Adventureland:Jason Segel, Jonah Hill, and Jason Schwartzman will headline Universal's Akiva Schaffer-directed the Adventurer's Handbook, a comedy about three bored friends who set off on a global journey inspired by Mick Conefrey's bestselling The Adventurer's Handbook: Life Lessons From History's Great Explorers. Hill, Matt Spicer, and Max "Fonzie Jr." Winkler wrote the screenplay. So who do you think will have to suck rattlesnake venom out whom? [HR]
Don't Smoke: Want a Gunsmoke remake? Too bad! CBS Films is mounting a feature reboot of the classic fifties TV western and has hired Gregory Poirier, the genius behind National Treasure 2, to write the screenplay. The story will retain the show's setting and hero, Marshal Matt Dillon, but will also feature a "contemporary look and modern action twists," which we can only imagine means Transformers. [Risky Biz Blog/HR]
Life Partner:Josh Duhamel is in talks to star opposite Katherine Heigl in the Warner Bros. romantic comedy Life As We Know It, about a pair of singles whose married friends die in an accident and leave them their orphaned daughter. To lighten things up a little, though, they'll also bequeath Heigl an entire drawer full of vibrating underpants. [Variety]
Meow: The N (which will soon be renamed TeenNick) has optioned the rights to Cat Walk, the second book series from Cheetah Girls author Deborah Gregory, for a possible TV show. The plot revolves around four students at New York's fictional Fashion International High School competing in a Project Runway-style design competition. Teenage Tim Gunn soundalikes, call your agents now! [HR]
Locked In:Jennifer Aniston will star in and Michael Sucsy (HBO's Grey Gardens) will direct Goree Girls, the true story of an all-female 1940s country band incarcerated in a Texas prison. (See this Texas Monthly article.) There's currently no word on which lucky actor will play the film's handsome warden and subsequently appear beside a crying Aniston on the cover of US Weekly's next "When Will Jen Find Love?" double issue. [Variety]
Jailbait: Sony has picked up The Experiment, the previously announced directorial debut of Prison Break creator Paul Scheuring — based on the real-life 1971 Standford prison experiment in which a group of regular dudes were asked to act as prisoners and guards, with hilarious consequences — starring Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker. Also, hunky underwear modelTravis Fimmel will join the cast, in a role that Elijah Wood nearly took. What an unfortunate mix-up that would've been! [HR]
New Hood:Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way shingle will produce a "Gothic reimagining" of Little Red Riding Hood, scripted by Orphan writer David Leslie Johnson. Spoiler alert: The title character will secretly be 40. [Variety]
AP - China is inflaming ethnic tensions by deceiving its own people about last month's deadly riots in western Xinjiang province, an exiled Uighur activist whom Beijing blames for the unrest said Wednesday.
BEIJING, Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- Xinhua Sports & Entertainment Limited ("XSEL" or the "Company"; Nasdaq: XSEL), a leading sports and Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 5 Aug 2009 | 3:45 am
(Reuters) Reuters - Media software company DivX Inc said on Tuesday it signed deals to digitally distribute films for Lions Gate Entertainment Corp and Paramount Pictures, bringing the total number of Hollywood studios to embrace its technology to four. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 5 Aug 2009 | 12:29 am
Reuters - Pope Benedict has a website, his own YouTube channel and he's on the social networking site Facebook -- now he's about to release his first album.
Reuters - ABC Daytime said on Tuesday it would move production of "All My Children" to Los Angeles from New York in December as part of a cost-cutting plan. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 5 Aug 2009 | 12:26 am
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Jon & Kate Plus 8" returned to TLC on Monday with two new episodes. In one, Jon managed the renovation of the kitchen cabinets while Kate and the... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 5 Aug 2009 | 12:24 am
Reuters - Tweaking folds of black and gold silk, Zolaykha Sherzad frowns. Reinventing a country known for burqa-clad women as a source of high-end fashion means getting every stitch right and something is not perfect with a dress. Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 4 Aug 2009 | 10:22 pm
Fox says "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul has decided to quit the hit talent show. In a posting on her Twitter account Tuesday evening, Abdul wrote that "with sadness in my heart,"... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 4 Aug 2009 | 10:04 pm
Coming soon to a theater near you (if a judge agrees): a full-length motion picture filled with footage of Michael Jackson's last rehearsals. The movie would come with all the elements... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 4 Aug 2009 | 10:01 pm
Jennifer Aniston will be singing a different tune behind bars.
Variety reports the actress has signed on to star in Goree Girls, a film about the Goree All Girl String Band, a country...
No word yet on what he'll do if Prince, Paris and Blanket end up being able to sing and dance like his late son, but for now, Joe Jackson doesn't plan on being too involved in their...
Front Page: Kudos voting nixes conflicts of interest -- In addition to changes that will affect what viewers see onscreen, the Emmy Awards are implementing a voting procedure that will alter who is eligible to serve as judges for this year's kudos -- a move that figures to disproportionately disenfranchise the most-nominated network, HBO.
Front Page: 'Orphan' writer partners with Appian for new take -- Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way banner is developing a Gothic reimagining of "Little Red Riding Hood" with screenwriter David Leslie Johnson.
Front Page: Michael Sucsy makes his feature directorial debut -- "Grey Gardens" helmer Michael Sucsy will make his feature directorial debut on "Goree Girls," with Jennifer Aniston headlining the true story of an all-female country band in a Texas prison in the 1940s.
The pop star's attorney tells E! News that his client is looking to do away with the order of...
AP - You could think of "Paper Heart" as sort of a benevolent version of the Sacha Baron Cohen model, with its mixture of documentary and fiction. Only instead of providing raunchy satire or exposing people's prejudices, it seems all Charlyne Yi wants to do is sweetly entertain.
Ack! Is it August 16 yet? No? Crap! As we wait (not so) patiently for the third season of Mad Men to begin, we find ourselves trolling the Internets multiple times per day in search of something, anything that will help soothe the savage beast within. Fortunately, when we fired up our iTunes this afternoon, we discovered that none other than Jon Hamm himself had recently sat down for a 45-minute podcast with ESPN's Bill Simmons (a.k.a. The Sports Guy). If you feel like you're the type of person who would enjoy listening to Hamm wax rhapsodically about the early-eighties exploits of the St. Louis Cardinals or the merits of the National Hockey League's Winter Classic (or if you just want to hear his goofy laugh), we highly suggest that you put your headphones on and devour the whole thing. However, if you're the kind of person who tunes out the second you hear anyone say the word "sports", well then, we've pulled a number of the best non-sports-related quotes out from the piece for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!
"I'm not going to confirm or deny that. It might jump forward, it might not." —On whether the third season of Mad Men takes place two years after the last season ended.
"A lot of his chickens came home to roost, so to speak. He had a lot of balls in the air, and they all kinda came crashing down as the season progressed. A lot more happens in season three, and there's a lot of change coming his way. Not only in his life, but a lot happens in the culture as well. So far, it's been an amazing season and I can't wait for people to see it." —On Don Draper's meltdown last season and how Don recovers (or doesn't).
