AP - Fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander was sentenced Monday to 59 years to life in prison for sexually assaulting aspiring models he lured to Los Angeles.
AP - Fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander was sentenced Monday to 59 years to life in prison for sexually assaulting aspiring models he lured to Los Angeles.
(Reuters) Reuters - Boxing will return to movie theaters for the first time in almost three decades -- and in high definition -- with the September 19 welterweight championship bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez, it was announced Monday. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 1 Sep 2009 | 12:27 am
Reuters - CBS has landed a highly sought multicamera comedy script by "Will & Grace" alumna Gail Lerner. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 1 Sep 2009 | 12:24 am
These are not phrases often used to describe Pearl Jam, the 30 million-selling purveyor of angst-ridden guitar rock now approaching its 19th year of existence. And yet these are the words... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 31 Aug 2009 | 11:16 pm
HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- When a humble and dedicated U.S. postal worker was pushed into early retirement by the recent economic meltdown, he had no idea he... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 31 Aug 2009 | 11:01 pm
Chris Brown is not taking the blind-rage route after all.
Contrary to what we saw in CNN's sneak preview of Larry King Live's exclusive interview with the repentant singer,...
NEW YORK, Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert Verdi, television personality, celebrity stylist and arbiter of good taste, has announced SURVIVAL OF THE CHICEST, an exclusive fashion... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 31 Aug 2009 | 10:01 pm
NEW YORK, Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Want to "Get into the Groove" to the same music that motivates Madonna? Curious about what "The Remedy" is for Jason Mraz's healthy lifestyle?... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 31 Aug 2009 | 10:00 pm
AP - Gospel legend Marie Knight has died in New York City at age 84. She came to prominence while touring with Sister Rosetta Tharpe in the 1940s and singing hits such as "Beams of Heaven." Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 31 Aug 2009 | 9:48 pm
Gospel legend Marie Knight has died in New York City at age 84. She came to prominence while touring with Sister Rosetta Tharpe in the 1940s and singing hits such as "Beams of Heaven." ... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 31 Aug 2009 | 9:48 pm
We're gonna level with you. It hasn't exactly been the most happy-go-lucky summer, news-wise.
We don't need to remind you of the devastating pop culture blow caused by the...
• Some luxury fashion companies think (or are hoping, at least) that the recession has "bottomed out," and the tide is "slowly turning." Let's hope so! [WWD] • Related: Saks is hoping to now "wean wealthy customers from discounts" and "re-educate" them to pay full-price again. Good luck! [NYP] • How are fashion mags hoping to remain relevant during the turbulent times? By hitching their titles to TV shows, naturally. Not that the strategy always pays off as editors might have hoped, as Elle (Stylista) and Marie Claire (Running in Heels) have discovered. [AdWeek] • Homelessness is now "having a fashion moment." Make a note of it. [Cut]
• Which venue this Fashion Week will come out on top, the Bryant Park tents or Milk Studios? NYMag breaks down the competition. [Cut] • Fashion's Night Out is complete: Even Rosie O'Donnell is participating. She'll be giving a reading at the Giorgio Armani store, apparently. [Page Six] • Speaking of Armani, rumor has the Italian label got into a bidding war recently with Versace over Megan Fox. [Fashionologie] • French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld says she really doesn't own that many clothes, has decided to re-embrace the handbag and is moving on from the shag coat she's been wearing non-stop the past year or so. [Times UK] • Good news: Designer Tara Subkoff appears to be "doing well" following surgery recently to remove a benign brain tumor. [Page Six] • Opening Ceremony opened its Tokyo flagship this past weekend. In attendance: The Olsens, Alexander Wang, Erin Wasson, Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, and Andy Samberg. [WWD] • Michael Kors just returned from an African safari. He had an absolutely fabulous time, in case you were wondering. [WWD]
South African science fiction movie "District 9", already a surprise hit overseas, opened last weekend on local screens to a burst of enthusiasm at the home-grown film that took Hollywood... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 31 Aug 2009 | 8:53 pm
Producer Peter Jackson and actor Sharlto Copley speak during a panel discussion for "District 9" in San Diego in July. The South African science fiction movie, already a surprise hit overseas, opened last... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 31 Aug 2009 | 8:53 pm
File photo of one of the more than 60,000 people who were forced out the multi-racial suburb District 6 between 1966 and 1980. Noor Ebrahim walks through the waste-land of District 6, near the centre of... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 31 Aug 2009 | 8:53 pm
The nightmare is behind her and Erin Andrews is ready to play ball again. Or to talk about people playing ball, at least.
In a sit-down with get-getter Oprah Winfrey, Andrews said that...
Kate Gosselin didn't sound very convincing when she told Larry King last week that she thinks her soon-to-be ex-husband Jon is a great dad "deep down." But, on tonight's episode,...
Carrie Prejean will file a lawsuit against Miss California USA officials for stripping her of the title earlier this year, her attorney announced Monday.
Magnum's New Hudson, Colorado Facility to be filmed September 15th to 17th 2009 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Magnum D'Or Resources, Inc.... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 31 Aug 2009 | 8:15 pm
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Celebrity fashion designer Anand Jon was sentenced to a minimum of 59 years in prison on Monday for sexually assaulting aspiring models as young as 14, the Los... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 31 Aug 2009 | 8:08 pm
Reuters - Celebrity fashion designer Anand Jon was sentenced to a minimum of 59 years in prison on Monday for sexually assaulting aspiring models as young as 14, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said. Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 31 Aug 2009 | 8:08 pm
Front Page: Malcolm Venville directs Buffalo-based rom-com -- Keanu Reeves will star in and produce "Henry's Crime," a Malcolm Venville-directed romantic comedy that will begin production in November in Buffalo.
Front Page: Akiva Goldsman has been set as producer -- While Disney lays down a $4 billion bet on the future of Marvel's superheroes, 20th Century Fox has already begun overhauling one of its big Marvel franchises, "Fantastic Four," to take the property beyond the two films already made.
Reuters - Walt Disney Co on Monday agreed to buy Marvel Entertainment Inc for $4 billion in the year's biggest media deal, banking on Marvel's pantheon of superheroes to broaden its lineup of movie franchises that appeal to boys.
AP - Pop-punk band Blink-182 has pulled out of its show in Saratoga Springs, New York, saying band members were grieving the death of their friend, celebrity disc jockey Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein.
Joe Francis claims he was sucker punched. But Jayde Nicole insists it's Francis who prefers to take the cheap shots.
"Jayde Nicole was the victim of a violent assault when she...
Can't you just see it now: Courteney Cox getting it on with Robert Pattinson!
It definitely would make for good TV on Cougar Town, Cox's upcoming ABC comedy in which she plays a...
• After more than 30 years in business, Café des Artistes is no more. The landmark restaurant closed on August 9 for a monthlong vacation. Now the owners, George and Jenifer Lang, say they've decided against reopening it in September following "steady losses and a union lawsuit." [NYT] • Another notable closing: Ken Friedman and April Bloomfield's John Dory, which unexpectedly closed its doors on Saturday after just nine months in business. The duo say they're hoping to find a new location for it. [Eater, NYT] • One place that is not closing, contrary to a rumor that made the rounds late last week: the meatpacking club Griffin, which reports all is well. [P6] • A Voce should open in the Time Warner Center next week. [GS, Eater] • A roundup of other spots slated to open over the next week or two. [TONY] • A roundup of places scheduled to debut over the next few months. [Zagat] • Kurt Gutenbrunner (Wallse, Blaue Gans, Cafe Sabarsky) has signed on to oversee the menu at the new beer garden at the Standard Hotel. [Eater] • If Dean Poll wants to keep the Tavern on the Green name when he takes over the venue, he may have to pay as much as $19 million for the rights. [NYP]
David Paterson unveiled a new look today. Gone is the salt-and-pepper beard which has long been the governor's trademark; it's been replaced by a much trendier mustache. Could the change have had anything to do with the 'stache that Brad Pitt insisted on keeping for Inglourious Basterds, which the Timessuggested has helped to revive interest in the look? If so, the governor isn't saying. "When asked Monday why he shaved the beard he's had for as long as anyone remembers around Albany, he joked it came down to "more cutbacks." [NYP]
Newsstand sales and ad pages are down pretty much across the board for monthly fashion magazines. In times like these, women aren't spending as much money on magazines in stores as they used to, and they aren't spending as much money on the fashion the magazines plug, either. Indeed, plugging outfits that each cost more than a year (or two or three) of college tuition isn't what most women want shoved gallantly in their faces in These Economic Times (but has it ever been, really?). So in this year's September issues, many fashion monthlies pushed frugal finds to woo readers. Both Harper's Bazaar and Vogue pushed "stylish steals" on their September covers in an attempt to stay relevant.
