fact that while the songs from their last two records may be bolder and more accomplished than the rest of their catalog when viewed on an "artistic" level, the reason that everyone fell in love with Green Day in the first place has very little to do with "Art." Rather, it had everything to do with their hooks, their attitude and their incomparably energetic enthusiasm. More of that on your next record, please!
Despite a rapturous reception for the trailer and a thumbs-up from nerds for its presentation at Comic-Con over the weekend, some are still worried that Spike Jonze's once-troubled movie adaptation of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are might somehow manage to screw up the author's original vision. So, again, Warner Bros. has trotted out poor Sendak to reaffirm his support for the film, in this new Wild Things featurette. According to the man himself, "What I've seen him do is, he's turned it into his without giving up mine ... He's touched me very much." You know what? We believe him. Now, if only he could promise us the same thing about the makers of the Wild Thingsvideo game.
UPDATE: Murray's attorney, Edward Chernoff, says in a statement that the doctor is fully cooperating with authorities.
"The search warrant authorized investigators to look for...
• Is the restaurant business rebounding? That's what some are saying, even though the summer isn't typically a busy time: "Restaurants are fuller than they have been since the recession touched down last October." [Crain's] • Da Silvano's sister spot, Scuderia, has moved on to its third chef. [GS] • Guss' Pickles is leaving the Lower East Side for Brooklyn. [Lo-Down] • A report from Permanent Brunch's first day in business. [Zagat] • Commerce in the West Village is only accepting credit cards from now on, either for environmental reasons or to prevent robberies. You decide. [GS] • The second annual NY Craft Beer Week arrives this September. [NYCBW] • Tracy Westmoreland, owner of the late dive bar Siberia and current owner of Manhattans in Prospect Heights, is on the hunt for investors. [VV] • FreshDirect is cutting back on cardboard boxes, just so you're aware. [NYT] • Were you looking to dine on yak meat? You're in luck. [NYT]
The New Yorker may think the panther allegedly stalking the Palisades is a suburban legend conjured by residents' recession-addled minds to "fulfill some metaphysical or metaphorical craving," but to many residents of Snedens Landing, New York, the beast is real, and tonight they are gathering together at the town hall to determine how they might drive this beast out of their town. Last night, one Robert Samuels circulated an e-mail entreating citizenry to show their support. "PLEASE COME, WE NEED A BIG TURN OUT," he began.
The TOWN has recognized that this is an emergency and they know they need to act. Because it is a controversy we need the numbers.
TUESDAY NIGHT (Tomorrow) at the [ORANGETOWN] TOWN HALL, 7 p.m., the TOWN BOARD will debate the funding for the first stage of finding out more information on the large cat that has been seen by a number of residents and is most likely responsible for the evisceration of several deer, dogs, and cats.
To date, Shane Hobel, a tracker from SFI Tracking, has put in his own time and money and has been the ONLY qualified person who has examined the kills and sightings and has tracked the animal, found scratch marks, hairs, prints, and scat. We have been asking the Town since MARCH for help. Since the cat is known to be here now, time is of the essence. They have a 25-mile range. Fall is coming and food will be scarce. We need to act to avoid a tragedy.
At some point, the meeting will be interrupted by a man from town. A loner, a former veteran with a mustache and a gruff manner known to hunt in the woods surrounding the Palisades. He will walk up to the chalkboard and drag his fingers down it, creating an unnerving squeal to bring attention to himself. "You all know me," he'll say. "I'll catch this panther for you, but it ain't gonna be easy. Not like going down to the pond, chasin' bluegills and tommycods. This panther, swallow you whole. Little shakin', little tenderizin', an' down you go. And we gotta do it quick, that'll bring back your tourists, put all your businesses on a payin' basis. But it's not gonna be pleasant ... You know, the thing about a panther... he's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be living ... until he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then ... ah, then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin' ... and they... rip you to pieces."
The townspeople will look at him. We'll take that under advisement, they'll say. The loner will shrug and leave, and Robert Samuels and the other town eggheads will go back to debating their plan of getting rid of the panther in a humane way.
Mr. Hobel has been given leave from his job to spend the next month full-time on this, and the TOWN needs to pay him and purchase the necessary equipment, which has been researched and presented to the town.
The second phase, if the DEC does not get involved, which so far they have indicated they are not, is to hire a licensed trapper who will place two traps and monitor them (in case we catch a dog or other animal) and then transport the animal to a sanctuary.
But throughout the night and, indeed, in the many fearful nights following, the words of the hunter will never quite leave their minds.
Counterclockwise from top left: Ross, Walker, Smith, and Urie.
Panic! at the Disco, as you’ve surely heard, recently had two members defect: lyricist-songwriter Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker. Today we hear not only the first song from their new band, the Young Veins (Varicose Veins just wasn’t youthful enough), but also the latest track from the remaining Panic members, Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith. The songs are called, respectively, “Change” and “New Perspective,” which tells you most of what you need to know about their themes — although we think it’s important to note that the latter includes the line, “Can we press fast-forward to go down on me?” (we have got to get the unrated DVD of Click). We had a surprisingly tough time deciding which song is better: “Change” rips off sixties and seventies British rock better than pretty much any of the indie bands who attempted the same in the nineties, but “New Perspective” does nineties pop-rock better than a lot of the bands we remember from then. Panic! at the Disco, you take this round.
“Change,” the Young Veins:
“New Perspective,” Panic! at the Disco (better sound at MySpace):
The CFDA gathered for its first town-hall meeting today, moderated by CFDA president Diane Von Furstenberg. Their goal was to determine whether the fashion-show system is broken, and if so, how the industry can fix it. Donna Karan has long been an advocate of showing in season. You know, not showing buyers and editors clothes customers will wear in eight to twelve months' time, and not hanging fur-trimmed down jackets and mittens on the racks in August. "We are in a crisis," Karan said. "There's no question about it." Von Furstenberg is optimistic:
"There is no way when you are in the middle of a tsunami that you can change absolutely everything. But one thing that we can do and that I would like to do is make New York Fashion Week the most dynamic fashion week in the world."
That sounds fabulous, but what does it mean? Several at the meeting questioned the relevance of fashion shows and bemoaned retailers' early deep discounting. Von Furstenberg identified Vogue-sponsored Fashion's Night Out, a series of special in-store events to take place September 10, designed to encourage consumers to shop again, as a jumping-off point for this new attitude. Yet as amazing and dynamic as those events sound, they only comprise one night. What then? Will customers return a few days later, roused by a couple of cups of free punch and a runway strutting lesson with Alexander Wang, ready to lay down the AmEx for an $800 pair of new croc booties? With no solutions in sight to the problems at hand, it's not impossible. An extra visit to check if they're 30 percent off yet is surely worth it.
La Toya Jackson didn't get to share her musical ode to childhood memories with her brother Michael. Instead, she's doing the next best thing—sharing it with a cause close to her...