"There was a lot of grandstanding on both sides, but I think at the end of the day, both parties wanted to be where they were. So then it was really about coming up with a number. It was a perfect negotiation and a perfect compromise where both parties left the table unhappy in some way, but they're both still there." —On the tense negotiations between AMC and series creator Matthew Weiner.
"Oh yeah, I do, I'm a fan. I was just on a plane this morning and watched an episode that I hadn't seen in awhile. [...] Pujols watches film of himself hitting, c'mon!" —On whether or not he watches episodes of Mad Men when they air and if that makes him egotistical.
"30 Rock is probably my favorite show on television." —On what he watches when he's not watching Mad Men
"If I win two Emmys, which I'm not going to, it will be just another thing I have in common with Kathy Griffin." —On his Emmy chances.
"I think he's an amazing director. His first film, Gone Baby Gone, was phenomenal. I think it's gonna be amazing. I play a cop and Ben [Affleck] plays a bad guy." —On his next film, the Ben Affleck–directedThe Town.
"I've recently watched — in the last year, basically — the whole Wire front to back. [...] The writing is not nearly as elegant or awesome as The Sopranos." —On his favorite television show of the aughts.
Good news for charity-ball vets and aspiring landed gentry: Vanity Fair's picks for their annual Best-Dressed List have hit concierge desks and bodega racks everywhere. Naturally, there are the usual glamazons and gentlemen you would expect to see appear in such a parade — Georgina Chapman, Carla Bruni, Brad Pitt, Anne Hathaway, H.R.H. Princess Letizia of Asturias, and so on. But there are a few out-of-left-field winners, some duds, and a peppering of head-scratchers in the bunch, as well. Credit where credit is due — we're not so sharp as to have thought to single out dapper fellows such as Cy Twomby and Lapo Elkann, or the charming, surprising Eké Udé. Then again, we wouldn't have included the tepid investor Ogden Pipps II, the rather rote Alejandro Santo Domingo (another investor), Renée Zellweger (so unreliable, that one), or even Stacey Bendet (of Alice + Olivia). It's a balance of the graceful and the garish best displayed in a simple red-carpet image of David "Son of Ralph" Lauren holding hands with girlfriend Lauren "Niece of W." Bush. She looks flawless in a black, satiny V-neck gown with plunging armholes and minimal accessories. He sports what appear to be studded leather jeans, a lumpy, wide-lapelled tux jacket, and the puffy pirate shirt made popular in Seinfeld. Guess sometimes it's the name, and not even the man, that makes the clothes.
If you missed out on the chance to brag to all your friends that you fell victim to a Ponzi scheme targeted to high net-worth individuals, you may still get to see your name appear on a list of really rich people who now find themselves in a world of trouble.
As part of a settlement with the federal government, UBS is going to be handing over the name of 5,000 clients who used offshore accounts to evade taxes. The Department of Justice had originally demanded 52,000 names from the bank; the settlement, which allows UBS to avoid paying any fines, requires them to only sell out 10 percent of Americans who took advantage of the Swiss bank's tax-dodging services.
Who will make the cut? Who will face charges as a result? Stay tuned!
The much-hyped open call for the second Sex and the City movie went off without a hitch today. The casting notice couldn't have been more enticing: It called for "models, celebrity types, upscale socialites, urban clubgoers, gays and lesbians, international types (Middle Eastern, Arabic, Asian, European, British) and professional soccer players." This makes us much more interested in the final product! Prospective extras were asked to turn up looking "Sex and the City fabulous." Were their efforts successful? (And did any soccer players actually turn out?) Check it out for yourself.
Jenna Elfman wore a draped gold minidress, sans belt, from the Lanvin pre-fall 2009 collection to the CBS, CW, CBS Television Studio, and Showtime TCA party last night in Los Angeles.
Do you like her spin on the look, or should she have kept it cinched?
A while back, inspired by the Times, we asked readers what their perfect New York night would be. Today, the Huffington Post asked Sebastian, the hair-flipping sage from NYC Prep, a similar question, and got the following response: "My little sister got to be one of the first to do a sleep over party at the Natural History Museum and she said that was pretty cool and a great place for playing tag. But for me, maybe a sleep over at the Federal Reserve down on Wall Street." [HuffPo]
Front Page: Sheila E. goes to Capitol Hill to talk artist's rights -- In a renewed flare-up of a long-simmering war, Sheila E. told Capitol Hill on Tuesday that performers have a "basic American right" to get paid when songs are played on the radio, while broadcasters countered that such legislation would jeopardize their business.
SKIN
• Sienna Miller said she washes her face with shampoo. New York dermatologist Heidi Waldorf says that's a bad idea because it can strip the skin. [Daily Beauty Reporter/Allure]
MAKEUP
• Bobbi Brown is teaming up with Lauren Bush to launch a new Feed bag that is packed with three lip glosses by the makeup artist. It will sell for $50 starting in October, with proceeds going to benefit the United Nations World Food Program. [Beauty Counter/Style.com]
FRAGRANCE
• Gianfranco Ferré is launching a new fragrance called "In the Mood for Love." The packaging was designed by Fabien Baron, and Steven Meisel shot the campaign, which stars Magdalena Frackowiak. [WWD]
PLASTIC SURGERY
• Addicted to Beauty is a new reality show that goes behind the scenes at Changes Plastic Surgery & Spa in San Diego. The Times describes it as "The Office with liposuction." It premieres tonight on the Oxygen network. [NYT]
HAIR
• Freida Pinto has a new, shorter hairstyle. [BellaSugar]
The Internet! It's like a playground for adults, full of cool toys, potential new friends, and occasionally, bloody-nosed scuffles. This week, two of financial journalism's biggest blowhards, Matt Taibbi and CNBC's Charlie Gasparino, eyed each other from across the yard, threw balls at each other with increasing ferocity, and then, in response to the bloody-minded aggression of their peers on the sidelines, reportedly responded to their chants of Fight! Fight! Fight! by agreeing to duke it out "in person" on Don Imus's radio show. Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs, the genesis of their argument, has been forgotten, and is free to sit smirking on the sidelines, hoping they both get pounded. Let's review how it all started ...
Opening Shot Gasparino criticized Taibbi's Rolling Stone Goldman Sachs "vampire squid" story on the Daily Beast, because he felt it was getting too much attention, which was bad for journalism and also for Gasparino, who prefers attention to be focused on himself. "Taibbi has elevated a combination of half-truths, superstitions, and a lack of understanding about the financial crisis to what is fast becoming established as 'fact': that Goldman Sachs was the main culprit for the financial crisis and is now unfairly profiting from the various bailouts the crisis caused," he wrote.
Opponent Reaction: Taibbi responded, not because the criticism needled him, but because his public was begging him to. "A lot of people are writing to me wondering when I’m going to respond to Charlie Gasparino, who took time out between martinis recently to take a shot at me," he wrote on his True Slant blog, then went on to explain that a brilliant, obscenity-laced smackdown was in the offing, if only the public could just remain patient. "As it happens I was already beginning work on a chapter on CNBC for my next book, as in recent weeks I’ve had several Wall Street executives call me to complain about certain practices at that network that should probably be shared with the public. So I’m working on that, and I think that is the appropriate forum in which to talk not only about Gasparino but about the other excellent reporters in the CNBC stable, who as we all know did such a terrific job standing up to their advertisers and exposing the dangers that lay ahead in the years leading up to the financial crisis."