But their efforts don't stop there: Many lady magazines are looking for reality-TV shows to either sponsor or essentially star in. Elle was the first to do this, with Project Runway (which is now sponsored by Marie Claire), when it premiered six seasons ago on Bravo. "All editors are spending a lot of time thinking about television because it's one way of making the magazine stay relevant," Marie Claire editor Joanna Coles tells AdWeek. "When everybody's clamoring for newsstand attention, anything that brings the brand to people's attention is helpful." This is probably why Anna Wintour is stepping so much into the public eye lately, with the release of R.J. Cutler's Vogue documentary, The September Issue — instead of reality television, Vogue chose the big screen. Marie Claire sold more single-copy issues after its reality show Running With Heels premiered on the Style network.
However, reality TV doesn't always work out: Elle's Stylista competition reality show — in which intolerable contestants vied for an internship at the magazine and a sizable H&M gift card flopped — won't return for a second season. The magazine has since taken in Olivia Palermo on a PR-assistant sort of role, and she'll appear on second season of The City, which we already know is a much better show than Stylista. Harper's Bazaar is also trying to get its "Fabulous at Every Age" feature on television in some capacity. And surely Project Runway's record season-six premiere suggests the nation's appetite for fashion reality television remains far from satiated.
But maybe the real problem with fashion magazines these days is not a lack of visibility in the realty-television arena, but a lack of content that readers can truly use. Sure, they can do features on finds for under $500, but most women might get more out of a feature about items under, say, $200. Also, the magazines might consider images of women who don't already look emaciated in real life, only to have their kneecaps erased, noses de-crooked, and thighs slimmed in Photoshop. You know, things the everyday women can relate to. Maybe that's why reality TV is so popular. The events might be 99 percent staged, but the people on them mostly aren't wearing $2,000 pencil skirts and avoiding pasta as though it were a toxic substance.
Weezer will step in while Blink-182 takes a timeout.
Still reeling from the sudden death of pal DJ AM, the reunited alt-punk rockers, who presided over a moment of silence at their...
Last night, we boldly laid out our predictions for the 2009 Oscar nominations, which should be announced, oh, in about six months or so. Now venerable L.A. Times awardsologist Tom O'Neil, who confesses "I haven't seen 95% of these films either," weighs in on our picks. [Gold Derby/LAT] Earlier: Vulture's Infallible Late-August Oscar Predictions
New AIG CEO Robert Benmosche may be on vacation at his Croatian villa presently, but when he gets back to New York, he is going to come in with guns blazing. First thing on his agenda? Reaming out Bonus-Buster Andrew Cuomo, who pressured Congress to release the names of AIG employees receiving retention bonuses this past winter.
"The worst thing that will ever happen to him is when he and I meet in the room and I close the door," Benmosche, 65, said of Cuomo. "I ain't going to meet with him with anybody else in the room. I won't tell you what I'll say to him, but I will tell you there won't be a nice word."
While he is at it, he may have a few words with Congress, too.
After all, he's no wimp, unlike his his predecessor, Ed Liddy:
“I would never, ever let them talk to me the way they talked to him,” Benmosche reportedly said, of 's appearance in front of Congress. “I would have told them what to do with this job, and I would have said it on TV: ‘You can stick it where the sun don’t shine.’”
Well shit. We'd be scared. After all, this is a man who didn't even show Snoopy any mercy.
For those who didn't know, Drake is not actually saying money, cars, hoes [sic] and clothes is what equals success (although that is what alot of ppl get from this song). After those 4 things are said in the chorus, Trey then says, "..I suppose..", with a hint of doubt in his voice.
We couldn’t agree more (although Drake doesn’t actually mention “hoes”). Despite the relatively voluble presence of guest rapper Trey Songz, this gorgeous song remains an attempt at stripping — and slowing — hip-hop down to its emotional essence. Which makes it the perfect gateway to another video — recently promoted by Sasha Frere-Jones and Hua Hsu, and embedded after the jump — which shows a man billed Lyric furiously rapping, accompanied only by his foot against the floor and the tapping of his pens on a school desk. The feat ends as someone opens the door to the classroom. Call it today’s lesson.
Ruh-roh! Gossip Girl's Chuck is kissing a boy, which is well and good, except for...what about Blair? We've suffered through two years of will-they-or-won't-they turmoil, and now that...
How can Demi Moore say she hasn't had plastic surgery? Is that even scientifically possible?
—Ellis, Secaucus, N.Y.
Sweet Lady Science, she is a strange mistress, no?...
The Bailey House, a fantastical castle in the heart of Harlem, was sold earlier this month. When our S. Jhoanna Robledo took a video tour of the place, we were blown away by the gorgeous 8,250 square feet of interior space, the quirky architecture, the original stained-glass windows, the herringbone wood floors and the coffered ceilings, the history (it was built by a circus impresario and was later a funeral home), and most of all the $3.5 million price tag. There is no other property like it on the island of Manhattan. It sold for $1.5 million. Sure, it needs millions in repairs (the backyard is a jungle, some floors have rotted through, and the plaster in several rooms is cracked), but even with all that added onto the contract price, somebody got themselves a very exciting, relatively bargain-priced project.
An image from Jimmy Choo's H&M line leaked on the Fashion Spot. The over-the-knee boots cost 1,799 DKK, or about $345. The line — which includes shoes, bags, and accessories for men and women and women's apparel — hits stores November 14. At that price, they should be real leather. [Nitro:licious]
A hoax video purporting to show Michael Jackson hopping out of a coroner's van alive was produced by a German television station as an experiment, the broadcaster told CNN Monday.
He's not flying here, mind you, but we're pretty sure he's thinking about it!
A few weeks ago, a few of Vulture's biggest True Blood fans put together a list of our top five gripes about the show. Well, as we were watching last night's episode, we realized there was one more minor complaint that we neglected to air a few weeks ago. Namely, Alan Ball keeps changing the laws of vampire physics on the show! Okay, maybe "physics" isn't exactly the right terminology, but you get our meaning. Take last night, for example, when Eric just up and decided that he could fly (!!!) through the air with the greatest of ease! Of course, during the show's nearly two full seasons, we've seen many a vamp do one of those fast-forward speed walks off into the distance, but unless we're totally mistaken, we haven't seen one straight-up bound into the atmosphere like Superman or Peter Petrelli on Heroes. Since when did they get those powers, anyway? Do all vamps have that ability, or is it some sort of special ability Godric passed down to Eric? Since we've seen vampires fly without having to morph into bats in other movies (The Lost Boys comes to mind), it wasn't as big a deal as, say, the discovery of Jessica's unfortunate case of regenerative hymen syndrome, but STILL. All we're asking for is a little consistency, please!
This season Burberry Prorsum is moving its fashion show to London, after showing in Milan for seasons. Shortly after its announcement, Pringle of Scotland, Matthew Williamson, Antonio Berardi, Jonathan Saunders, and Clements Ribeiro announced they'd move to London, too. It's unclear what exactly is prompting the great migration back to the U.K., but Burberry designer Christopher Bailey tells the Telegraph money had nothing to do with it:
"It's actually costing us a lot more to show here. It was a gut instinct," he says. "It's the 25th anniversary, films are being made, art, theater, and design are buzzing, they're planning the Olympics. London is the place to be right now. Am I nervous? No! It's pure adrenalin. It's my first London fashion show. The only other time my designs have been on the catwalk was when I graduated from the Royal College of Art, in 1994."
Or, as the Telegraph reiterates, "Bailey's lean, boyish frame masks the strength of an ox, and his head buzzes with ideas as hot as a furnace." So how do they explain the return of the other designers? More animal metaphors, please.
At first, our inner disaffected teenager kind of recoiled at the idea of edgy nineties band Sonic Youth appearing on consumer-porn soap Gossip Girl, even if it is our favorite show ever. But looking at this picture of Thurston Moore, Chace Crawford, and Ed Westwick, all looking totally comfortable and compatible, like none of them has ever shot heroin into his eyeballs or anything like that, makes us feel like its not that weird. If it were H.R. from the Bad Brains, that would be weird. But this? Fine. [Rolling Stone]
Folk singer Kate McGarrigle attended the Watermill Concert in Bridgehampton over the weekend with her kids, Rufus and Martha Wainwright. When we caught up with her after the performance, we asked if she had any tips for parents hoping to raise musicians. "With my kids, we always just played music," she told us. "I don't think my kids know any card games and I don't think they've ever played word Scrabble." View more insight in our Party Lines slideshow.