This video, which we saw on FREEWilliamsburg, is compelling for the main reason that nobody is better at skewering hipsters than hipsters themselves. It's called "Hipster Job," not as in the "job" where you sit in one cubicle all day and pick your nose and rub it under the desk and hope no one ever looks there, but as in the "Job" of the Bible. It's an allegory, see. It made us laugh, especially when the "inveterate gambler" God says to Satan: "You check out my main man Job — dude is totally 'mo for me."
This morning, Aziz Ansari told us that since he'd signed up for Parks and Recreation before its premise was decided on, NBC could very well have told him, "It's about you and Paul Walker running a bakery together," and he'd have been forced to star in it. Our friends at the Apiary point out that he's also pitched different show ideas to other interviewers (among them: "You running a laundromat with Vin Diesel"; "You and Soulja Boy running a lemonade stand together"). We'd totally watch any of those. [Apiary] Earlier: Aziz Ansari on Funny People and Getting Diddy to Follow Him on Twitter
Jacquetta Wheeler just started blogging for British Vogue, which truly warms our hearts. Two days in, she's already got four posts up — and they don't sound like a by-product of not having any modeling jobs, many of which she's already blogged about. Jacquetta must simply possess a love for blogs and blogging. Knowing that she may be the last model or celebrity to choose the extra effort required for blogging over tweeting brings a tear to our eye. Our new blog-sister writes that after she landed the fall Gucci campaign, lots of other work followed. As well as a bout with a horrible illness:
In May I think I was one of the first people to get swine flu. I was in Singapore for a two-day job when I came down with severe exhaustion, a terrible cough and bad headaches.
Job done, I flew back to London, arrived in the morning and went straight to see my doctor. She didn't test me for the disease — she's one of those proper old school "buck up" kind of doctors ... "
After that, Jacquetta had to go to one of the worst places a flu-stricken person should go — Iceland, where she did a photo shoot on the beach after only two hours of sleep and a 5 a.m. call time.
The team were sweet and rushed to cover me up in huge blankets in between shots, but my god was it cold. We were on a beach, it was three degrees centigrade, with sharp winds, and I was wearing skimpy tops. Those shoots are tough at the best of times; with flu, quite honestly, it was hell ... one of the few occasions I really thought "I deserve every bloody penny I make from this job."
Well at least she is prepared for the rigors of blogging. We've spent hours on rocky beaches in the Galapagos after grueling sea-sickness-inducing boat rides, forced to wear only cashmere sweaters, bathing-suit bottoms, and Nina Ricci fall 2009 heels. We walked away with unsightly turtleneck- and laptop-tan lines, scraped knees, and bug bites the size of quarters. But at least we delivered the news, took a vacation, and looked ridiculous doing it.* Godspeed, Jacquetta.
With no Angelina Jolie in sight, Brad Pitt jetted into Berlin earlier today for the premiere of his new Quentin Tarantino movie, Inglourious Basterds. Sources tell us that it's a quick,...
Jessica Alba looked business ready as she walked into an office building in Santa Monica, California July 27, 2009 and was very busy on her cell phone as she left.
If you're as sick of summer television as we are, surely it will come as great news that Fox has moved up the fall premiere of its awesome Glee to September 9, a week earlier than expected. [Arts Beat/NYT]
Is it true that a Mexican news crew saw Michael Jackson's ghost on the day of his Staples Center memorial service?
—Dalia, via the Answer B!tch inbox
Oh, don't...
Need further evidence that America's banking system could use a little fixing? Four NYU college buddies figured out that if you claim your ATM card has been stolen, you're not responsible for the charges, and the bank has 10 days to reimburse you for the loss. So the four opened account after account and pretended their cards had been stolen, over and over again, racking up about half a million bucks in phony refunds over the course of, oh, five years or so, before the banks finally figured out that there might just be a pattern here. Not that lawyer (and chick magnet) Eric Manganelli wasn't already a bit suspicious, of course. It's never a good sign when you count Al D'Amato and Bernie Kerik as friends on Facebook. [NYDN]
Late last month, the Pixies announced they would be re-forming yet again for a series of European dates on which they'll be playing their classic album Doolittle in its entirety. Well, we have good news to pass along for all of you Pixies fans who can't shell out the money to fly to Europe to see a show: The band has announced a series of U.S. dates, including three nights at the Hammerstein Ballroom in November. [Paste]
Instead of bouncing around the space-time continuum and nestling up to the very hot and steamy Josh Holloway, this fall, Elizabeth Mitchell is fighting reptilian aliens on the remake of the...
Investigators carrying search warrants arrived at the Las Vegas home of Michael Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, on Tuesday morning, according to a source close to the investigation.
Fallen publicist Ali Wise is tweeting again. But now things have taken a turn for the worse. Judging by her latest message, she seems to be taking spiritual guidance from Rabbi Yehuda Berg, the director of the cult known as the Kabbalah Centre. But, hey, you never know. Maybe she'll get lucky and her $26 investment will put an end to those "unfriendly stares and unkind glances" she's been getting. It's worth a shot! [Twitter]
It's a schad day. All this time, we thought Julian Schnabel was an original. But now the bloggers at Scout NYC have given us compelling evidence that suggests our Palazzo Chupi was borne not of the Schnab's imagination, but by the same team of Imagineers that conceived Disney's Tower of Terror. Schary! [Scouting NYC via Curbed]
Would you rather have old love letters leaked or get a DUI?
Madonna is facing a bout of mild humiliation as the Rock & Roll Pop Art Auction is plotting to put numerous personal items...
Discovery is one thing. Fifteen discovery demands that measure "several inches high" are another.
Attorneys for the two men whom Michael Jackson appointed executors of his estate...
MAKEUP
• Madonna's makeup artist Gina Brooke reportedly uses a combination of white eye shadow and crushed rose-cut diamonds to achieve a sparkly eye for the singer's stage look. [StyleWatch/People]
• Makeup artist Kate Lee took inspiration from Jerry Hall and Helmut Newton to create a toned-down smoky-eye look for Sienna Miller at the Tokyo premiere of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. [Beauty Counter/Style.com]
• Alcone created a lip stamp so you can just press on lipstick, which could come in handy if you ever want the clown-like Alexander McQueen lips seen on the fall 2009 runway. [Teen Vogue]
HAIR
• Hairstylist Orlando Pita re-created his Christian Dior couture hairstyle on video for viewers to try at home. He emphasized frizzy hair for fall, a notion that seems counterintuitive. [Moment/NYT]
• Victoria Hunter and Larry Raspanti, two former Bumble & Bumble creative directors, opened a new salon, named Whittemore House, in Greenwich Village. The location was once a stop on the Underground Railroad. [Daily Beauty Reporter/Allure]
That's the question Slate's Jonah Weiner attempts to answer in an essay he wrote today called "Spinning in the Grave: The three biggest reasons music magazines are dying." In the piece, he posits a theory that the recent demise of music-focused magazines like Blender and Vibe and the ongoing troubles of publications like Spin and Rolling Stone are partially owing to the troubles facing all "old"-media organizations these days, but can also be attributed to three key factors specific to this niche: There aren't as many musicians whose visage alone can sell magazines, music journalists are no longer getting special access to bands or albums in advance of the general public, and social-media phenomena like Facebook and Twitter have usurped music magazines as a place where conversations about music and bands once took place. All of these are fairly strong, well-supported theories, but if we were to pick one of them as being the most influential on our own personal decisions, we'd have to go with reason two.