Round Three : Gasparino called the Business Insider and offered some passive-aggressive praise. Taibbi's a "good writer" he said, but he's "taken this way too personally ... everyone makes mistakes ... I've written some clunkers too. I have pissed on Goldman a lot more than Matt Taibbi ...." Really, Taibbi reminds Charlie Gasparino of a young Charlie Gasparino, which doesn't mean he doesn't want to punch him in his fool face.
Bonus Round: Don Imus has apparently extended an invite to the two to appear on Thursday morning; we'll see if they can hold in their vitriol that long. To the death! (We hope!)
To hype today's release of Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice, Penguin Press has released this book trailer, unenthusiastically narrated by a person assuming the guise of Doc Sportello, the novel's Big Lebowski–ish protagonist. Since it's certainly not Don LaFontaine's, speculation is the voice could belong to the famously reclusive Pynchon himself. GalleyCat asked Penguin for clarification, but they replied with "No comment." Having only Pynchon's 2004 Simpsons cameo (embedded after the jump) to compare it with, this totally sounds like it might possibly be him, maybe.
Hope you don't injury yourself or have to go to the hospital for some reason. A new study indicates that the average waiting time at emergency rooms in New York—288 minutes, or nearly five hours—is among the longest in the country. [Crain's]
Not to get all Al Gore on you, but for every step you take around the Central Park Reservoir in your jogging shoes, another helpless Amazonian tree frog dies. Well, maybe it's not an exact one-to-one ratio, but environmental group and legendary killjoy Greenpeace has released a study suggesting that the practice of burning the Brazilian rain forest to create grazing ground for cattle — future shoes and burgers all — creates 17 percent of all carbon emissions globally (that's more than all the gunk belched out by all forms of transportation combined). Already, mass-market producers such as Nike, Timberland, Adidas, and Clarks have called for a moratorium on the inexpensive leather produced in the region — a solid first step — and most luxury brands take pride in sourcing their materials from exclusive locales. Lesson: best to keep those precious tree frogs and anacondas in mind next time you go slumming in Payless.
The cast of How'd You Get to Be So Rich? Clegg is the young dude in the back right peeping out from behind the redhead.
Did you, like every wacky kid in this town, buy a Snuggie to wear out on pub crawls this spring? It seemed like the perfect product, didn't it? Coat, dress, and Jesus costume all wrapped up in one. But what happened when you took it home to use it for its primary purpose, as a nice cozy blanket with sleeves? Were you satisfied? Gary Clegg, inventor of the Slanket — what he claims is the Snuggie's far superior predecessor — thinks he knows the answer.
"I am not a trash-talker, but you know why you can't do a pub crawl in our product? Because it's meant for lounging around. It's big!" said the cute, 29-year-old University of Maine alum when we met him at last night's launch party for Joan Rivers's new TV Land mini-series, How'd You Get So Rich? (held at Rivers's amazing gilded penthouse, no less). "So fine," he went on, "you can walk around with a Snuggie and it won't touch the floor, but when you're really trying to use it for what it's supposed to be used for — lying on the couch with your feet covered up — it's not gonna work." Don't believe him? Check out this side-by-side comparison.
"Don't even talk to me about the Snuggie," said Clegg's mom, Marilyn, who, at Clegg's request, had made him his first blanket with sleeves during his freshman year at college so that he could use his TV remote without exposing his arm to the harsh Maine winter. The rivalry between the two very similar products is legendary. "It's like a well-written fairy tale," Clegg says. "They're the black side and we're the white side."
First, there was the casting switcheroo heard around the world. Then, there was the tragic news that the cast of New Moon would not be taking it all off onscreen (foiled again).
Now, for...
Hey, have you heard the news? Vampires are so totally IN, people! Novelists who pen vampire books are raking in millions, Summit Entertainment is becoming a major Hollywood player thanks to the success of Twilight, and HBO's True Bloodcontinues to break ratings records with each subsequent episode it airs. And now, this fall, the CW is getting in on the bloodsucking action with the debut of the new show from storied showrunner Kevin Williamson, The Vampire Diaries. So why are they doing everything they can to convince the television critics congregated at TCA that their show is more than a lusty tale of a virginal girl being wooed by a pair of centuries-old vampire brothers who share a predilection for underage women?
Well, it seems that Williamson and the rest of the team over at the CW are fearful that their show will be perceived as being nothing more than a watered-down Twilight rip-off. The Los Angeles Times reports that Williamson told a panel of critics, "After [the show gets] beyond the premise of the girl and a vampire, we are trying to tell the story of a town." Really? In our experience, television shows about towns that aren't named Stars Hollow or Sunnydale or Twin Peaks are almost universally dull (see: October Road, Jericho, Mayberry).
Lest you think that quote was not representative of the conversation as a whole, The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd notes that Williamson followed up by saying, "There's this darkness that lies underneath this town ... it's not a high-school show, it's more a story of a small town." To which we say, "Oh, brother." Our advice? Just start writing some formulaic episodes about a book-smart but shy teenage girl who's torn between wanting to date the quarterback of the football team and fraternizing with some lecherously emo vampire siblings and watch the ratings start rolling in.
If there is one thing we can agree on as human beings, it’s that dolphins are pretty damn great. Right? Because, seriously, who doesn’t love dolphins? (Other than Tyra Banks @ 3:52.) Well, it turns out that in a remote village in Japan, fisherman are slaughtering dolphins by the thousands and then selling their meat to unsuspecting Japanese people. It’s a practice that has rarely been discussed before in the media, due to the secrecy of this village. Now, in an upcoming award-winning documentary called The Cove, these practices are being broadcast to an international audience.
Our friends over at The Post Show, including the creator of this here Bestweekever.tv Bob Castrone, have put together a series of short funny viral videos to help spread the word about this important movie. And if the following video tells us anything, it’s that you don’t wanna f*ck with dolphins.
And if you’re not of the mindset that dolphins are particularly gangster, then almost surely you think they’re badass, yes? Here is another video of dolphins being sexy.Or sexy. Yeah, dolphins being sexy. Don’t even front like it ain’t true.
From left: Miu Miu dress, Citizens of Humanity jeans, Fendi cardigan, and Alberta Ferretti wedges.
Tomorrow, Net-A-Porter's outlet site, theOutnet.com, is launching its first pop-up sale. And besides proving that pop-up sales can happen virtually, the clearance offers designer clothes, shoes, and accessories for up to 85 percent off. A Fendi cardigan is $206 (originally $1,030), a Miu Miu dress is $190 (originally $760), and a DKNY dress is $68.75 (originally $275). For accessories, a Kenneth Jay Lane necklace is $37.50 (originally $150) and Alberta Ferretti wedges are $205 (originally $1,025). And avoid spending hundreds of dollars on denim, finally, as Citizens of Humanity jeans are $43 (originally $215). Sorry, we just got the vapors. The sale starts tomorrow at 10 a.m. and lasts until Sunday, August 9, at midnight. Happy shopping.