Has there ever been a more potentially disenchanting time for a reform-minded freshman state senator to be introduced to the ways of Albany than this past spring? We doubt it! But those were the cards dealt to Brooklyn's 29-year-old Daniel Squadron, whose first session after being elected this November just happened to coincide with the tragicomic breakdown of order in Albany that saw government grind to a halt in June and July. It was an especially hectic time for Squadron — he got married just a few days after the stalemate ended. We talked to him about that first crazy session, serving under majority leader Pedro Espada, and the perils of one's personal and political lives colliding.
How did your assumptions about Albany, going into your first session, change as a result of the things that took place this summer?
I think that what we saw happen was the extreme conclusion of a lot of things I was talking about when I ran. You know, a very leader-driven State Senate without any bipartisan cooperation, and the culture that had developed in the State Senate over nearly the last 100 years. And so it became more extreme and obviously the damage that it did to the state was terrible, but I think a lot of the root causes are ones that I've been talking about for a long time.
Are you embarrassed by what took place?
I think that what happened in the State Senate is ... is embarrassing for me, as one of 62 senators, and I think for nineteen and a half million New Yorkers. We have to do better.
Yeah, I would add to that, you know, over 30 days without passing a whole lot of bills that needed to be passed. It was as surreal to be part of as it was to watch, in a lot of ways.
What about the reforms that were enacted after the impasse was over?
The reforms we did pass, while they're not everything we have to do, are significant. You know, the idea that for the first time ever in the State Senate, 32 members can move a bill to the floor, that from a rules perspective changes everything, and now the culture and the way we operate needs to track that.
So you feel those reforms really do have teeth?
We'll have to see how much they're used. We have put the rules in place that can change the way we operate. Now the big question is, will we make use of those rules in the best way? And time will tell.
A lot of people are clamoring for a constitutional convention. Do you think we need one?
The argument that we need to rebuild from the ground up is true. But I don't think we should get distracted and think that a constitutional convention is the only way to solve this. Certainly there are pieces that we could take care of in a constitutional convention done right, but there's a lot we can do through rules and legislation.
When you were asked by the Post about Pedro Espada's loyalty after he was made majority leader, you said, "I'm not sure of anything now." How do you feel about serving under Espada?
My preferred way to get out of the stalemate was a bipartisan operating agreement; I put it out with Senator Schneiderman. It would have done even more in terms of remaking how we operate, but the fact is that we had to get back to work and we had to get back to passing bills, and this is the way to do it.
What's the future of gay marriage in New York?
I hope we pass it as quickly as we can.
Before the vote on mayoral control, one of your fellow Democrats called you "barely an adult." Do you get that a lot? People disrespecting you or treating you different because of your relative youth in Albany?
Well, I'm new there, and I tend to be pretty aggressive on the things I believe in, and I think some people like that more than others.
Was there ever a thought to delay your honeymoon when it seemed like it could coincide with a vote on mayoral control?
Obviously, with everything that was happening, everything was on the table, and because of a lot of factors it was important to do. If the circumstances would have been different, I might have done it differently.
Where did you go, by the way?
What else do you have, Dan?
What did you think of Governor Paterson's decision to appoint a lieutenant governor despite the constitutional murkiness of doing so?
I thought it made sense. I'm not a constitutional scholar, but it seemed to me that it made sense, and it would have been positive had the court upheld it.
What are your main goals for the next session?
Continuing reform with ethics, campaign finance, pushing the rules even further are all priorities. And we still have housing bills that are critical, marriage, as you mentioned, and any number of other bills from everything from social services to community involvement.
What's been the reaction from your constituents after this summer? Do they blame you personally or have you escaped blame for what took place?
My constituents, like the entire state, are very frustrated with what happened in the State Senate, and it's my responsibility to show them that we can do better and that I, as their representative, am fighting to make it better. And people are open to that, but there's no question that they're not satisfied.
Stacy Haiduk, an actress on The Young and the Restless, walked the red carpet at the Daytime Emmy's yesterday with a (presumably) stuffed cat. We're told it's a prop from the show.
Would you have gone this far? And really, what animal is most appropriate for the red carpet?
She may be all for supporting her friends on "The Hills," but when it comes to cheering on the budding musical career of Heidi Montag, Audrina Patridge isn't exactly her costar's No. 1 fan.
AP - Ten years ago, Mike Judge satirized the absurdities of the workplace experience from the perspective of put-upon employees with "Office Space." It didn't do much when it came out but, as we all know by now, it became a cult favorite on cable and home video, to the point where it changed the way you looked at the common stapler.
Scott Schumann, the Sartorialist, usually doesn't shoot homeless people, because he most often doesn't "find it romantic or appealing." However, one homeless man on the Bowery, wearing blue boots, recently changed his mind. At first, Schumann noticed the shoes, but late, upon closer inspection, he noticed his coordinating blue socks, gloves, and glasses. Schumann writes, "This shot isn't about fashion — but about someone who, while down on his luck, hasn't lost his need to communicate and express himself through style. Looking at him dressed like this makes me feel that in some way he hasn't given in or given up." After the homeless-chic cover of September's Italian Vogue and Elle's awarding an internship to a homeless girl, it seems homelessness is having a fashion moment. But the Olsens figured that out years ago. [Sartorialist]
• Get ready for the Spider-Man ride at Disney World: Walt Disney has agreed to pay $4 billion in cash and stock to acquire Marvel Entertainment. [NYT, WSJ] • Because she was clearly the very best person for the job, Jenna Bush has signed on with the Today show. The daughter of the former president will be contributing stories "about once a month on issues like education." [THR] • The Final Destination was No. 1 at the box office this weekend with a $28.3 million take; Inglourious Basterds came in No. 2 with $20 million. [THR] • Newsstand magazine sales continue to fall. Single-copy sales fell 12 percent during the first half of the 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. [AP] • NBC's new slogan for its fall marketing campaign? "More colorful." [Variety]
• CBS News correspondent Cami McCormick was badly wounded in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan; she's now receiving treatment in Germany. [CBS] • Fox is teaming up with Twitter to introduce "tweet-peats" of some of its more popular shows. The gimmick will consist of cast members sending out messages on Twitter when reruns air, apparently. [THR] • VH1's focus on "Celebreality" has its downsides, as the recent murder-suicide involving Jasmine Fiore and Ryan Jenkins made quite clear. [NYT] • CBS reports that it has sold 65 percent of the available commercial spots for next year's Super Bowl. [AdWeek] • Newsday has been rejecting ads for Verizon FiOS service, which just so happens to be a competitor to Newsday's parent company, Cablevision. [NYT] • Hearst plans to launch a site called Real Beauty this fall, "which will focus on makeup, hair care and other beauty topics." [WSJ] • Jann Wenner is planning to relaunch RollingStone.com this fall. [MW] • Did you know the Daytime Emmy Awards took place yesterday? No? You weren't the only one. Sunday's telecast hit an all-time ratings low. [THR]
As the pieces are still being put together to identify the cause of Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein's death, a police source tells PEOPLE that on Friday, August 28, the day he was later discovered dead in his Manhattan apartment, the celebrity deejay had sent his last text message to two friends at 1 a.m.
A Queens man is charged with lying to police about an incident in which he bashed his own head against a car in an attempt to frame a bouncer who kicked him out of a strip club for assault. The upside: This pretty unambiguously counts as his "rock-bottom moment" to share in whatever court-ordered treatment program he ends up in. [NYP]
If you're an unemployed fashion/beauty editor and you can't find a job, you officially have one more reason to be depressed about your career prospects today: OK! says Kim Kardashian has joined its staff as a "contributing beauty editor." [OK!]
Pop star Chris Brown has admitted guilt and apologized for assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna in February, but he does not remember hitting the singer, he told CNN's Larry King.
When Madonna, a Catholic follower of Jewish mysticism, started dating a boy-child named Jesus, you knew at some point they were going to take a trip to the Holy Land together. And thus we were unsurprised to see wire photographs of the pair entering the tunnels at the Western Wall together. What did surprise us was that the pair is scheduled to meet with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the end of the week. Didn't they learn a lesson last time Madonna came around and gave President Shimon Peres a paperback book on Kabbalah, telling him "every celebrity in Hollywood" was doing it? It was a move that offended people who were, you know, actually Jewish.
Of course, if she brings Netanyahu a hot young Brazilian thing and tells him, "every celebrity in Hollywood" was doing it, then she'll totally redeem herself. We'll have to wait and see.
Indeed, a handul of slightly less hot roadies were wheeling in giant set pieces, including a blue painted staircase and a blue brick wall that makes us pray for an“Evening at the Improv” homage. “To be or not to be, am I right people?” — HAMlet
(Above, our upcoming movie together. In France.Feel free to Photoshop your very own Wesley Snipes ’stache unto my face.)