Back in the pre-Napster days, we spent a substantial portion of our disposable income purchasing CDs (and, quite frankly, a pretty healthy slice of our nondisposable income, too). It was during this time that we needed music critics to assist us in sorting through the dozens of new releases that hit the shelves each and every Tuesday, and to help us figure out where we could get the best bang for our entertainment buck. However, as Internet bandwidth began to increase, music became increasingly easier to sample online, which greatly reduced the need to read about releases before trying them out ourselves — which cut down on the amount of times we'd swing through a record shop. And back in those days, even if we left a record shop without buying an album or an import single, we rarely walked out of a store empty-handed: We'd almost always pick up a music magazine to help us prep for our next visit.
It also doesn't help matters much that today's crop of superstar musicians are so dreadfully boring. Back in the nineties, hilariously awesome feuds between bands like Oasis and Blur* kept us running to the local Tower Records on a weekly basis to pick up a copy of NME or Melody Maker, or to see if the new issue of Q or Select had come in, just so we could keep up with who had gotten the latest word in edgewise. Nowadays, of course, not only can you get that information on the Internet without having to shell out over $10 for an import magazine, but even if you wanted to, there aren't many musicians who are out stirring things up in the traditional rock-and-roll sense. After all, we like Kelly Clarkson's music just as much as the next bloke on the block, but we have little to no interest in reading about what she does when she's not onstage.
What about you, VultureWatchers? Have you cut down on your music-magazine consumption? Or are you just as infatuated with mags like Spin and Rolling Stone today as you've always been? You know where to leave your thoughts!
Maybe it was after the Mets’ epic 2007 collapse. Hard to remember; there are so many miserable moments to choose from when you’re a Mets fan. But I clearly recall a friend telling me that the current pain was necessary because it made the Mets’ victories so much sweeter.
That rationalization almost works when it comes to the on-field disasters. No sports fan, not even Mets fans, feels remotely good when confronted by the fact that his team is run by bumblers. It seems incomprehensible that only two years ago Omar Minaya was the subject of a glowing Sports Illustrated cover story and that the Mets were cruising along in first place. My own contribution to Minaya mythology, in February 2005, feels as if it were written a lifetime ago.
What’s changed? Well, everything and nothing. Omar’s life story, the basis for most of those profiles, remains irresistible and admirable: He rose from poor Dominican immigrant to mediocre minor-league player to first Latino general manager in the major leagues. But losses have a way of eroding charming biography, and the devolution happens especially fast in New York. Doubts about Minaya’s abilities as an executive were plain as far back as 2002 when, as Montreal GM, he made an all-time-awful trade of Brandon Phillips, Cliff Lee, and Grady Sizemore for Bartolo Colon.
The deal was somewhat defensible because the Expos seemed at the time on the verge of going out of business. Less easily dismissed was the Moneyball anecdote in which Oakland GM Billy Beane suggested Minaya was easily hustled. Minaya’s tenure as Mets GM started brilliantly in 2004 and highlighted his greatest strength, as a salesman with free agents. Yes, the Mets overpaid for Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran, and Carlos Delgado, but it was necessary to revive a moribund franchise and it brought the Mets to the brink of a World Series in 2006.
Things, of course, have gone mostly downhill from there. The Mets farm system under Minaya and assistant GM Tony Bernazard has produced few real players. Signing K-Rod was genius; Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez, not so much. Yesterday’s bizarre press conference highlighted one of Minaya’s greatest stylistic flaws: He’s a lousy, unconvincing public speaker. His attack on Daily News sportswriter Adam Rubin clearly wasn’t a slip of the tongue, but it was worsened by Minaya’s clumsy description of the events leading up to it. What’s weird is that Minaya — even though he was clearly angry about being forced to fire his pal Bernazard — is savvy enough to know that fighting with the New York press is a losing proposition (though Rubin, who has always been generously helpful to me, committed an error too: Asking the people you cover for advice on how to get a job in the industry is handing them a weapon to use against you). Stranger still is that Minaya knew he had some media goodwill to draw on. What was left of that reservoir disappeared yesterday.
Maybe Minaya committed the blunder all on his own. More likely, he was encouraged to fight back — by Bernazard but also by Jeff Wilpon, Minaya’s boss and the Mets’ owner. Wilpon has long followed the most baffling media strategy of all these characters. As recently as this winter he had a sympathetic story to tell. His family had been swindled by Bernie Madoff (for as much as $700 million, if Larry King is to be believed), and the Mets were about to open a terrific new ballpark — a project largely overseen by Jeff Wilpon. He’d spoken to me briefly in 2005, but he had stayed largely silent and out of view since then, as he had for much of the time since he’d taken over running the business for his father, Fred. So as the Mets collapsed in 2007 and 2008, rumors festered: Jeff relied on back-channel sources to the Mets’ clubhouse (Al Leiter, Bernazard). Jeff undercut Willie Randolph.
Maybe Wilpon stayed quiet to protect his privacy; maybe he was trying to be the opposite of meddling George Steinbrenner; maybe he really is a bad executive. Whatever the truth, Jeff Wilpon never supplied his own narrative. [Update: Late this afternoon Wilpon said that Minaya made "a very, very large mistake" and stated his continued support for Minaya as GM.] And now the void is being filled in for him: In the papers and on talk radio, Jeff Wilpon is becoming the summer twin of reviled second-generation Knicks’ owner Jim Dolan.
The good news for Sacha Baron Cohen is that someone's still talking about Brüno despite its measly box-office haul. The bad news: They're terrorists and they probably want to kill him. A few weeks back, Ayman Abu Aita, the guy Baron Cohen identifies in the movie as a "real terrorist" and member of the militant al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, announced plans to sue Baron Cohen because, well, he's not really a terrorist or a member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs (oops!). Now, the al-Aqsa Martyrs, known to be responsible for suicide bombings in the West Bank, are upset about Brüno's assertion that "[their] King Osama looks like a kind of dirty wizard or homeless Santa." In a statement to World Net Daily, they say: "We reserve the right to respond in the way we find suitable against this man." Presumably this does not mean they'll be attacking him from behind with a pair of phalluses.