She's hot in pics, no debate. Her quotes are gold, like li'l surreal haikus. But Megan Fox shines in that special way of hers when on camera, as is so clear in this snippet of her as she...
Michael Jackson. Farah Fawcett. Billy Mays. Walter Cronkite. Now, the year of celebrity tragedies continues with the biggest shocker of them all — the death of Britain’s famous 64-pound carp, Benson.
According to this news report, Benson survived getting caught 63 times (they must have one hell of a size restriction) but couldn’t survive eating “uncooked nuts.” Fortunately, his owner maintains a wry, British sense of humor about the death, and the nut-murderer will get away scot-free:
Expect the fish nut-murder story to make its way into a Law & Order episode sometime next season. Armand Assante will play the fish.
Playbill - The New York City premiere of Daniel Talbott's Slipping, a new play about a high school student's provocative new relationship with another boy, directed by Kirsten Kelly, opens Aug. 4 at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in Greenwich Village. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 4 Aug 2009 | 3:47 pm
President Barack Obama knows that sharing is caring.
The president turned 48 today, but he brought cupcakes for a White House correspondent who happens to share the same...
By now, we're sure, the majority of our readers have already taken their places in line outside their local Imax theaters to wait for August 21's Avatar Day, on which Fox will screen fifteen minutes of James Cameron's life-changing, industry-saving 3-D space adventure for free. For those of you who haven't, though, the movie's official poster and the first photo of an Avatar action figure have been released (see above). On the poster is Neytiri, the ten-foot-tall cerulean thingy whose body is controlled by Zoe Saldana, and the plastic guy is the one inhabited by Sam Worthington's wounded marine character (both are Na’vi, a species of humanoid alien in which earthlings are able to implant their personalities). If we didn't know better, we'd say this movie looked stupid.
That's right, people: There's a new Posh ad to ogle. We realize you've been busy loading up with all that Rachel Zoe goodness today, but the universe has bestowed even more presents upon us. A new image was released as part of the Armani underwear campaign shot with husband/Adonis David Beckham. The styling is the same, but Vicky's climbing a ladder. That's right, these skivvies will help you move on up, or so we're reading from the context. Now we're off to do a little Beckham rain dance in order to get a new glimpse of David.
Almost one year ago, Magnus Berger and Tenzin Wild debuted the first issue of The Last Magazine, an aptly named journal considering the state of publishing. Despite the shaky economy, Berger, a former art director at Baron & Baron, and Wild, who worked at Visionaire and Box Ltd., decided to use their artistic skills and fashion-world connections to create a glossy, oversize, biannual mag. The pair also run a design firm together. We sat down with Berger and Wild to discuss their new fall issue, a mutual affinity for jeans and tees, and how neither man ever leaves home without a credit card.
How did you get decide to start The Last Magazine? MB: I was working for Fabien Baron and decided I wanted to start a magazine where I could do whatever I wanted. I asked Tenzin if he wanted to do it with me, and he said "YES!" We had a few bottles of prosecco and figured it out that night. We ended up starting our design firm, Berger & Wild, right after that.
What can we expect in the fall issue? MB: It comes out in September. It’s sort of a collection of our favorite inspiring people: musicians, artists, architects, models, designers, a choreographer, a director, a tattoo artist, an actress. TW: The third issue is out this fall, and we are both very excited about it. We have some really great talent featured in this issue — both the contributors and the subjects.
How did you first get into fashion? MB: I had a lot of friends that kept on telling me I had a good eye for this, so I thought I should just give it a shot. I asked Fabien if I could start working for him and he said yes. TZ: An internship at Visionaire.
What’s the inspiration behind your own look? MB: It’s not that inspiring. TW: Simplicity.
What pieces or labels do you wear most? MB: Jeans. I like Cheap Mondays because jeans should be cheap, while shirts and jackets you can spend money on. I have these Common Projects boots that I wear a lot, and T-shirts from Unis on Elizabeth Street. I’m quite skinny and tall, so it’s more of a challenge to find something that fits than anything else. TW: I like wearing jeans and tees. I wear affordable labels, mostly. When I dress up for a special occasion, I wear a suit or just a jacket, but always black.
What was the first designer item you bought or wore? MB: I have no idea. TW: I think that might have been Armani.
Who are your favorite designers? MB: I liked what Hedi Slimane did for Dior Homme (the skinny look). I also like Riccardo Tisci, Rick Owens, Helmut Lang, Raf Simons. TW: Men's designers — I look a little silly in dresses.
Where do you shop in NYC? MB: The Army Navy store. TW: In my own closet. I keep wearing my old stuff over and over again. When I do shop, there are some good little men's shops in the LES.
Name an item you can’t live without. MB: My guitars, books, and a camera. TW: I don't think I am attached to items.
Finish this sentence: I never leave the house without … MB: My phone, keys, and credit card. TW: My credit card and my I.D.
Sergey Aleynikov, the accomplished ballroom dancer charged with stealing proprietary code from his former employer, Goldman Sachs, is apparently in the midst of negotiating a plea deal. We hope it doesn't involve him pleading guilty, since, as everyone knows, guilty feet have got no rhythm. [Bloomberg]
The only moneymaking scheme better than the one Bernie Madoff operated for two decades (if only because it's perfectly legal): the one that Madoff court-appointed trustee Irving Picard is now running. Picard's firm is charging $1 million a week to disassemble Madoff's investment firm and is stands to collect as much as $250 million when all is said and done. [NYP]
Right-wingers aren't going to town halls these days just to babble incoherently about President Obama's secret Kenyan birth. They're also attending to obnoxiously chant and shout about health-care reform. Over the weekend, Texas congressman Lloyd Doggett, Pennsylvania congressman Patrick Murphy, and Pennsylvania senator Arlen Specter all met with hordes of angry, sign-waving citizens at their town-hall meetings. Needless to say, this is not the way well-meaning adults engage in a constructive conversation about a topic of national importance. But that's because the mobs aren't concerned about making health-care reform better. Despite their seeming grassroots nature, the mobs are reportedly composed of Tea Party types backed and organized by anti-reform groups, who apparently believe things are just perfect as is.
But because this is a free country and people have the right to shout like banshees if they want to, the protests are likely to continue as long as congressmen keep holding town-hall meetings, which they need to do in order to explain health-care reform in the first place. Which means Democrats are now plotting a counterstrategy that includes demonizing and delegitimizing the more rowdy participants of the movement and hoping that the media joins in. Like this afternoon, when press secretary Robert Gibbs compared the mobs to the "Brooks Brothers Brigade" that sowed chaos during the 2000 Florida recount. Of course, the Democrats are hoping to have more success against this faux-grassroots effort, since that one actually, you know, worked.