PLASTIC SURGERY
• Demi Moore, 46, on rumors of plastic surgery: "It's completely false, I've never had it done. But I would never judge those who have. If it's the best thing for them, then I don't see a problem." [Telegraph UK]
HAIR
• A woman who claimed a Brazilian wax at Bliss Spa left her with serious genitalia injuries in 2006 is going to court, after an attempt by Bliss Spa to prevent a trial was denied by a judge last week. Medical experts will have to debate whether the situation was "vulvar irritation" or "labia trauma," which is more serious. [Cityfile]
• If you envy Nicole Richie's flatiron curls, here are five steps to achieve your dream of getting hair that looks just like hers. [Beauty Banter]
• Many people are getting at-home haircuts during the economic downturn, as 72 percent of salons have reported a drop in customer spending since January, in a poll of 600 salons. [WSJ]
SKIN
• A nightclub in Sweden is getting a lot of attention because it refuses to admit women who have visible tattoos, claiming they look "distasteful." [Jezebel]
MAKEUP
• The cosmetics brand Hard Candy is relaunching in Wal-Mart stores in September, with every product priced under $10. The brand used to be hard to find because it was sold only in specialty and duty-free shops. [Daily Beauty Reporter/Allure]
Emperors Club this is not: Carlos Lopez and Daniela Zuniga, of Queens and New Jersey, respectively, were arrested in Southampton for operating a prostitution ring out of two Hamptons homes, servicing 30 to 40 customers each night and recruiting women from New York City and Jersey for one-week stints in the brothels at "$40 a trick." Meanwhile, Mayor Bloomberg munched on a wiener at the 34th annual Hamptons Classic on Sunday, noting, "I'm not into this fancy food, like shrimp, caviar, and lobster … I love hot dogs." Bethenny Frankel doesn't approve of Jill Zarin's gallivanting around Southampton with D-list dads like Jon Gosselin and Michael Lohan, so she refused to make her a skinny-girl margarita. Barbara Walters gabbed with Paul McCartney and his latest lady, Nancy Shevell, at Philippe East Hampton. Shevell, meanwhile, has been keeping a safe distance from McCartney's ex, Heather Mills, who's been staying dangerously close to his Amagansett home. And Avril Lavigne was partying hard at Georgica and Axe Lounge without her Sum 41 hubbie, Deryck Whibley, which obviously means they're getting a divorce.
Andre Agassi was honored at the Ross School Tennis Center yesterday, where Alec Baldwin and Christie Brinkley faced off against pros Murphy Jensen and Petr Korda. Rufus Wainwright and Norah Jones performed at the Watermill Concert 2009: Last Song of the Summer. A hair thought to be Andy Warhol's was found underneath the paint of the Michael Jackson portrait sold at East Hampton's Vered Gallery, potentially increasing the artwork's value. The Jewish Center of the Hamptons commissioned a scribe to write a new Torah scroll by hand.The median price of a Hamptons home is currently $770,000, down from $1.1 million in 2007. Water Mill's 11976 Zip Code and Bridgehampton's 11932 both hit Forbes's "500 Most Expensive Zip Codes in America" list at numbers 14 and 15, respectively, while Southampton came in at 77 and East Hampton landed spot number 154.
Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Watts, and Kate Capshaw browsed through Stella McCartney's three-day-long pop-up shop, while McCartney strolled among guests, noting, "I basically have spent every summer of my life in East Hampton, before it was fashionable." Paltrow also filmed a public-service announcement for volunteerism at Jerry Della Femina's East Hampton home. Katie Lee Joel tweeted about her Sunday Carvel sundae. Martha Stewart served as honorary chair for East Hampton's "Garden As Art" garden tour. Bill Cunningham rode the Jitney and hit the streets of East Hampton. Jeff Gordon had red-velvet cake at his Lily Pond birthday party. And county officials warned against swimming at Sag Harbor's Havens Beach due to storm-related bacteria.
Has Matthew Weiner been spending too much time in Paul Kinsey's office with a sweater stuffed under the door? Last week, the formerly meticulous Mad Men creator somehow allowed a dictionary published in 1987 into the Sterling Cooper offices of 1963. And now, Vulture has learned, last night's episode was besmirched by the anachronistic appearance of a too-shiny cymbal. (Warning: Spoilers ahead!)
Last night, an astute reader — who was somehow able to notice this despite the blackface tribute to Al Jolson happening in the foreground — tipped us off that the Zildjian crash cymbal used by the drummer at Roger Sterling's garden party did not appear to be one that would've been available in the early sixties. And a look through these vintage Zildjian catalogs seemed to bear him out.
So we contacted Zildjian, and customer service representative Stephen Pappone concurs: "This cymbal would not have been available in 1963 for three reasons," he told us. "The brilliant [shiny] finish isn't something we offered until the late seventies. And the K logo, maybe not until the eighties. Also, an ink level like that didn't exist until 1975 or so. So this logo here, more than likely, was from the mid-eighties." At least it helped obscure the keytar player.
It’s not quite A+ caliber singer-falling, but it’s Joe Jonas jumping on a trampoline and not landing, and it’s online, so here it is:
Jonas Brothers jumping on trampolines and one of them falls — amusing for fans, otherwise who cares, right? Wrong. After just 300 views, the Youtube community is already abuzz with comments letting us know precisely how gay the video is (answer: very, apparently).
I realize this is hardly new for the internet, but every so often it just makes you wonder, who watches this video and just CANNOT RESIST taking the time to tell everyone how gay it is? The answer is, these people:
Spearsoft
what teh gay?
smokindinosaur
epicly gayy (+4)
Chuk13838
amazing, just like cirque du soleil… only super faggoty… (+1)
MarvelMan07
what a bunch of f*cking losers (+3)
I’ll admit, though, this one made me laugh:
mrzack87
Look at me I can do a backflip, but need to be assisted by a trampoline.
There were a few Kubrickian moments in last night's episode of Mad Men. The first involved the conversation that Betty had with the silver fox who put his hand creepily on her pregnant belly while she waited for Trudy to emerge from the bathroom; their entire exchange reminded us of the scene in Eyes Wide Shut where the European count began chatting up Nicole Kidman at Sydney Pollack's house party. The second was, of course, the moment where Don hops over the bar to make himself and "Connie" a couple of old-fashioneds; our brain was screaming "OVERLOOK HOTEL" at us during that entire scene. Which is a sort of roundabout way of getting to our question from the headline. Was Connie really the famed hotelier (not to mention grandfather to Paris), Conrad Hilton? ArtsBeat provides the evidence! [ArtsBeat/NYT]
OMG U GUYS Jim Breuer was like sooooo mad during this Pizza Hut commercial shoot he totally pushed a dude in an effing pool!!!!! And it ended up on the INTERNET so embarrasssingLOL!!!!
To quote Michelle, the only thing faker than that Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust cheese is this video:
Paulson with Bernanke last September, in the midst of thinking un –Christian Scientist thoughts.
With the exception of Nancy Pelosi, who the former Treasury secretary Hank Paulson tells Todd Purdum at Vanity Fair “was a wonder” during those tough months last September, “available 24-7, any time I called her on the cell phone,” and Barney Frank, whom he gets on with, though “I just wish he were a Republican,” Paulson has little respect for Congress. While he was sitting on the Hill during the hearings last fall, the Hammer, as he was known back at Dartmouth, was thinking pretty much exactly what we imagined he was thinking: (a) Don’t tell the truth, whatever you do, and (b) These people are freaking imbeciles.
“The thing that scared me was not a question I didn’t know the answer to. Just say, ‘I don’t know.’ The thing that scared me was some question that I knew, and answered correctly, and I’d be in deep doo-doo!” As his tenure wore on, Paulson confessed, “I amuse myself a lot by sitting there sometimes and thinking what would happen if I said, ‘Do you realize what an idiotic question that is?’ ”
Purdum doesn’t get details from the former Treasury secretary, but we imagine that he probably landed on the same scenario we ourselves have imagined, which is that Michael Capuano would go straight into a Joe Pesci “I'm here to fuckin’ amuse you? Am I a clown?” impression from Goodfellas, and Maxine Waters’ head would crack open, shooting grape-flavored Pez across chambers and straight into the gaping maw of Elihaj Cummings.