Bravo has a slew of fashion reality-TV programming coming out in the wake of losing Project Runway to Lifetime. It's not unlike when the first celebrity decided to design clothes: First came the rain, and, five seconds later, the downpour. After all, Bravo needed some cushioning in case The Fashion Show didn't work out. Season one of that series just ended, making way for the next attempt at filling Runway's shoes: Launch My Line, which premieres September 16, right in the middle of Fashion Week. In Launch My Line, "ten accomplished professionals" possessing "a passion for fashion" are paired with actual designers. The duos create one look per episode to parade in front of a studio audience. The designer on the winning team gets $50,000. The winning non-designer walks away with free Bravo publicity and a side of any emotional scarring derived thereof.
Contestants include New York City's self-proclaimed resident "dandy" Patrick McDonald (he's sat on hundreds of front rows!), architect David Applebaum (he name-drops Rupert Murdoch!), and D.J. Eric Cubeechee (he's D.J.-ed parties for Wilmer Valderrama and Paris Hilton!). Designers include people who have worked at major labels like BCBG Max Azria, Gen Art alumni, and those who design lines like EMIL Couture and Single. Judges include Dsquared2 designers Dean and Dan Caten (who also host the show), Scoop's Stefani Greenfield, and Lisa Kline. The adorable Dean and Dan are reason enough to tune in, along with how when the contestants first see the design duo, they appear to have no idea who they are. Also, the contestants look oddly compelling in a Real Housewives sort of way. See for yourself in the preview.
• Ben Silverman didn't have much success during his two-year stint at NBC, but that didn't stop him from scoring a super-sweet deal with Barry Diller's IAC. His new venture will reportedly give him $100 million to play with. [NYP] • Viacom, the media conglomerate controlled by batty billionaire Sumner Redstone, reported that profits plunged 32% in the second quarter. [NYT] • Struggling McGraw-Hill reports quarterly profits dropped 22.7%. [PC] • The Daily News and sportswriter Adam Rubin are refuting the claims of Mets management that Rubin tried to get himself a job on the team. [E&P] • Amanda Hearst has landed a job at Hearst's Marie Claire. It's a miracle! [P6]
• Fifty members of Congress have asked the Justice Department to take a close look at the proposed merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation. [Reuters] • Jeffrey Katzenberg would like to bring the magic of 3D to your home. [HR] • Tina Brown has a few thoughts to share about online journalism. [WWD] • Verizon reported a 21% drop in second quarter profits and announced plans to cut 8,000 jobs during the second half of the year. [NYT] • Mayor Mike was deposed for a second time yesterday in a discrimination lawsuit against Bloomberg L.P. He was not happy about it. [NYT] • Michael M. Thomas has left the Observer, is no fan of Jared Kushner. [P6] • Crazy cable news clip of the day: Glenn Beck seems to think that President Barack Obama has a "deep-seated hatred for white people." [HP]
Once again, Getty Images has treated us with some on-set shots from the filming of Gossip Girl, and this time around we're treated to a plot spoiler so hot it was only broadly hinted at in the teaser for the coming season. Serena is kissing a boy, and it's not Dan! But she and Dan still appear to be sad friends. And Blair is still wearing yellow.
There are also shots of Blake Lively being her real self, practicing lines with Leigton Meester, and playing with her maltipoo. All of which is cute but doesn't really tell us much about what we want to know, which is what is going to happen when they all go to college?! So for your sake, we've invented our own episode story line to go with the images. See if you agree that this could be a real plotline.
Given it's practically impossible to go five minutes without hearing someone talk about Twitter, Americans are probably getting sick and tired of hearing about the "revolutionary" micro-blogging service, right? Not so much. A new survey of 2,025 adults found that 69 percent didn't even know what Twitter was. [LAT]
No tattoo is ever too crazy, too wacky, or too unique for celeb skin. Take this tatt, found on a famous ankle, and posted to her Twitter account:
Yup, it’s a Strawberry. And not just any Strawberry — but a super duper pumped one. So, can you guess who the actress is? To make it a bit easier, we’ll make this a “Multiple Choice” edition.
Even in a city as diverse as New York, women with textured hair need to search long and hard for a salon that can specialize in their hair, or one that has a token stylist who is able to work with it. Fortunately, hairstylist Anthony Dickey has a new salon called Hair Rules New York (named after his line of textured-hair-care products) that caters to all hair types, from nappy to silky. Having worked with everyone from Michelle Obama to Sarah Jessica Parker, Dickey (who already has a waiting list) and his staff are prepped for any hair challenge. We caught up with the lovable stylist while he was putting the final touches on his first salon (which opened earlier this month) and chatted about how he hates shampoo and why people call him Dickey.
Tell me about the name Dickey? Is it short for something?
It's my last name. I worked for Oribe when I got here in '89 and there was another Anthony. We changed it because of tip reasons.
You work with all hair types?
The salon was born to cater to all hair textures. We try to be all things to all people. We train our assistants to work on everyone. It's all about diversity. I'm for the kinkiest of the kink to the finest of white hairs that fall flat to the scalp. I'm for everything and everyone in between.
How did you get such a diverse clientele?
All I can say is it's about still being here and staying around and being open to whatever comes your way.
Did you always want to do hair?
No, but I had to do something out of school. I was pumping gas out in Arizona and my aunt said, come live with me in San Francisco and I'll put you through beauty school.
Who was your first celebrity client?
Raquel Welch. I think it was for an awards show. Oh wait, or maybe it was for the thing at the Met?
What was your first big break?
Well, I had two moments when I felt like I arrived. I got booked to do Sports Illustrated in Hawaii in 1995 and I did a shoot with Ellen Von Unwerth for L'Uomo Vogue in 1997.
What products should every woman have?
Daily cleansing cream. I call it a daily cleansing cream because it doesn't sud and it's like Cetaphil for your skin. You shouldn't have to suffer from dried-out hair because then you have to overcompensate with other products.
What are your favorite products?
Bliss Hot Salt Scrub. I love to bathe. I looovveee to bathe. I'm a bathtub man. You can wipe all of New York away.
Where do you shop for beauty?
Love Sephora. One-stop shopping, particularly for skin care.
What beauty trends do you hate?
I'm so tired of shampoos. Beauty magazines telling you to use this shampoo and your hair is going to look like this, but they know damn well that it ain't. For most women with textured hair, it's a disaster.
What beauty trends do you like?
I like what skin care has turned into. There are a lot of pharmaceutical brands out there now. I call them gentle, ready-to-wear medicinal products.
What was the first designer item you bought?
English Eccentrics. I'm dating myself. It was a $200 bomber jacket.
Who are your favorite designers? Margiela and who am I wearing now? [publicist checks his shirt] Michael Bastian. Him.
Hair Rules New York, 828 Ninth Ave., nr. 54th St.; 212-315-2929
Catholic schoolgirls of all ages — and their attendant guilt — abound this week. As Jackie’s family sets off into the morning sun, doom-and-gloom daughter Grace shares what she learned at parochial school yesterday: St. Lucy gruesomely plucked out her own eyes, but God loved her so he gave her some more. Jackie’s happier daughter, Fiona, gleefully gnaws away at a cupcake breakfast, begging for a garnish of sprinkles. Mom reaches into her purse and dumps out what she thought was a packet of rainbow sprinkles but what’s really that day’s stash of crushed up contraband. She manages to knock the baked good out of her daughter’s hand without anyone being the wiser (or higher). How does she cope with the near miss? She snorts the remaining granules while awaiting her train from Queens to Manhattan.