The first drum solo comes so soon, the entire band isn’t even onstage. For their opening numbers last week, at three “special set list shows” that kicked off an August tenancy at the Beacon Theatre, Steely Dan limbered up with “Teenie’s Blues” by Oliver Nelson, an esteemed jazz composition that called on multi-handed drummer Keith Carlock to punctuate the jaunty, walking pace with unaccompanied rolls and crashes. Not even Rush, we don’t think, inserts a drum solo in the first five minutes of a show. But only then did Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, who created the best American rock band of the seventies, saunter out to join their high-aptitude helpmates.
“Teenie’s Blues” isn’t even the best-known track on its own album, which makes it a peculiar way to say hello to a crowd of 3,000. But Steely Dan built their renown by being cognoscenti who know about Oliver Nelson, as well as Owsley Stanley, prewar argot, Horace Silver, Charlie Parker, Jack Kerouac, and where to find the best session drummers in L.A. (Fagen was celebrating the thin-tie sixties way before Mad Men inspired fashion spreads.) It’s an unchallenged truism that Steely Dan is a “jazz-rock group,” partly because they employ jazz-ish players like guitarist Larry Carlton, partly because their songs use chromatic chords and ritornellos and other fancy elements we wouldn’t be able to name if we hadn’t read them on a Steely Dan message board. This is a band nearly synonymous with the archaic accolade “tasty,” a band whose guitar solos are studied and interpreted like the Talmud.
In the seventies, before they went overboard with the chromatic chords and retired, Steely Dan had eight Top 40 hits and thirteen charting singles. Unless you’re prepared to argue that the decade of Deep Purple and America valued ritornellos, this success proves that Steely Dan wasn’t a jazz-rock group, but a pop band who tricked jazz players into playing rock riffs and hooks, mastering the contradiction of bringing connoisseurship to the mainstream.
Fagen and Becker unretired in 2000, issuing two slightly anticlimactic Steely Dan albums this decade, and their summer tour relies heavily on the familiar: they rotate four setlists, three of which feature Gaucho, Aja, and The Royal Scam, their final albums before the sabbatical, and the most harmonically advanced of their first phase. (The fourth set list, dubbed “Internet Request” on their homepage, is based on fans’ votes — which so closely correlate to the band’s existing set lists that suspicion is warranted and an audit of the voting methodology may be in order.)
On his best nights, Donald Fagen looks like a guy who got lost on his way to the OTB parlor. No matter how long Steely Dan recorded in L.A., Fagen remained a New Yorker, gruff and pale, and last week he was even less hale than usual. On Tuesday night, they recreated Aja, their 1979 best-seller, an LP about idealism and transcendence, then followed with more than an hour of hits and complex drum fills; we’d never seen so much man-dating at a concert, not even at the Pet Shop Boys. There were more ponytails than a Hannah Montana concert. (“Look at all these stereo salesmen,” my own man-date chuckled.) In a voice as dry as the Santa Ana winds, Fagen coughed up some high notes, shorting out altogether on “Home at Last,” and announced he had a cold. The next night, a performance of Gaucho was canceled owing to his illness. On Friday, with Larry Carlton joining as a special guest — you should have heard the held tones he injected at the end of his “Reelin’ In the Years” solo! Seriously tasty! — they did The Royal Scam, a mean-spirited record that begins with a story of how the late sixties counterculture died, and Fagen muddled the first verse to “The Caves of Altamira.” The next night he was more voluble, adding new inflections and syncopations to songs, but on “Peg” it seemed he might lose his voice entirely, and a well-heeled couple next to me, in prime seats by the soundboard, declared the show “flat” and walked out halfway through. Elitists are difficult to keep happy.
Three nights of Steely Dan meant not only lots of loudly cheered drum fills but also lots of songs about drinking, from grapefruit wine in “FM” and cherry wine in “Time Out of Mind” to the reeling rejects of “Haitian Divorce” and “Babylon Sisters,” who drink a “zombie from the coco shell” and “kirschwasser from a shell,” respectively. Fagen and Becker’s songs are populated by putzes and shlubs, unreliable narrators who only think they’re having the times of their lives; these are filthy stories, lushly told. In a Jimmy Buffet or Kenny Chesney song, alcohol consumption symbolizes fun and community. For Steely Dan, it’s an augury of disaster, coming shortly after the last guitar solo has faded out.
Steely Dan plays the Beacon Theatre tonight (Internet Request night), as well as August 10 (The Royal Scam), August 11 (also Internet Request night) and August 12 (Gaucho).
Kate Wendleton of the Five O’Clock Club, a career-counseling network in New York, offers ex-employees of scandalized firms such as Marc Dreier's and Bernie Madoff's some excellent advice for getting a new job in today's Wall Street Journal: Just lie!
Said employees "should describe rather than identify" the offending workplaces on their résumés, Wendleton says, so as to avoid uncomfortable questions about, say, how they managed to miss the massive Ponzi scheme that was going on right under their noses.
And when the hiring managers (who, naturally, have called you in for an interview on the strength of said description, despite the fact that you haven't listed the name of your employer on your résumé and thus appear to lack basic sense) do outright inquire about the name of your former employer, Wendleton suggests you "talk about yourself first." "Briefly summarize your accomplishments," she says. And then "you can reveal the name of the organization."
Right? Because that wouldn't be weird at all. And after that kind of performance, who could possibly think you're anything but honest?
I’m not totally grasping the message of these Obama Joker Posters that have been popping up on the West Coast over the past day:
They appear to be an attempt to attack Obama, and they’ve already been denounced as derogatory and offensive by other leaders. Call me naive, but when I think of The Joker, particularly The Joker from The Dark Knight, three characteristics come to mind:
1) The Joker is f***ing awesome.
2) The Joker gets sh*t done.
3) The Joker is everyone’s favorite Batman character.
Other than the word “Socialism” being there, I interpret this poster to mean that Obama is an awesome badass who gets sh*t done and everyone likes him. He also murders a bunch of people with knives, but what politician hasn’t? (I’m looking at you, Rutherford B. Hayes)
If the poster-makers truly wanted to vilify Obama, they could’ve at least picked a crappy villain, like that Fallen thing from Transformers 2 or the Puttys from Power Rangers. I’d vote for The Joker in a heartbeat — who’d ever dare to eff with this country again?
According to the North Korean government news agency, Kim Jong Il has granted a "special pardon" to American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling. Televised news reports say that former president Bill Clinton is still on the ground in Pyongyang, but it's reported that when he flies home, the Current TV reporters will be with him as planned.
In the months following Trent Reznor's engagement to Mariqueen Maandig, things have been fairly bumpy in the Nine Inch Nails universe. The enigmatic front man retired, unretired, and, in the boldest step of all, even quit Twitter! Well, it turns out that things have been just as rough for his future bride: The lead singer of West Indian Girl has just been relieved of her duties by her bandmates. Harsh! [Pop & Hiss/LAT]
"I saw Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump having lunch today at the '21' Club," a tipster tells us. "They were with two other people. Not sure who the others were." The tipster didn't see them sipping champagne either, but the couple certainly has plenty to celebrate. Not only did Ivanka break the news on Twitter a couple of weeks ago that Jared had proposed, late last night she sent around word that she and her dadhave retaken control of Trump Entertainment Resorts, the string of casinos in Atlantic City that filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this year. Fitting they decided to eat at a restaurant with "21" in the name, don't you think?