Just in time for the end of the summer season, an enterprising Horace Mann student has released a "Hampton Star Map," which features directions to 67 "celebrity homes and hotspots." The fold-out map will run you $7.95. You'll just have to hope his sense of direction is better than his spelling skills. [Hampton Star Map via Curbed Hamptons]
Isn't it funny how last season Whitney Port was a lowly glorified intern at Diane Von Furstenberg, "working" backstage at Fashion Week, but this season she's staging her very own fashion show in the tents? Reality-TV stars — they grow up so fast. On September 10 at 2 p.m., she'll show her Whitney Eve collection back-to-back with Nicholas K and Mara Hoffman, who are all represented by public-relations firm People's Revolution, which is the subject of forthcoming Bravo reality show Kell on Earth and also Whitney's "employer" on The City. It's like a love triangle — nay, orgy — of realness! However, Whitney's fashion show probably won't be on The City, since those shows are about Whitney's real, non-famous life. With any luck, it will be on Kell on Earth, though Whitney's ironclad MTV contract may prevent her from appearing on Bravo, the greatest television network in history. So what this boils down to is that Whitney is "interning" for herself and employing her co-workers, while Kelly is working for her "intern." We're staring blankly at the air and trying to figure out what this all means (somewhere, Olivia Palermo is staring daggers at us). The bright lights and long nights and hirsute men of The City return to the airwaves on September 29.
Once a week, Daily Intel peeks behind doors left slightly ajar. This week, the Non-Monogamous Actor in a Very Hot Relationship on Vacation: male, 39, straight, Williamsburg, in a wide-open relationship.
DAY ONE 8:40 a.m. Wake up next to Maryann, warm, half-asleep, cuddling. Seven days into my trip, having fled New York after not seeing her for a month. Seven days of hot sex so far, and a week yet to go. 8:50 a.m. Occurs to me that this is more sex than I’ve had in three years. Maryann is the third person I’ve slept with since ending a (mostly) celibate two years, preceded by an addled series of random hook-ups, preceded by the brutal, slow death of a three-year monogamous relationship, preceded by a decadelong (mostly) monogamous relationship.
9:00 a.m. Maryann slides back into bed, pressing her body against mine. I’m already aroused, and her hands on my body quickly have me hard. She slips off her nightgown and kisses down my chest, my belly, then lower down. I am aware, again, that her skills at giving head have improved considerably since I met her, and since her recent “playdates” with experienced teachers. We finish with slow, gentle sex, wake-up sex that leaves us with a glow. She leaves for work, I set off to bike around a new city. 3:10 p.m. Back from biking around, intend to work. Instead sleepy, flipping through “Yoni Massage”. I’m interested in learning about sexuality in all (well, most) of its possibilities, though this was inspired by Maryann telling me about a play-partner experience. Reading quickly fills my mind with elaborate fantasy; I masturbate. 4:20 p.m. I awake to find, to my surprise, that I’m aroused. Am I oversexed? Is there such a thing? I run my fingers along myself, around in circles just above my pubic bone, over my nipples. I’m fully hard again but don’t want to be exhausted for Maryann. My resolve crumbles immediately. I finish loudly, wonder if any roommates are around to hear me, and fall asleep. 9:00 p.m. At dinner with my high-school best friend and girlfriend, whom I haven’t seen in years. They found themselves in the same city with respective kids. It is so utterly fitting that they found each other. Their relationship is new, hot, and beautiful. 11:10 p.m. Maryann left early and is asleep. Sarah was the first one to really blow my mind sexually, the first one to break my heart with her meaningless hook-ups, and the first one to be heartbroken by my possibly-more-than-meaningless sex with others. Now I can see her as someone who helped set the course of my sexuality, someone who is still smoking hot, with that wildness in her eyes that first made me dizzy with desire. 11:45 p.m. Maryann is not asleep. It appears that erotic, sexual energy isn’t a finite resource that gets used up like a bottle of water, but it rather increases with frequency of its use. We had sex in simple missionary that was sweet and gentle, not mind-blowing, but just, well, really nice.
DAY TWO 9:00 a.m. Maryann’s at work. We met seven months ago and have built a connection based on strong sexual desire and interest in exploring new things. That quickly involved other interests, since I couldn’t have sex with someone for more than a week if there was nothing to talk about afterward. I have a deep, abiding interest in having lots of sex with multiple partners in a consensual, respectful, healthy way, if such a thing is possible for me to learn. And Maryann wants something similar. Which is why this is working. 10:00 a.m. Although it isn’t without rough patches. I feel jealous today. Not the old kind of jealous, that she is with someone else, but the new kind of jealous, that I’m happy for her that she’s finding these new experiences and I’m jealous that I’m not. 1:20 p.m. Biking around to find massage oil. Can’t believe I’ve been here a week and no massage has been given or received! Other priorities. 2:30 p.m. Massage oil. Check. 3:30 p.m. Suddenly overwhelmed that I’ve not had any other sex partners since meeting Maryann. Ah, well, except for Carin. But we didn’t really have sex. I catch myself doing the same definition game that annoyed me when Maryann did it. It is sex when Maryann and a playdate get each other off, and it was sex when Carin and I did the same just before I left New York. 5:45 p.m. Visiting Sarah with her kids. Sarah walks me out to the gate as I leave, her eyes smoldering. My desire for her is fully reawakened, white-hot, and unspoken, as it must be. 6:10 p.m. Thinking about Sarah and my high-school best friend being together, and my moment of piercing desire for her as I was leaving. 7:00p.m. Dinner with Maryann. A long “What are we doing?” discussion. To summarize: She feels that her sex play with others is technical, and my interest in sex with people is emotional, and there is a distance and a disconnect between those interests. But we’re also both new at this. We decide to let it ride and see what happens. 8: 00 p.m. She tells me that after our first long sex weekend, it was my tearjerker of a speech laying out my plans to be callous and slutty (I was trying to create some distance between us) that set her off to explore the world of sex play, non-monogamy, and polyamory. I point out that she had already done all the prep. 10:45 p.m. Sex. Maryann on top, rides us both to orgasm. Mmmmmm.
DAY THREE 5:30 p.m. Maryann back from work early, with a fire to have sex. We did, from behind. "Hard," she said. "Harder." And I complied — despite the fact that she had some pain. Hurts so good. 8:20 p.m. Live music. A friend of Maryann’s is dating the guitarist. She’s an artist and hot. I’m attracted to her and have fantasies of Maryann and her hooking up. Although Maryann has never expressed interest in women, a bit disappointing. 11:10 p.m. Okay. Rather intense. Maryann is crying, concerned that she has contracted herpes from me, that this is the cause of the pain. Although I don’t have outbreaks, I know I could spread it. We have very safe sex, but still there are risks. I contracted it from a woman I spent three years with. I have an itching desire to post something to postssecret.com, like, “Thank you, I’ll always have something to remember you by,” or to say to her now husband, “We have a lot in common.” But, no, there is no real point to that. When we act in resentment, we pick up hot coals, and the first one to burn is ourselves. 11:20 p.m. Online research. Maryanne is in pain. A Google image search of herpes is not a fun time. 11:40 p.m. I examine with a flashlight. It’s not herpes. Torn perineum. The skin at the base of her vagina has been split, and it is sore and angry. 11: 50 p.m. Exhausted. Convince Maryann to go to OB/GYN tomorrow, before we leave for a road trip to my family’s. Despite everything, I get her off with a vibrator, focusing on her clitoris.
DAY FOUR 9:30 a.m. Wanted to be on the road by 10:00 a.m. Not gonna happen. Maryann is at the doctor’s. 3:30 p.m. On the road, discussing boundaries and intentions for a Saturday sex party. Maryann is menstruating in addition to a torn perineum. But she is making arrangements to be able to handle the sex party. In particular, using a diaphragm and numbing cream the doc gave her. 9:00 p.m. At a B&B. I point out that I would prefer my bookish cousins not come along with us to the kinky sex party. She agrees. 11:45 p.m. We’re humping each other, hard. Suddenly, we’re almost having anal sex. “Is it now that you want to try it?” she asks. Well, no. Not now. Orgasm.
DAY FIVE 9:40 a.m. I woke up to a beautiful woman going down on me. This is a wonderful way to start the day. And then she rolled over and offered up her ass. And I fucked her. It was so intense and hot we both orgasmed within 60 seconds. 9:45 a.m. And then she, menstruating, torn perineum and all, asked that I step outside while she cleaned up. Here I am, outside. Am I hurting her? But she wants it. Confused. 6:20 p.m. Family dinner. Everyone is enamored with Maryann. I see her beauty through others’ eyes. 11:30 p.m. More sex-party talk. We agree that we’ll have sex with just each other and then talk about how we feel. I’m feeling vulnerable. Raw. I’ve never done this before. Neither has she.