When she arrives at All Saints, things are already hectic: They’re four nurses short, and Gay Nurse Mo complains that there’s “no room at the Inn” for any more patients. One who managed to squeeze in is a mother of two very different daughters (sound familiar?) with injuries to her head (and vanity). Mrs. Greenfield is a wreck, madly searching through three different wallets while her nail-biting daughter rattles off the medications Mom has been ingesting: the post-menopausal drug Boniva, supposed brain-enhancer Ginkgo Biloba, and the blood-thinner Coumadin. Soon after Dr. Cooper finally graces them with his presence, her other, prettier daughter arrives. Mom rattles off her credentials: cum laude from Villanova, great PR job in the city, apartment in Murray Hill. Coop is entranced.
Over in the waiting room, Jackie suspects that many of the people awaiting treatment are really just “drug seekers” sent to make her life hell. She dispatches Zoey to ferret out the freaks, but it’s the fill-in nurse, Sam from St. Vincent’s, who proves freakiest: Practically incompetent, he neglects the patients (an exasperated Jackie tells one of them that Sam will pay him $50 if he doesn’t get everything he needs within five minutes). Zoey discovers his taste for painkillers when she accidentally rolls a heavy gurney over his toe and he hardly flinches.
Jackie gets a call from a panicked Grace, then launches into conniptions of her own. Coop, just chewed out by the nurse for his slow response times, hovers and hollers: Who’s she to blame him for ignoring his pager when she, too, takes time to deal with personal matters? She snaps: “It’s my daughter!” He silently retreats down the hall, and Jackie rushes after him, insisting he not make her personal life the stuff of idle hospital chatter. Coop shoves his hospital credential in her face and shouts that he’s a doctor who’s above the petty comings and goings of nurses: “Your life is not that interesting.”
But apparently it is, because no sooner are these words out of his mouth than he’s bouncing into Pharmacist Eddie’s office to dish on her sin of omission. Though this is shocking to Eddie, he’s sympathetic to Jackie, who he figures must have a good reason for such a big secret. In the ladies’ room, Jackie’s about to indulge her other big secret when Zoey accidentally busts into her stall. Drug-rail interrupted. But Zoey, flustered, fails to notice what Jackie was up to. As they wash their hands, she shares her discovery — the temp is on “something like Halcion or too much Valium.” Jackie marches up to the temp, curses his abominable behavior, and banishes him from All Saints. “Takes one to know one,” he says, still dazed.
Akalitus, meanwhile, is nursing the abandoned baby as Coop nurses his crush on his star patient’s daughter. Coop says they’ll be conducting some oncology tests, and the mousier daughter starts to cry. The model daughter rolls her eyes: “Ohmigod, can ya take a Xanax and not freak out?” When the day’s done, Jackie’s daughters enjoy karaoke night at daddy’s bar.
Jackie gets called to the mike, which she begs off until learning that Grace herself requested a performance. But Jackie’s chosen song, the Brill Building classic “Up on the Roof,” only further freaks out her addled daughter. Maybe the idea of her mom in such a high place isn’t so comforting.
It's been an incredibly turbulent year for the Manhattan real estate market, to say the least. Are things looking up? Is there more pain still to come? For a little insight, we interrupted a very busy Howard Lorber, the chairman and co-owner of the real estate giant Prudential Douglas Elliman and the chairman of the board of Nathan's Famous. We didn't pester Lorber with any questions about hot dogs, though. Just real estate.
Q: It's been a scary time recently, obviously. Are things still heading downhill? Are we seeing a bottom? A: I think things are stabilizing, actually. We're seeing people buy again. Q: Really? Is this turning into a busy month for the company? A: This is July. And July is never our busiest month even when the market is perfectly healthy. But we're definitely seeing activity. Don't get me wrong. Buyers are still looking for exceptional value. But they're buying. Q: What's been on your agenda recently? After quite a bit of drama, you're now actively marketing the Apthorp, and a long list of celebs have stopped by for a visit. How's that going? A: The Apthorp is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. These kinds of buildings don't come along every day, that's for sure. A major capital improvement program is underway. And the prices have been reduced to below market value. But they'll be going up eventually, which makes it very attractive. Q: What other trends are you seeing? Are the specific parts of town that are particularly active? A: The buying isn't restricted to a single neighborhood. But broadly-speaking, we're seeing activity pick up. At the high-end, we just sold a townhouse for $18 million and another one for $12 million. So things are moving. Q: That's nice. A: We're not getting overly optimistic. But, yes, it's nice to see things stabilizing.
"Who's not Team Edward? There is not a girl in the world who's not Team Edward. Have you met girls who are not Team Edward? Well, they are not girls! They're aliens from another planet who should not be allowed to exist." —Jennifer Love Hewitt is a big, big fan of Twilight's Edward Cullen [MTV]
"You always get weirdos like Edward who seem to attract women for some reason. If Edward wasn't a fictional character and you met him in reality, he is like one of those guys who would probably be an axe murderer or something." —Robert Pattinson on why girls like Jennifer Love Hewitt probably shouldn't be such fans of Edward Cullen [Ok via E]
"I think we should level the playing field. I don't mind people stealing my music, that's fine. But I think they should steal everything." —Kid Rock thinks digital piracy should just go all the way [BBC]
"Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, we're all basically reptiles. It's a sort of cowboy cartoon, only we're all creatures instead of humans. I am a rattlesnake and I have a machine gun in my tail and my job is once more to put the wind up Johnny, which of course is hard to do." —Bill Nighy on Rango [Female First]
"The final straw was when I was chased into the toilets by girls threatening to punch me. I was so scared I called Mum — we decided I'd stay at home after that. But it made me more focused on writing my music and spurred me on to want success." —Demi Lovato on the upsides of the downsides of early fame [Sugar via People]
"I don't really like to sit around the house listening to my own records. They're not that good." —The New York Dolls' David Johansen [Spinner]
Sarah Palin's resignation speech this weekend was notable not only for its tired, unoriginal warnings of the evils of the media, Hollywood, and big government, but also for the long, often grammatically infuriating passage describing the natural wonders of Alaska. Take this line, for example: "In the wintertime, it's the frozen road that is competing with the view of ice-fogged frigid beauty. The cold, though, doesn't it split the cheechakos from the sourdoughs?" That means nothing to us, but it does have a kind of poetic beauty to it regardless. Conan O'Brien had the same thought about the speech, and last night he had William Shatner recite some of it in that William Shatner delivery he's used for the past 80 years or so.
EVENTS
• Support Brooklyn retail at the two-day Brooklyn Boutique Fashion event. Dozens of local stores like Blueberi, Callalilai, Serimony, and Thistle & Clover are offering sales and refreshments. Through 7/30. Various hours and locations. See the full list of participants here.