When we last left American Apparel auteur Dov Charney, Gawker had posted a memo on a meeting in which it appeared Charney suggested that retail employees who were insufficiently attractive be laid off and sent, presumably, to toil in the back room of Strawberry. Now Charney has offered a somewhat flaccid denial in today's Canadian Globe and Mail. "At American Apparel," the Dov is quoted, "we strive to hire salespeople who have an enthusiasm for fashion and retail and who themselves have good fashion sense. But this does not necessarily mean they have to be physically attractive." This denial comes at the end of an article that suggests, as if you didn't know it, that we all consciously or subconsciously display bias toward the beautiful people of our world, giving them better jobs or better pay because of their looks or height. So, as they say, when you point an accusatory finger at poor Dov or his latest half-dressed billboard nymphet, remember that there are three stubby digits pointing right back at you.
Manhattan district-attorney candidate Cyrus Vance Jr. canceled a fund-raiser scheduled for today because he feared a madam might show up and ask some tough questions. The madam, Kristen Davis, announced she would protest outside the event because it was to be held at the home of Eliot Spitzer, the former governor to whom she says she supplied prostitutes. Later Davis served four months in jail for promoting prostitution, and Spitzer wasn't even charged for any of his involvement in the activity. "Cy decided that what was supposed to be a small get-together had grown into something that was beginning to overshadow the important issues in this race," a spokesman explained. Dude, if you can't stand up to one hooker, how on earth are you going to handle being the D.A. for Manhattan?
We start with some heavy-handed symbols of Jackie's impending tumble down the proverbial rabbit hole: The family visits Central Park's Alice in Wonderland statue, and then hits the Chocolate Factory, where a swirl of strange pictures on the wall connect Max Brenner, the bald chocolatier, to Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka.
Soon after a tantrum from Grace sends Jackie to the ladies room for a snort, Jackie's façade begins to crumble. On her way to the hospital she stumbles on a familiar vagrant, and as she kneels over him, a droplet of blood appears on his forehead. It's not a a stigmata: It's a drip from Jackie's nostril. She brushes the blood aside, like most of her problems. (At least she's not tripping like Akalitus, who dances in circles with the abandoned baby she's secreted away.) As usual, it's the other humans in her life that send Jackie over the edge. Here's a look at this week's beefs.
Who: Dr. Cooper Jackie's problem: Coop introduces his new girlfriend, Melissa (the pretty, vacant patient's daughter from last week), to Jackie as she tries to sneak past their lunch table. Ever the attentive nurse, Jackie remembers the girl — but Melissa later admits to not having the slightest recollection of having met Jackie. Not to worry, says Coop. Jackie's "just a nurse." And the doctor’s happy to lunch on Dean & Deluca, and even indulge in a little afternoon delight. The solution: Jackie goes off to take charge of the day’s patients that Coop neglects. Ridiculousness: Low. Ironically, Jackie’s got a clearer head, and a more caring soul, than Coop.
Who: Patient — an "Ivy league, pot-smoking Trustafarian." Jackie's problem: The patient's not officially an organ donor, but come on, he's got a PETA card, and someone needs a piece of him. The solution: Jackie disregards the wishes of the family, and perhaps the brain-dead patient himself, to harvest an organ that may rescue another dying patient. And she has absolutely no qualms about that. Ridiculousness: High. And yet, somewhat forgivable. It might be implausible (and certainly un-Hippocratical) to forge an organ-donor document, but her, uh, heart is in the right place.
Who: Patient — wannabe Jackie O. of the Upper East Side. Jackie's problem: The woman must be one of those moms who's more interested in keeping up appearances and getting her kids into the right preschool than giving them actual human love, right? Her two elementary-school-age boys have lice. Jackie's advice? Look, lady, get thee to a pharmacy and take the brats home to deal with it yourself. The Solution: Once Jackie learns that the lady really, really doesn't want to have to touch the kids, she sends a half-dozen bottles of RID or Qwell ("whichever has the word 'lice' in bigger letters on the label," Jackie demands) to the front desk of the family’s Upper East Side castle. Ridiculousness: Low. The bitch had it coming.
Who: Eddie Jackie's problem: Eddie doesn't want to be her dirty little secret any more. The solution: After rewarding herself with a little roll in the hay and some postcoital chatter with Eddie, Jackie reads Coop the riot act when she finds out he's having sex of his own instead of attending to a patient. After she barges in on him and Melissa, she spews some expletives and storms out. (Aha, says Melissa. Now I remember that nurse.) Ridiculousness: Medium. Her double standard is epic.
Who: Zooey Jackie's problem: The intern thinks Jackie could have saved the homeless man's foot if only she'd given him the proper diagnosis last time. The solution: Jackie denies having erred, but Zooey has chronicled every moment in a little red book — one she soon leaves unattended, and which Jackie promptly disposes of. Ridiculousness: Low. Why is Zooey keeping a book like that in the first place? We’re not sure what’s more ludicrous: that, or her pink-panda scrubs.
Who: Dr. O'Hara Jackie's problem: O'Hara tells her sister in Paris about Jackie's secret life after attending to her bloody nose. The solution: Instead of thanking her friend for the special treatment, Jackie lashes out at O'Hara. No matter that the other O'Hara is in Paris, and no names have been passed. Another tantrum, another door slammed. Ridiculousness: High. Jackie has a pretty messed-up idea of family. Not just in the sense that she is willing to live a dual life, but in that she can’t see the benefit of sisterly bonding. And the episode ends with Jackie begging her daughter to take a dance class with her. Her giddy voice goes up a few registers when the daughter agrees. It’s unclear who is the child and who is the parent.
The hit reality show "Jon & Kate Plus 8" returned to television Monday night with a scenario that many families in America can relate to: what happens when Mommy and Daddy separate.
Bill Clinton came through. Last night the former president jetted off to North Korea to negotiate the releases of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, the two journalists who have been imprisoned since March after they were accused of crossing over into North Korean territory without permission. Now they'll be going home. Kim Jong-Il has issued a "special pardon" and agreed to release them. [Reuters]
So yesterday the SEC accused Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis of outright lying to shareholders about the $5.8 billion in bonuses he paid Merrill Lynch. Lewis took $33 million of TARP money, and settled with the SEC, saying he would neither confirm nor deny lying. Then the bank announced it was hiring former Citigroup exec Sallie Krawcheck, and shuffled a bunch of other senior executives around in order to "position a number of senior executives to compete to succeed" Lewis "at the appropriate time," he said in a statement. Which, somehow, is not quite now? “Ken made these changes,” bank spokesman Robert Stickler told Bloomberg. “He is very much in the saddle.”
EVENTS
• American Idol winner and Skechers spokesmodel David Cook visits JCPenney to tout the brand's fall footwear collection. Manhattan Mall, 901 Sixth Ave., at 33rd St. (212-295-6120); noon—3.
SALES STARTING TOMORROW
• Denim, separates, and accessories are 40 percent off at True Boutique, in-store and online. Through 8/15. 278 Mott St., nr. Houston St. (212-431-7709); T—S (noon—7), Su (noon—6).