DAY SIX Noon Museum with my mom. Seeing floral paintings of vulvas. 4:00 p.m. Outside a really good leather-and-toys shop. I am interested in the books on ropes and bondage, mostly because I’m interested in sailing, but also because the women I’ve been with have expressed an interest in being dominated. So I should learn how to do that. 10:00 p.m. At a house party. Maryann and her friend spend 90 minutes getting ready for the sex party. Maryanne’s in black heels, fishnets, a thin and very short pink top, and a fluffy hat. That’s it. 12:15 a.m. The party is interesting. A dance room and a lounging room, and a bunch of rooms of various sizes and lighting with beds and pillows and mattresses. Don’t like the music, but we dance anyway. 1:20 a.m. Maryann leads me to a couple rooms and finally picks one she’s comfortable in. There are five other couples anchored by a blonde and a frat boy who have been having sex for an hour straight. Wonder what they’re on. 1:30 a.m. I can’t concentrate. I feel like people are sticking their heads in the door and watching me. I’ve never done this before. Maryann goes down on me. Right as I feel myself getting hard, I see a friend I consider a sister bounce into the room. Lose erection immediately. Crap. 2:00 a.m. Wow. Took Maryann from behind as five other couples did the same. Suddenly the whole room was in the same position. Hot. We were next to another couple that kept brushing us. The skin-to-skin contact was definitely a turn on. 5:00 a.m. Drive home. Wow. What a night. Maryann made out with a woman we had sex next to, and I made out with a woman who watched us, who thought I was hot. It was all around safe and sexy and good.
DAY SEVEN 8:00 p.m. Spend the day alternately with my family and rehashing the night before. 11:00 p.m. Maryann’s leaving tomorrow. We spend the last night, as she calls it, “practicing our asexuality.” Which lasted for four minutes. When our bodies fit together and the sexual energy started to flow, she went down on me. And I wanted to make her orgasm, and she wanted to, so I did.
TOTALS: Five acts of intercourse, one public; one act of orgasmic humping; one act of anal sex; two acts of vibrator petting; four acts of fellatio; two acts of masturbation; one torn perineum.
We're not sure Raf Simons gets much sleep these days. The Belgian designer has four collaborations in the works for fall — Fred Perry, Asics, Peter de Potter (who is making graphic tees for Simons), and Dr. Martens — and he just finished a partnership with Eastpak that spanned three seasons. That's not even counting the men's and women's lines he spearheads for Jil Sander and his own label. But in times like these, there's no limit to the amount of ways a single designer can hustle in revenue. The most recent launch is a fall line for Dr. Martens, the second season of the partnership between the footwear company and the designer, which hits online retailers this month. A preview of the range shows boots, loafers, and lace-ups in black and brown leather, as well as several variations of copper, gold, and pewter — for those men out there who feel the need to shine. Now, as we await his spring 2010 collections to hit the runways, we have to wonder what other collaborations Simons plans to roll out next season. May we suggest Topshop next?
Don't get us wrong. We love the New Yorker's design and illustrations. In fact, we're probably the only people we know under 50 who actually laugh aloud at the cartoons. And, usually, the writing is descriptive enough that you don't need photographs. Usually. Today, while reading Rebecca Mead's "Talk of the Town" on Cindy Adams's one-woman show in the current issue, we were tripped up by an insufficient description of the subject's shirt, which apparently features pictures of her toy Yorkies, Jazzy and Juicy.
Relaxing at home, Cindy’s wearing a black T-shirt with heart-shaped photos of the pooches on the breast.
"On the breast"? We said to ourselves, trying to cue up a visual. What does that mean? Does it mean in the middle, above Cindy's boobs, like on her breast plate? And what of the fact that it says "photos," which indicates that there are two photos? Does that mean there is a dog on each of Cindy's breasts? Or are the two heart-shaped dog pictures hovering between or above her breasts? And if it is above, why not say "breast plate"? Maybe its not lyrical, but it is clear. Is it possible that Rebecca Mead is politely indicating Cindy has a uniboob?
We tried to move past it but found that we could not.
At the risk of impairing his vision for good, we asked Photoshop master Jed Egan to come up with a picture of what he thought a T-shirt with "heart-shaped photos of the pooches on the breast" would look like. Here is what he came up with.
Photo-illustration: Jed Egan; Photos:iStockphoto, Patrick Mcmullan
Did you know that Ray Kelly, New York's police commissioner, has a weakness for expensive ties such as those made by Charvet? The Timescovered this groundbreaking news today:
Among the facts that emerged: He likes silk French and Italian ties. "I wear mostly Charvet," Mr. Kelly said. "Some Brioni, an occasional Kiton, but mostly Charvet; I just think they are high-quality and they look the best."
Commissioner Kelly and his son Jim happened to be milling about after attending Mass at St. Patrick's. Both were dressed in dark suits, both wearing what looked like the Kelly family's beloved Charvet ties.
Police commissioner Ray Kelly was spotted at the Diane von Furstenberg show Sunday, his second appearance at Fashion Week... Citizens of the city can rest assured that Kelly is not only aiming to serve and protect, but also to do it in style. "I like to wear Charvet ties. I think they're unique and they're only carried in a few places. I got mine at the Charvet shop at Bergdorf's."
... Kelly says, wearing a bespoke Martin Greenfield suit, French cuffs fastened with weighty gold links, and a goldfish-colored Charvet tie. ("My big weakness," he confides, straightening the silk knot.)
Michael Kors writes about his recent South African safari: "Every day 6 a.m. wake-up calls and out for your first game drive by 7. We saw the big five (lions, leopards, rhino, elephant, and buffalo) within the first two days. Truly mind-blowing. Chilled out midday at the spa and one day even ended up doing an impromptu yoga session in the bush next to the Jeep. Our friends slept under the stars on their terraces for a night, but that’s too much nature for me. Found fabulous ebony bowls in cool, organic shapes. I can truly shop anywhere!" [WWD]
If one were to look solely at ratings victories, one might conclude that NBC's America's Got Talent was having a pretty good summer. After all, it consistently rates higher than its (admittedly weak) competition. However, when was the last time you or anyone you knew actually talked about something that happened on the program? We vaguely remember some redneck guy tearfully singing some country song back when the show first launched in June, but it's not like that dude (or anyone else on the show, for that matter) ever achieved anything even approaching the name recognition of Susan Boyle. And while we don't think that Steve, a contestant on this weekend's episode of X Factor, has an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show in his future, he certainly made for one of the most entertaining reality-show appearances we've seen in some time. You see, Steve doesn't have what anyone would exactly call a good voice, but he does manage to wear some very loose sweatpants to his audition for the show, sweatpants that must be extremely comfortable, judging by what's going on below his belt. We love how the producers decided to cut away during his performance of "It's My Party" to a shot of his extremely uncomfortable-looking daughters backstage, but this clip achieves instant legend status when the judge Louis Walsh tells Steve that "I just don't think you have the full package."
No, some inventive real estate developer didn't acquire rights to the name "Melrose Place" to use for his new apartment building. (Although, come to think of it, that may not be such a bad idea.) The ads taped to lampposts—which feature tear-off strips stamped with the address MelrosePlaceApts.com—are just part of a guerrilla marketing campaign by producers of the TV show. But it is refreshing to see a "broker" touting the "hottest property on the market" holding a glass of champagne, isn't it? It's like 2006 all over again. [Public Ad Campaign]
Chanel Iman, Jourdan Dunn, Sessilee Lopez, and Arlenis Sosa’s September cover of i-D broke last week. Four models of color on the cover of a September issue — the most important edition of the year — is a pretty big deal in an industry where non-white models still struggle to attain the same visibility as their white colleagues. Chanel tells the magazine:
“It usually takes an ethnic girl — I’m not saying black, I’m saying ethnic, let’s make that clear — twice as long. We’ve gotta work extra-hard to stay in the game and stay with the girls who do well but aren’t ethnic. Some girls can skip seasons, but us ethnic girls, we cannot skip a season, because that’ll kill us. Once you’re in there, you’ve got to go in hard. You’ve got to be strong. It takes time, investment, and being away from friends, family, and home. To be what you want to be, to be driven, means working twice as hard as the next person, whoever they are.”
Jourdan, now five months pregnant, might sit out a season but won't leave the fashion industry. She tells the magazine pregnancy has done wonderful things for her self-confidence. i-D reports she was barely showing at the time of the shoot, but:
“I’m starting to feel more secure in who I am now. Being from an Afro-Caribbean family, being black, skinny, isn’t really acceptable in that community; it’s all about having curves and stuff,” [Dunn] explains. “That’s why I’ve never been comfortable with my body until now, when I realize I can say this is who I am, I’m healthy, I’ve always liked to eat, and I’m now happy enough in my own skin to not give a fuck what anyone says about me any more. Growing up, being told I was skinny, felt like teasing. Everyone was always telling me about being a model, and it used to really piss me off. Then I got scouted. It might seem like I got big jobs right away, but I can still remember going on the Storm website and seeing these other girls’ amazing editorial work next to my same old test shot and Polaroids. Back then, I wondered if I would ever get a job.”