SALES STARTING TOMORROW
• Costume jewelry from Erickson Beamon, Badgley Mischka, Fenton/Fallon, Wendy Mink, and more are up to 50 percent off at the Charm & Chain sample sale. Through 7/29. 245 E. 40th St., nr. Second Ave., 35th fl.; W (6–10).
Women’s tops, bottoms, dresses, and shoes are $50 to $690 (originally $275 to $2,750) at the Proenza Schouler resort 2008 and spring 2009 sample sale. Through 7/31. 495 Broadway, nr. Broome St., eighth fl.; W–F (9–6).
ENDING TOMORROW
• Sunner dresses, jumpers, and shirts are discounted at the sample sale. 265 W. 37th St., nr. Eighth Ave., ninth fl. (646-290-6409); T–W (8:30–7).
The Princeton Review yesterday named Penn State’s University Park campus the top party school in the nation in its 2010 edition of “The Best 371 Colleges,” which has rankings ranging from academics to campus life.
YEAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! WE DID ITTTTTTTTT!!!!! My alma mater parties so damn hard, the Princeton Review acknowledges it in ranking!!!!!!!!
I mean, I don’t technically “go to school” anymore in the logistical sense, but I DEFINITELY laid the foundation for this ranking by drinking literally SEVERAL beers, sometimes in one night! Basically I’m the Jackie Robinson of partying.
Penn State spokeswoman Annemarie Mountz called the survey unrepresentative, noting:
“…The results are not connected to reality. The students that are answering are not the ones spending their time in the library studying and getting the high grades that pump up our graduation rates.”
BOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Shut up, NARCSQUARE. You’re a NARC who’s SQUARE and probably a CLOSET HO’ ANYWAY RIGHT GUYS HIGH FIVEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! GUYS??? RIGHT??? Oh, forgot, I’m typing on the internet. Guys would have high-fived me after that if this were a party at Penn State. The only “high grades” I cared about were ME!!! Getting high, I mean! Also, my grades.
Robert Franek, author of the Princeton Review book, which has been published for 18 years, said, “I couldn’t disagree more that it’s not a representative survey.”
YEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! ROBERTFRANEKEFFINRULLLLESSS!!!!! BEER BONG FOR ROBERT!!! You can NOT say no. DOOOITTTT ROBBBBB!!!!! He would have done it if we were in college partying together. Then I would’ve made out with, like, one chick a semester (NOTHATI’M COUNTING LOL!!)
So to sum up, I am statistically the greatest partyer ever. I owe you a shot, Princeton Review (I LIKE TO DO THOSE CAUSE PARTY!!!!!)!!!!!
Front Page: Revenue, profit drop nearly 7% -- Revenue and profit at DreamWorks Animation both dipped about 7% last quarter to $132 million and $27.5 million, respectively.
Just like condo developments and celebrity-chef restaurant empires, New York’s public-parks system expanded rapidly during the boom years. Prospect Park unleashed plans for a new $60 million complex, Washington Square Park began a thorough face-lift, and the High Line found the substantial funding it needed to transform from an abandoned railway into one of the city’s most hyped destinations. The catch is that the funding for these initiatives has become less public. And as the downturn continues, more compromises could be made to continue to pay for these privatized parks.
When New York began relying on public-private parks partnerships following the fiscal crisis of the seventies, the idea was that private philanthropic groups would pick up the slack. And they did. Groups like the Central Park Conservancy, the Prospect Park Alliance, and the Bryant Park Corporation rose to respond to that crisis. But the city’s newest parks, paid for and operated largely by nonpublic dollars, are girded tightly by their private patrons.
The High Line was invented as a park by Friends of the High Line, which raised $44 million in donations and helped select the design. Celebrity endorsements (Edward Norton, Diane Von Furstenberg), caps on visitor attendance, adjacent real-estate development, and a dense police presence compared to other parks have all contributed to the appearance of something less than fully public. Elsewhere, the Parks Department has met with a local interest group called Coalition for a Better Washington Square Park, which offered to hire its own security and maintenance forces for the newly renovated green. Parks turned them down but did “discuss the designs of the next phase of renovation.” And in order to build the $350 million Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation, a public agency, is using the private developers of luxury condos like One Brooklyn Bridge Park to pay for the maintenance of its public front yard (never mind what’ll happen if the condos don’t sell).
Expect more of the same. “What’s happening on a basic level is that the city does not feel that parks are its responsibility anymore,” says Geoffrey Croft, president of NYC Park Advocates. “But every community deserves to have healthy parks, not just ones that have wealthy benefactors.”
Earlier this month, the city awarded a no-bid contract to Friends of the High Line to run all concession stands on and below the park for the next ten years. The Prospect Park Alliance plans to sell naming rights to two new rinks to be built as part of its Lakeside Center development, and the sale of such rights has been proposed for McCarren Park Pool. The Tisch family marked its name on the Washington Square Park fountain after donating $2.5 million for its renovation. In coming months, the Parks Department is considering selling ten-year naming rights to existing ballparks and skating rinks, with the money going to the city’s general fund.
“Even with the budget cuts, the Parks Department is in decent shape, but you never know what might happen in the future,” says Parks commissioner Adrian Benepe. “In the past, there have been times when, in very bad fiscal times, the Parks Department was badly cut. And so if we can lock in some funding to make sure that things stay whole, that might not be a bad thing.”
But more and more private control — you can purchase time in a “public” basketball court for a fashion show, as happened in May with designer Joseph Abboud in Greenwich Village, or pay to park a branded exhibition in Central Park, as Chanel did last fall — has become the norm. The question is how much more that means. “While privatization has brought some very good management techniques, like at Bryant Park, the nice thing about it so far is that we don’t have ‘Exxon Bryant Park,’ ” says Christian DiPalermo, the executive director of New Yorkers for Parks. Well, not yet.
Brad Goreski has been assisting Rachel Zoe for a while now. His work in season one of The Rachel Zoe Project chiefly consisted of organizing dresses in the fashion closet and trying to be the rock in the group, emotionally speaking, when rain leaked onto a rack of borrowed designer clothes. But will his role expand in season two, premiering August 25, to actually styling celebrities? He's surely picked up some tips from the master by now. Indeed, judging from his astute sporting of glasses and bow ties in season one, he already possessed a keen sense of style going into the job. Today he showcases his styling expertise on Steven Alan's website with tips on how to wear a plaid shirt:
This is a “feel-good shirt” because the minute you put it on you feel happy. I paired this shirt with a pair of old denim cutoffs for a more casual feel, and added the white cotton bow tie for fun. I like the juxtaposition of loose and distressed denim on the bottom and buttoned-up and put-together look of the shirt and bow tie on the top. The patent wing tips are the perfect accent to this outfit. Why not wear something like this to a beach party, then throw a blazer over it and go to dinner … super chic!