• All special-order signature-collection lighting and home accessories are 25 percent off and Thomas O’Brien for Hickory Chair furniture is 50 percent off at the Aero summer-retreat sale. Through 9/5. 419 Broome St., nr. Crosby St. (212-966-1500); M—S (11—6).
ENDING TOMORROW
• Take 80 percent off menswear, womenswear, shoes, bags, and accessories from spring/summer 2009 and past seasons at the Alexander McQueen sample sale. Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St., nr. Sixth Ave.; T (9—7), W (9—6).
“If I were 26 and this was happening, it would be all great, and I would probably buy like 17 Dodge Vipers. But right now it’s just a major inconvenience.” —Zach Galifianakis on his sudden success [Premium Hollywood]
"OK, I got an Emmy nomination, but my car is not working. What should I do: call a mechanic or jump up for joy?" —Jimmy Smits on learning of his Emmy nomination [Envelope/LAT]
"In truth, she wrote it with a team of professional writers and was signed by the very same guy that signed me in 1995. I have not mentioned that in interviews as I don't want to sound bitter or petty, because that's not me. Okay, maybe, if I really think about it, there were a few jealous and pissed off moments. So here goes, for the first time in an interview: Fuck you Katy Perry, you fucking stupid, maybe 'not good for the gays', title thieving, haven't heard much else, so not quite sure if you're talented, fucking little slut." —Jill Sobule is not happy with Katy Perry [Sun UK via Female First]
"My thoughts about [that] are that it's weird. It's very strange that other people are looking into your life and sexual behavior. It's very fucking weird! I don't get why people feel they have to see that." —Tommy Lee on the sex tape of him and Pamela Anderson [Contact Music]
"I don't know why people like Clear Channel and record companies were giving millions of dollars in advances. It's just stupid. It's embarrassing. I don't even know why rock musicians should be getting paid more than doctors. It's just entertainment. I'm doing this, I'm not waitressing so, you know, why should I get overly rewarded? I already get to do what I want. I mean, I'm not going to give the money back. I certainly don't feel doom and gloom. I'm delighted that any industry can destroy itself with its own greed." —Chrissie Hynde isn't in this for the money [Winnipeg Sun]
"Dear David Beckham. I know you have heard about my Shaq Vs show, anyway u will never score a goal on me. I challenge you, lil' man. David Beckham, I know you hear me. Don't be scared, don't make me call u out. Don't make me Tweet to two million people that yur scared of Shaq. Official, today is David Beckham is scared of Shaq day, he should b scared, he can never score a goal on me." —Shaquille O'Neal isn't happy that Beckham declined to accept the challenge for his Shaq Vs show [Contact Music]
Modest Mouse has finally released the animated video for "King Rat," which Heath Ledger conceived and had begun directing before he died. Not to give anything away, but it's a pretty gory statement meant to raise awareness of the illegal commercial hunting of whales off the coast of Australia. We like the song, and the animation is pretty great, but this is definitely going to spoil the whale-meat sandwich we brought for lunch today.
At last night's screening of It Might Get Loud, fashionable mess Courtney Love stumbled past photographers in an uncharacteristically ladylike green dress. "It's Givenchy, I don't like it," she noted. It didn't take her long to remove the party dress, and by midway through the film SHE PULLED US INTO THE LADIES' ROOM, wherein we died and she enjoyed a smoke, sporting a more predictable ensemble: leather pants, bra straps showing, and a flannel draped around her waist like the nineties never ended. She even let us take her pic for our Twitter (but not without flipping us off like a requisite bad girl). More on our night with her here and here.
The seemingly anxious Love, by the way, was unsure about her outfit all night: At one point she asked us, "What do you think of leather pants?" Of course, seated atop the sink with a cigarette in hand, if anyone could pull them off, it was that woman in that moment. But she wasn't convinced. "I'm not sure I'm getting away with it," she said. Even consummate bad girls have moments of fashion doubt.
Turns out, the article is about an actual bag of tools burning up in space after falling out of a rocket, but I still couldn’t help but immediately picture this image:
Ed Helms might be known to the masses as a beloved comedic actor, but it is also becoming apparent that the star of The Hangover might secretly want to pull a Jamie Foxx on us and turn into something of a musical maven as well. We’ve already heard his serious a cappella skills as Andy Bernard on The Office. But now, Helms is taking us to new heights with this latest performance in the upcoming The Goods, where he takes a crack at boy bands. Sure, this joke might be about a decade too late, but hold on… is it a joke? Cause he’s good… and we mean real good.
Though definitely not as good as the little blond guy, who steals the twinkie show:
AP - "When a Heart Turns Rock Solid" (Pantheon Books, 397 pages, $29.95), by Timothy Black: A window into the lives of three Puerto Rican brothers slides open during their teenage years, affording readers a raw glimpse of their struggles with love, drugs and violence in a sociological study that spans nearly two decades.
The Iraq War has been criticized, parodied, dissected, and lamented from just about every creative source attempting remotely topical satire over the past five years, to the point where I automatically roll my eyes at anything new that includes the words “Iraq,” “War,” and “Satire” in its description (or any two out of the three). What could possibly be said about America’s march to war that wasn’t already weakly parodied in countless lame comedies, or grittily explored in numerous interesting, if joyless dramas?
Even with this weighty mindset and essentially no interest to ever watch another Iraq War movie ever again, I went to see In The Loop, the Iraq War parody (d’oh!) from noted British comedy writer Armando Iannucci, and I can honestly say, it was easily the funniest and sharpest satire of modern-day warfare I’ve ever seen. It’s a completely watchable and hilarious movie independent of its subject matter, yet also manages to viciously tear into the dispassionate bureaucracy behind military action without getting bogged down in the preachy heavy-handedness of, well, pretty much anything that describes itself as satire.
I’ll refrain from going into too much detail, cause I assume most people haven’t had a chance to see this yet (I, however, live in a select city — excuse me while I adjust my monocle. Editor’s Note: Everyone in select cities wears a monocle). But I rarely feel the need to write a straight-up “you should see this movie” post (unless it’s like, Up or Dark Knight or something we can all discuss), so consider In The Loop my one official recommendation of the summer.
If you see the movie and don’t walk away moved by the characters’ ultimate courses of action in the end (particularly that of James Gandolfini as the pro-peace U.S. General), or endlessly quoting mantras like “difficult difficult lemon difficult,” then I will personally give you your money back. The money you spend on BWE.tv, I mean. Which reminds me, why aren’t you people mailing money into BWE.tv?
(For further recommendation, you can hear an extremely interesting interview with Iannucci about the film and his past comedy projects here. Man, I am on a recommending-sh*t ROLL. Also, everyone watch Casablanca, it’s really good.)
Australian heart-throb Hugh Jackman, seen here in June 2009, is to play legendary ringmaster P.T Barnum in a Hollywood musical "The Greatest Showman on Earth", Daily Variety reported Tuesday. Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 4 Aug 2009 | 10:58 am
Anyone who has ever owned a cat has unquestionably seen their beloved pet tap another creature to death with its paws. It’s just in their nature: Murder by tapping. In my Miami household, all variety of animals were tapped to their maker: Palmetto bugs, giant ants, lizards with their tails carefully removed and delicately placed into my cat’s stomach via his mouth.