Well, she’s certainly gotten a lot of jobs since. And now a behind-the-scenes video of the i-D cover shoot. We hope you like models’ winking.
This is a Recap of Mad Men Season 3 Episode 3, “My Old Kentucky Home.” Spoilers and thirty-five random musical numbers within.
Pete and Trudy cut a choreographed rug, Kinsey seeks out A Capella redemption, Joan shines in the talent portion of the pageant, and new copywriter Sebastian sings “Under The Sea” in its entirety; last night’s Mad Men was a truly musical adventure that caused me to wonder “is this a dream sequence? Cause this can’t really be happening” about seven different times.
Through the absurdity, I still dug the episode, and because Michelle’s all post-L.A. jetlagged n’ such, you’re stuck with my painful jokes for your Mad Men Recap this week. Feel free to commence pre-wincing now.
IN THE SIXTIES, PARTIES WITHOUT BLACKFACE WERE RARE
The weightiest exchange in the episode, a moment of actual friendship-threatening hostility between Don and Roger:
“My mother was right — you should never be conspicuously happy, people don’t like it.”
“People don’t think you’re happy, they think you’re foolish.”
Roger ambiguously applies his mother’s (awesome) quote, innocently describing his new life — drunken twentysomething wife, blackface-tastic garden party, carefree frolicking with business elite — as true happiness. Don bitterly attempts to Debbie Downer his good pal, acting partially on behalf of societal norms and partially on behalf of his own jealousy, although, knowing what we do about Don’s insatiable affairs, who is truly more foolish: the man who acts in secret and maintains the illusion of family, or the man who just brings everything out into the open?
I’m not asking that rhetorically, I want a direct answer. I expect the next episode to end with the line “And the winner is…ROGER!” Vegas currently has Don as a 5:4 favorite, with an Over/Under of 4 Whiskey-Fueled Office Arguments.
THE PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE-EST CONVERSATION THAT EVER PASSIVE AGGRESSIVED
Jane and Joan — Roger Sterling’s respective current-public and former-secret squeezes — met face-to-face and traded catty passive aggressive barbs back and forth, with Jane happily utilizing her newfound status lift by demeaning Joan’s choice of apartments and instructing her to send a secretary to meet her driver. Joan shoots back, “Oh yeah? Well yo mamma’s ass is so big, airplane seats complain about the size of HER!”
Joan then carries her status-frustration into her dinner party with her medical resident husband Greg, first failing to convince him to sit at the head of his own table, and later withstanding backhanded compliments from the Chief of Staff’s wife, who’s encouraged that Greg actually managed to “land a woman like her.” The wife doesn’t actually speak this compliment to Joan, though, she writes it on the back of her hand with a magic marker and literally smacks Joan with the back of her hand repeatedly until the words enter Joan’s brain.
A drunken conversation later reveals that Greg recently botched an operation, furthering Joan’s bubbling disappointment, then the group plays Yahtzee and Greg stupidly uses Ones for his Four of a Kind, then the three guys measure their penises and Greg’s is half the size of the other two.
Joan then performs a French accordion song, and the show very awkwardly cuts to an audio track of her singing synced up with her lips. The entire movie Moulin Rouge then occurs.
CHEECH & CHONG’S “HIGH SOCIETY”
Meanwhile, Paul Kinsey continues to out-beatnik himself by the week, calling up an ex-Princeton chum for some pot to fuel a weekend work session. Peggy Olson grows a fifth ball and demands to be included in the pot party, and after a couple rotations, blissfully exclaims “I am so high.” I can’t tell if that line is an accurate depiction of what a rookie smoker might exclaim to try to seem cool, or if a ninth grader scribbled it to a friend in the middle of bio class and it somehow got included in the script.
The group ends up getting little work done — aside from glossing over the best slogan ever, “Bacar-D. Eisenhower” — and tensions eventually boil into a full-on a Capella fight, with Kinsey throwing out an impromptu “Hello my baby…” to prove his Tiger Tone worthiness to his skeptical ex-peer.
Meanwhile, Peggy’s self-confidence continued to swell pridefully during her time with the fellas, eventually causing her to snap back at her secretary’s patronizing concerns about her pot smoking with demeaning, guys-in-the-offce-like orders. Needless to say, she’s come a long way since her lady on the desk days at the beginning of Season One; if this trend continues, by next season, she’ll also be cheating on Don Draper’s wife.
GRAMPA, CAN I READ YOU A SYMBOLIC-ASS BOOK ABOUT ROME?
I’m all about symbolism and foreshadowing, but was anyone really buying Sally Draper reading The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire to her grandfather? That’s the book Betty’s semi-senile father casually peruses through before bedtime? And Sally struggles with literally one word of it then gets through the rest fine, even though she’s like two?
Next week, Sally foreshadows Don’s metaphorical “funeral” with a dramatic reading of Finnegan’s Wake, her grandfather’s book of choice while lounging at the beach.
MAD MEN? MORE LIKE, HITTING ON PREGNANT CHICKS MEN
We’ve seen a lot of reckless misogyny and desperation in 2+ seasons of Mad Men, but last night braved a new frontier: A man unabashedly hitting on pregnant Betty. Not only hitting on her while she’s pregnant, but asking to feel her baby bump, and internally weighing the pros and cons of going lower but ultimately opting not to (at least, that’s how I interpreted it — I guess he COULD have actually been feeling for a kick).
Not that Betty didn’t seem intrigued; she was in no rush to leave Compliment Towne, and played dumb when she and her male suitor were re-introduced. Could this finally be the season where a Mad Men woman cheats on her man when they’re not separated? Will Betty Draper be the Jackie Robinson of female affairs? Either way, score one for the ladies. (Mad Men Ladies 1, Guys 85,678).
Also, in the spirit of the weekly Rose/Bernard Recap questions: Where the hell is Duck Phillips?
“Sometimes he tries to make me laugh. He actually played a lot of pranks on the set this season. There’s one scene where Hank, Karen and Becca are driving up in the Porsche and right before I said my line, [Duchovny] used an application on his iPhone called iFart that made an awful farting noise. He used it quite a lot this season.” —Californication'sMadeleine Martin on working with David Duchovny [PopMatters]
"I was on the outside; I was like a sore thumb. I didn't have any friends who were actors at all; I never did. I was always on the outside. It was difficult being in London in this very strange acting community. All that, 'Theatre darling' — I just found it insufferable. It was fucking boring. So I moved to America and did what I'd wanted to do my whole life — make movies." —Anthony Hopkins [Contact Music]
I don't do it for the money, it's for the love of the music and the protection of it. It's like, come on, wake up! This is a call to arms. If I didn't care I would make a record with Auto-Tune and keep going until one day we wake up and no one's listening to rap, like what happened with rock music. When everybody let the hair bands run crazy, rock went through that terrible period. Kurt Cobain was the anti-hair band." —Jay-Z on saving rap from the fate of rock [Guardian UK]
"I was sitting on the couch next to Rob and he was telling me, 'I didn't know what to wear. I didn't have anything clean, so my friend wore this shirt last night and did a performance.' So his buddy did a whole performance in this shirt and Rob found it on the floor and thought it was the cleanest shirt he had, so he wore it to the awards." —Catherine Hardwicke dishes on Robert Pattinson [PopMatters]
In 2003, the city signed a five-year, $166 million deal to make Snapple the "official beverage" of New York City. It didn't take long before the pact was branded a failure, and it never managed to bring in cash that the city had hoped for. The agreement comes to an end this year. And now the city appears to be getting one last parting shot. The city's Health Department announced a new ad campaign today, which is supposed to "scare New Yorkers away from soda, sports drinks, bottled teas and other drinks with sugar in them," and features "streams of sugary drinks turning into glistening yellow globs of human fat, mottled with blood vessels and served on ice." The drink used in the ad? It bears a striking resemblance to a bottle of Snapple, doesn't it? Given the mayor's pattern of "extreme peevishness" in recent months, we're going to assume this isn't a coincidence.
Yes, Robert Downey Jr., Hugh Jackman, and Tobey Maguire will likely soon be fired, and the roles of Iron Man, Wolverine, and Spider-Man recast with various Jonas Brothers — but surely some good will from today's $4 billion acquisition of Marvel by the Walt Disney Company? Maybe! On a conference call this morning, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the company didn't plan on interfering much with any of the in-development Marvel movies ("If it ain't broke," he said), and that all current third-party deals would remain in place until they expire (meaning Spider-Man will stay at Sony, Iron Man at Paramount, etc.), and only then will Disney bring them in-house.