Plaid: the new Zoloft. Genius! Brad also has ideas for celebrities.
I would love to see this shirt on a guy like James Franco who has a more relaxed but very cool style. He doesn’t usually wear colors that are this bright, but I think it would look fantastic on him for a photo call or something. For him, I would take away the bow tie, and style the shirt under a leather jacket with a pair of faded black jeans and distressed boots. It could also look very cool with a fitted blazer over it and the bow tie, but for a Jonas Brother, not for Franco.
We see it. Rachel, when does he get a promotion? Or should we ask Bravo, when does he get a spinoff show? Suggested rhyming title: Adventures in Plaid With Brad!
A big wad of cash doesn't just enable you to go shopping. It's also a non-prescription form of Vicodin. According to a new research study, just touching money will make you feel better. "Next time you're hurting, try opening your wallet and counting your cash. Research shows that handling and thinking about money can actually lessen pain and ease the sting brought on by social rejection." And what are you supposed to do if your wallet is empty and you have no cash to fondle? That question wasn't addressed by the researchers. But "fall even further into a bottomless pit of depression" sounds about right. [NYDN, MSNBC]
This Thursday at 6 p.m., former enemies Sergeant James "Jim Crow" Crowley and Professor Skip "I Live Here!" Gates will meet with President Obama at the White House for a beer and some classic hatchet-burying. Press secretary Robert Gibbs says the meeting has no "formal agenda," meaning they won't be eradicating our nation's history of racial tensions. "This is about having a beer and de-escalating," he told reporters. In what seems like further effort at downplaying the weightiness of the summit, the three will meet not in the serious confines of the Oval Office, but at the picnic table on the South Lawn. Who knows? Maybe after enough drinking, they'll even move over to the nearby swing set.
Lee Landor thinks that Henry Louis Gates "is a racist," our president is "O-dumb-a," and racial profiling exists "for good reason." Also, she thinks it's okay to post things like that on her Facebook page when she's acting as the Manhattan borough president's deputy press secretary. Or she thought so until recently, when she was forced to resign over it. [NYT]
Canadian beauty Jillian Harris finally found what she was looking for a lover and a best friend when she giddily accepted a proposal from Chicago computer software consultant Ed Swiderski on the season finale of "The Bachelorette" Monday night.
Hey, what MJ tributes haven’t been done yet? Playing his music videos 24/7 on MTV offshoots we didn’t know existed, club DJs throwing in constant 9-song MJ blocks over the past month… nah, everything’s taken.
Housing Works is already on the move from its Tribeca store, which it opened just six months ago. The secondhand shop is heading to 119 Chambers Street (between Church Street and West Broadway), a venue four times larger than its previous 72 Warren Street location. The supersize store opens this Friday. [Housing Works, NYO]
Kim Kardashian and her boyfriend of two years, New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush, are going their separate ways, the reality star's rep confirms to PEOPLE.
You know who is really suffering these days? The investment bankers and corporate lawyers who had been accustomed to getting their action at the office during the boom years, but who have been forced to endure a dramatic downturn in workplace sex now that going to work every day is, well, more work-like:
According to completely non-scientific and anecdotal evidence we collected talking to an HR person at a major Wall Street firm, this isn't happening anymore. The boom apparently encouraged this kind of crazed behavior and the decline has reigned it in. "People just aren't having sex in the office any more,' the HR person said. 'It's like the crash dampened their hormones."
Fortunately, for a handful of Wall Street firms at least, this trend should reverse itself pretty quickly. In fact, if you can see the offices of Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan from your office window, now would probably be a good time to dust off your telescope and get ready for a good show or two.
Kelli, who is really pulling off that color, with Dorothy.
At the Paws for Style Fashion Show (yes, that's a thing), we were delighted to have our first opportunity to interview one of the cast members of NYC Prep. After all, we've been writing about it for months. Apparently, though, to young Kelli, that kind of attention is, well, underappreciated. Hearing we were from New York, she rolled her eyes. "New York magazine just hasn't said very nice things about us," her publicist said. Which isn't true! We totally said she was "kind of talented at singing" in our last episode recap. Anyway, Keith Lissner, the designer who created Kelli's outfit and a matching one for his dog, Dorothy, was much friendlier. "I named her Dorothy to honor my grandmother," he explained. "[She's wearing] a Keith Lissner gown encrusted with Swarovski crystals." Then, just as quickly as she had brushed us off, Kelli bounced back in to interrupt. "Somebody just told me I was best dressed!" she squeaked. Lissner gave her a withering glance and then put on a sweet smile. "And Kelli just won best in show."
Look at this sad bastard, will ya? This 18-month old Goldie named Mac chased a rabbit off a damn cliff. And now? Now he looks like the inspiration for this:
If only dogs knew how to hold me. It would give me a reason to finally throw that body pillow out. (JK I think.)
Racked has unearthed a pair of adjustable skinny jeans. Great for those days when you feel like your thighs are suddenly showing all that frozen yogurt you've been inhaling like Diet Coke in this heat (just us?). The "Bondage Pant" by Rag & Bone come with zippers in the back reaching from just under the buttock to almost the ankle, so you can make your jeans "tight" or "not tight at all." They're on sale for $287 at Confederacy. But if you sit down on a skinny day, do the zippers unzip or stay firmly in place? Because if every day is a fat day, there's probably no point. [Racked]
Fashion Wire Daily - Foodies rejoice! When writer-director Nora Ephron's new comedy "Julie & Julia" chomps into theaters on Aug. 7, everyone who loves a good meal will have a real reason to go out for dinner and a movie.
Christians voiced anger and dismay Tuesday after a Bible, which was part of an exhibition inviting viewers to add their reflections, was defaced with offensive and foul-mouthed scrawl. Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 28 Jul 2009 | 10:54 am
I watched a little movie called Teen Wolf last night on HBO Family (note to programmers: families love watching aggressive dressing room wolfsex together), and even though I’ve seen the film upwards of the length of my life divided by the length of the movie times, only on this particular viewing did I realize that the basketball scene at the end of this movie is the longest frickin’ montage in the history of 80s movie montages.
The high school team plays a full half of basketball without Michael J. Fox, then MJF enters the gym and people stare at him for like three minutes, then he declares to the coach and team that he thinks they can win the big game without him as “the wolf,” and only then, after about seven minutes of setup, does the montage below even BEGIN.
An 80s sports montage is supposed to be two minutes of an inspiring comeback set to some dated-ass synth song that quickly jumps ahead to the big final moment between the rivals. The Teen Wolf basketball montage, on the other hand, is over six minutes long, and for the first three minutes, ALL OF THE SCORING IS IN REAL-TIME. If you see them score two baskets, they receive exactly four points on the scoreboard. And for added non-montageness, the rival team still plays decently and makes some baskets during the montage, just so this half of basketball in a movie about a teenager who is also a werewolf doesn’t seem totally absurd.