But did you ever think of how the poor animal feels? Of course not. Until today. In the following video, we witness two quite adorable felines coming across a tiny spider with an incredible will to live. But sadly, the little 8-legged bastard never stood a chance. This is at once heart-breaking and cuddly.
Modest Mouse released their latest music video, “King Rat,” a bizarrely animated feature directed by…Heath Ledger??? Whoa, no way! I mean, when did Heath Ledger turn into Tupac??? Tupac released so many singles after he died, am I right, every comedian from 1996-2006????????? I’m high fiving every comedian from 1996-2006 right now. Also, man is George Bush dumb!!!
Mark my words: The Dark Knight is REALLY gonna cash in at the box office now.
Jack Nicholson is 72 years old. Jack Nicholson could still kick the ass of anyone who crosses him. Therefore, Jack Nicholson still remains “the sh*t” when doing a dance as antiquated as the Twist while vacationing in France. Look at him! He is literally knocking that woman over with his masculine wiles.
An onlooker said: ‘Jack’s moves were rather limited. He was giving it his all, but when he started doing the Twist everyone wondered if he was going to be able to straighten up again.’
This person should be shot. Jack Nicholson is the most amazing person to ever live through the age of 72, not including the amazing Jack Palance, of course. Most people in their 30s won’t even do the Twist! Admittedly because it’s so generationally irrelevant, but still!
Also good to see him wearing the wardrobe from As Good As It Gets. It suits him:
Building the perfect schedule for Perry's party: the Killers, Yeah
Yeah Yeahs, Kings of Leon and more
All festivals come packaged with them the
necessity of choice, but few festivals make those choices as
difficult as Lollapalooza, once again anchored by Perry Farrell's
Jane's Addiction. With eight stages full-up for 12 hours over three
days, you may find yourself having to ask some pretty ridiculous
questions, like "Lou Reed or Snoop Dogg?" "Andrew Bird or Of
Montreal"? We've done our best to eliminate some of those dilemmas
below, but for the headliners, even we're not gonna make
that...
The building of the Lebanese Broadcating Corporation International in the coastal town of Adma, north of Beirut. The Saudi offices of the Lebanese satellite station controlled by Saudi tycoon Prince Alwaleed... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 4 Aug 2009 | 10:09 am
A projection depicting women's statues, is displayed on the new Acropolis museum building's wall in June 2009. Greece's new Acropolis Museum on Tuesday said it will undo controversial editing of a video... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 4 Aug 2009 | 10:02 am
Brooke Hogan says she has been approached a number of times by Vince McMahon to follow in her dad's footsteps and join the WWE. Source: FOXNews.com | 4 Aug 2009 | 9:51 am
AP - "That Old Cape Magic" (Random House, 272 pages, $25.95), by Richard Russo: One of the ideas at the core of Richard Russo's latest novel is that happiness is "a place you could visit but never own."
Here’s a newly blond Britney Spears, seen right after exiting a time machine set to “Post Judgment Day” and bumping into Lindsay Lohan, who is none to please about the nuclear holocaust she just had to endure. Britney, of course, remained as perky as ever, possibly due to her 7 MTV VMA Nominations…
And in a related story, all of Los Angeles ran out of drugs last night. Just plain ran out. Still very much in stock? Food. Every single type and variety of food.
Another pic ahead, with Lilo looking a little more camera ready. (via Rolling-Blackouts.com and ONTD)
Robert Downey Jr. says new Sherlock Holmes flick will feature his character wrestling and sleeping with sidekick Holmes, played by Jude Law Source: FOXNews.com | 4 Aug 2009 | 9:05 am
AFP - Naomi Sims, a black model who opened the white-dominated fashion industry to African Americans in the 1960s, has died, reports said Tuesday. She was 61.
The most scrutinized family in America returned to television with back to back episodes that left the show's future dubious Source: FOXNews.com | 4 Aug 2009 | 8:26 am
A woman looks at Swiss artist Johannes Itten's "Tower of Fire" at the Bauhaus exhibition in Berlin. Ninety years after it began revolutionising design, art and architecture and six decades after the Nazis... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 4 Aug 2009 | 7:21 am
A woman looks at the art works on display at the Bauhaus exhibition in Berlin. Ninety years after it began revolutionising design, art and architecture and six decades after the Nazis banned it, Germany's... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 4 Aug 2009 | 7:21 am
It's 90 years since the founding of the Bauhaus -- the influential German design school which spawned a whole art movement -- and Berlin is celebrating with a major retrospective. The exhibition runs until... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 4 Aug 2009 | 7:21 am
Soul great on his new album and high notes from the past - writing
hits, hanging with Stevie Wonder and more
Smokey Robinson is practically synonymous
with Motown. Not only did he pen some of the most enduring and
instantly recognizable songs of the past five decades, but he
served as the label's vice president for over 25 years. And while
he may no longer record for Berry Gordy's imprint, Robinson is
helping celebrate Motown's 50th anniversary this year, and his
latest release, Time Flies When You're Having Fun, finds
him as smooth and soulful as ever. The record features guest spots
by Joss Stone...
Griffin O'Neal, the son of Ryan O'Neal, paints a vivid picture of violence, drugs and sexual infidelity surrounding the actor. In an emotionally explosive interview with CNN's Larry King, Griffin O'Neal claimed that Ryan was habitually unfaithful to his partner Farrah Fawcett, who died of cancer in June.
Jennifer Aniston will be singing a different tune behind bars.
Variety reports the actress has signed on to star in Goree Girls, a film about the Goree All Girl String Band, a country...
No word yet on what he'll do if Prince, Paris and Blanket end up being able to sing and dance like his late son, but for now, Joe Jackson doesn't plan on being too involved in their...
First, there was the casting switcheroo heard around the world. Then, there was the tragic news that the cast of New Moon would not be taking it all off onscreen (foiled again).
Now, for...
She's hot in pics, no debate. Her quotes are gold, like li'l surreal haikus. But Megan Fox shines in that special way of hers when on camera, as is so clear in this snippet of her as she...
President Barack Obama knows that sharing is caring.
The president turned 48 today, but he brought cupcakes for a White House correspondent who happens to share the same...
"I saw 
The Iraq War has been criticized, parodied, dissected, and lamented from just about every creative source attempting remotely topical satire over the past five years, to the point where I automatically roll my eyes at anything new that includes the words “Iraq,” “War,” and “Satire” in its description (or any two out of the three). What could possibly be said about America’s march to war that wasn’t already weakly parodied in countless 
I’ll refrain from going into too much detail, cause I assume most people haven’t had a chance to see this yet (I, however, live in a select city — excuse me while I adjust my monocle. Editor’s Note: Everyone in select cities wears a monocle). But I rarely feel the need to write a straight-up “you should see this movie” post (unless it’s like, Up or Dark Knight or something we can all discuss), so consider In The Loop my one official recommendation of the summer.