Below, the entire Teen Wolf basketball montage (with stats to boot!) I’m glad they didn’t shorten this by one second, cause we never would’ve gotten the idea:
Bonus 80s Movie Rule: Your A-hole rival dude is allowed to stand directly under the basket staring you in the face while you take your foul shots.
Opera performers seen here on July 24 during rehearsals for the Opera "Judith" ahead of the Salzburg Festival 2009 in Salzburg. The Salzburg Festival named an interim artistic director Tuesday, in the... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 28 Jul 2009 | 10:28 am
Gottfrid Svartholm Warg (C) and Peter Sunde (R) from online piracy site The Pirate Bay, speak with the press in Stockholm, in February 2009. Hollywood studios are suing the popular Pirate Bay file-sharing... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 28 Jul 2009 | 10:22 am
Miah Persson (L), Florian Boesch (2ndL), Bo Skovhus (C), Isabel Leonard (Foreground-R) and Topi Lehtipuu perform a scene from Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte during the Salzburg Festival on July 25, 2009. The... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 28 Jul 2009 | 10:22 am
Jay-Z, Heartless Bastards, My Bloody Valentine, Tool, Coldplay and
more
The thing that makes All Points West, the
New Jersey festival currently celebrating its second year, so
special is its knack for pairing your favorite bands with your
new favorite bands. To get this out of the way
immediately, write down the following names: the National and the
Gaslight Anthem. Those are the bands you will leave this festival
loving, and the bands you can expect to see closing out festivals
in a few years time.
Which is not to short-sell any other act on the lineup.
What...
The monument "African Renaissance" is shown here under construction on July 23, 2009 on a hill near Dakar, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The monument which is to be completed in November 2009, was initially... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 28 Jul 2009 | 10:12 am
Finally, a solution to that cartoony green spray that comes out of your buttcrack when you bend over a dishwasher and your co-plumber sticks his head right down your pants! Introducing – ASSPRAY!!! Er, it’s just called Aspray, and pronounced “A Spray,” but I think we all get the idea. You can also use it on your privates! That means your vagina or penis.
As Moe would say, “Ahhhh, ya got the stink lines and everything…”
Nice to see Kirk Cameron’s still doing alright for himself this days.
DEA agents, Los Angeles police and Las Vegas police are executing a search warrant on the Las Vegas home of Michael Jacksons personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray Source: FOXNews.com | 28 Jul 2009 | 9:41 am
AP - "Labor Day" (William Morrow. 244 pages. $24.99), by Joyce Maynard: It's the long Labor Day weekend in Holton Mills, N.H., in the mid-1980s, and 13-year-old Henry and his mother, Adele, have nothing special planned.
She broke your heart and won rave reviews as the earnest kid in the coming-of-age drama "My Girl." And then, a few years later, Anna Chlumsky had her own heart broken -- by Hollywood.
Michael Jackson's personal doctor administered a powerful anesthetic to help him sleep, and authorities believe the drug killed the pop singer Source: FOXNews.com | 28 Jul 2009 | 9:17 am
Michael Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, administered a powerful drug that authorities believe killed the singer, a source close to the Jackson family and with knowledge of the investigation confirmed to CNN on Monday. Murray allegedly gave Jackson the anesthetic propofol in the 24 hours before he died, the source said.
Kevin Federline? More like Kevin Overfederline… the once husband of Britney Spears and current father of their two children together was spotted at the Sheckler Foundation’s 2nd Annual Ryan Sheckler X Games Celebrity Classic. And he finally answered that age old question “What has K-Fed been up to these last couple of months?”, as the answer is “Taking a mouthsoak in a mashed potato jacuzzi.” Which is confusing, given how much golf the guy is driving around and playing…
We think all K-Fed really needs is an image makeover! Get rid of the man capris and Strike Rite sneakies, and replace them with a snazzy suit and, like, 16 pairs of Manx. It’s a shame — he was such a hot piece of dirty ass white trash.
Harvey Schwartz spent the past 40 years collecting antiques, art and odd items that he rented to TV and movie studios as props and set decorations. But he must now sell everything at auction because of a dramatic decline in Hollywood productions over the past year.
Joe Jonas and Camilla Belle have broken up. Good luck finding any interested girls while on the rebound, Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers.
Fifteen-year-old Dakota Fanning is reportedly dating seventeen-year-old Willy Wonka star Freddie Highmore. You snooze you lose, Jonathan Lipnicki.
British director Marc Price is set to release Colin, a zombie movie made on a budget of just $70. Surprisingly, it still looks a lot better than The Incredible Hulk.
Peter Jackson is set to release an extended Blu-Ray version of the Lord of the Rings trilogy sometime in 2010. They’re done, actually, but it’s gonna take until at least then for Jackson to finish watching through the third one.
The New York Mets fired their Vice President of Player Personnel after he challenged an entire minor league team to a fight in a locker room and unrelatedly beat up a team employee. In line to replace him? Jon Voight’s character from Varsity Blues.
AP - "Dying for Mercy" (William Morrow, 377 pages, $24.99), by Mary Jane Clark: Some thrillers end with a suicide. In Mary Jane Clark's latest novel, "Dying for Mercy," everything begins with one.
• Madonna's "secret weapon" to looking good, at least according to her longtime makeup artist? Her eyelids are dusted with "a mixture of white shadow and flawless, crushed rose-cut diamonds." Certainly sounds expensive! [
Bella Swan better look out: The face of evil will look different next year.
It will still be ringed by long, red locks, but otherwise...different.
Bryce Dallas Howard, most...
Original Bachelorette Trista Sutter is putting her reality-TV experience to use for us here at Watch With Kristin, blogging about Jillian Harris' quest for the perfect guy. Take it away,...
UPDATE: Murray's attorney, Edward Chernoff, says in a statement that the doctor is fully cooperating with authorities.
"The search warrant authorized investigators to look for...
La Toya Jackson didn't get to share her musical ode to childhood memories with her brother Michael. Instead, she's doing the next best thing—sharing it with a cause close to her...
With no Angelina Jolie in sight, Brad Pitt jetted into Berlin earlier today for the premiere of his new Quentin Tarantino movie, Inglourious Basterds. Sources tell us that it's a quick,...
Is it true that a Mexican news crew saw Michael Jackson's ghost on the day of his Staples Center memorial service?
—Dalia, via the Answer B!tch inbox
Oh, don't...
Instead of bouncing around the space-time continuum and nestling up to the very hot and steamy Josh Holloway, this fall, Elizabeth Mitchell is fighting reptilian aliens on the remake of the...
Would you rather have old love letters leaked or get a DUI?
Madonna is facing a bout of mild humiliation as the Rock & Roll Pop Art Auction is plotting to put numerous personal items...
Discovery is one thing. Fifteen discovery demands that measure "several inches high" are another.
Attorneys for the two men whom Michael Jackson appointed executors of his estate...
It's been an incredibly turbulent year for the Manhattan real estate market, to say the least. Are things looking up? Is there more pain still to come? For a little insight, we interrupted a very busy 
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