Best of all is this potentially terrific news: Iger was asked about the possibility of a collaboration between Marvel and Pixar, to which he answered that Pixar's John Lasseter had recently met with Marvel executives and "the group got pretty excited pretty fast" — "sparks will fly," Iger said. If they can make our photo-illustration a reality, we promise not to complain when Zac Efron is hired to play Nick Fury.
Remember when Kara DioGuardi thought she could out-Mariah the Bikini Girl and busted out her very own finger-snapping version of "Vision of Love"? Well, it seems as if she's up to the same tricks again. Only this time, she's taking on this year's execrable American Idol anthem "No Boundaries," a song she wrote and that American Idol winner Kris Allen decided wasn't really worth playing on tour. Listen at your own risk, people. [YouTube via NYP]
Looks like Wil Arnett is the latest celebrity to join the Ten-15 club, as he and Will Ferrell duked it out on a U.S. Open court along with Andy Roddick and Andy Murray. And if you thought GOB looked good before (yes, you did), then wait til you see him in his tennis blues… (Feel free to only watch the first minute of this video as most of the people in the live audience chose to do.)
Visitors walk the Picasso exhibit at the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid in 2008. The Reina Sofia contemporary art museum, one of the most visited in Spain, will be free of charge every weekday evening between... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 31 Aug 2009 | 10:53 am
England, I swear, you and your theories! Today comes a new suggestion about Blanket Jackson’s real father. No, not theIndian who cried over the garbage dump (good guess though).
Instead, they’re offering up the next most obvious choice: Child Star and MJ BFFL Macauley Culkin, whose sperm is likely to look like liquid gold. Though, now that they mention it, we sort of do see a resemblance…
Which begs the question: If blonde-haired, blue eyed McCauley is Blanket’s natural father, then who, pray tell, is the Mom? Mmmduhhhhhh…
Check out Stacy Haiduk’s pussy OMGGGGG U GUYS THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT LOLOLOLOL!!!! U ARE SICK!!!!!!!!!!!
Apparently her character on Y’n'R (that’s what I call it) is obsessed with a stuffed cat, hence the red carpet accessory. Still, she succeeded in getting pop culture blogs to mention her name and the word “pussy,” and didn’t even have to involve Eric Dane.
Two more pics of Stacy Haiduk’s stuffed kitty after the jump:
This season of America’s Best Dance Crew just got a little more stummy troubling. That’s because this week’s theme was Bollywood, and you know, now that we think about it, Mario Lopez could easily pass for Hot Indian. The teams were given only a couple of days to learn a variety of Indian dances, including Garba, Kathak, Bhangra, and Bharata Natyhum.
But let’s face it. There’s only one crew we really care about, Vogue Evolution, which has served as a nice cork in our gaping FierceHoles since Adam Lambert took runner-up in American Idol. But last night, we learned that Fierceness has a price, that price being Leomi, the transgender lead of the group. As Lil Mama so eloquently put it, Leomi is not acting like a lady. Because ladies usually don’t jam their high heel into the ground, snap their giant hands to their sides, rip their jacket off into a thousand pieces, and storm off. Which is why we keep coming back.
Also “I felt really hurted”? So sweet! :’(
Spoiler Alert: They still rock it out with their c’s out, as per expected.
AP - "The Magicians" (Viking, 402 pages, $26.95) by Lev Grossman: So, maybe you've heard a story or two about a young wizard who harnesses his power at a school of magic. But, oh, Harry Potter fans, you haven't heard THIS one.
A dancer at the annual Notting Hill Carnival in west London. Hundreds of thousands of people are in London for the Notting Hill Carnival, a celebration of Caribbean culture that has become Europe's biggest... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 31 Aug 2009 | 9:24 am
Major Kudos to the producers of ABC’s “Wait It’s Still Airing” Wife Swap, whom after season upon season of pairing up the world’s most opposite families, have finally monkeyed their way to Hamlet with the discovery of the following little boy. His new healthy Mom raids the fridge, tossing out anything that could double as car lubricant. But it’s when the bacon hits the trash that this 40 year old man in an 8 year old’s body goes bananas.
As Ilana Glazer said on Buzzfeed “Gotta get this kid on the blue collar comedy tour!” Truer words…
The Office, 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and the new encouraging-looking Community are all returning to NBC on Thursday, September 17th (weren’t there rumors that new 30 Rocks weren’t gonna happen til like February, Sopranos-style?) This promo doesn’t really show much, but after wasting this whole summer hanging out with friends and traveling, the video was enough to get me excited about sitting in front of my tv every Thursday then writing lines from it the next morning as part of my job.
Also, way to try to slip Leno in there, NBC, like we didn’t notice:
Front Page: Comicbook co.'s library has over 5,000 characters -- Last week, Disney wasn't in the superhero business, having distributed Pixar's "The Incredibles" but produced little else to capitalize on popular comicbook characters.
AP - "Blood Promise" (Penguin/Razorbill, 503 pages. $16.99) by Richelle Mead: "Blood Promise," the highly anticipated fourth book in Richelle Mead's popular Vampire Academy series, is the most exciting yet.
AP - "I Drink for a Reason" (Grand Central Publishing, 236 pages, $23.99), by David Cross: The problem with pulling a comedy act off the stage and onto the page is simple: Context gets lost. This is a problem for David Cross, whose ranting, angry invective is so successful in his standup act. His first book, "I Drink for a Reason," doesn't hold up nearly as well.
AP - "The White Queen" (Touchstone Books, 415 pages, $25.99), by Philippa Gregory: England's Wars of the Roses, the long, bloody contest for the English crown between rival claimants from the Houses of York and Lancaster, provide the backdrop for Philippa Gregory's latest historical novel.
Chris Brown is not taking the blind-rage route after all.
Contrary to what we saw in CNN's sneak preview of Larry King Live's exclusive interview with the repentant singer,...
We're gonna level with you. It hasn't exactly been the most happy-go-lucky summer, news-wise.
We don't need to remind you of the devastating pop culture blow caused by the...
• Some luxury fashion companies think (or are hoping, at least) that the recession has "bottomed out," and the tide is "slowly turning." Let's hope so! [
The nightmare is behind her and Erin Andrews is ready to play ball again. Or to talk about people playing ball, at least.
In a sit-down with get-getter Oprah Winfrey, Andrews said that...
Kate Gosselin didn't sound very convincing when she told Larry King last week that she thinks her soon-to-be ex-husband Jon is a great dad "deep down." But, on tonight's episode,...
Joe Francis claims he was sucker punched. But Jayde Nicole insists it's Francis who prefers to take the cheap shots.
"Jayde Nicole was the victim of a violent assault when she...
Can't you just see it now: Courteney Cox getting it on with Robert Pattinson!
It definitely would make for good TV on Cougar Town, Cox's upcoming ABC comedy in which she plays a...
Weezer will step in while Blink-182 takes a timeout.
Still reeling from the sudden death of pal DJ AM, the reunited alt-punk rockers, who presided over a moment of silence at their...
Ruh-roh! Gossip Girl's Chuck is kissing a boy, which is well and good, except for...what about Blair? We've suffered through two years of will-they-or-won't-they turmoil, and now that...
How can Demi Moore say she hasn't had plastic surgery? Is that even scientifically possible?
—Ellis, Secaucus, N.Y.
Sweet Lady Science, she is a strange mistress, no?...
This is a Recap of Mad Men Season 3 Episode 3, “My Old Kentucky Home.” Spoilers and thirty-five random musical numbers within.
Roger ambiguously applies his mother’s (awesome) quote, innocently describing his new life — drunken twentysomething wife, blackface-tastic garden party, carefree frolicking with business elite — as true happiness. Don bitterly attempts to Debbie Downer his good pal, acting partially on behalf of societal norms and partially on behalf of his own jealousy, although, knowing what we do about Don’s insatiable affairs, who is truly more foolish: the man who acts in secret and maintains the illusion of family, or the man who just brings everything out into the open?
Joan then carries her status-frustration into her dinner party with her medical resident husband Greg, first failing to convince him to sit at the head of his own table, and later withstanding backhanded compliments from the Chief of Staff’s wife, who’s encouraged that Greg actually managed to “land a woman like her.” The wife doesn’t actually speak this compliment to Joan, though, she writes it on the back of her hand with a magic marker and literally smacks Joan with the back of her hand repeatedly until the words enter Joan’s brain.
CHEECH & CHONG’S “HIGH SOCIETY”
Meanwhile, Peggy’s self-confidence continued to swell pridefully during her time with the fellas, eventually causing her to snap back at her secretary’s patronizing concerns about her pot smoking with demeaning, guys-in-the-offce-like orders. Needless to say, she’s come a long way since her lady on the desk days at the beginning of Season One; if this trend continues, by next season, she’ll also be cheating on Don Draper’s wife.
MAD MEN? MORE LIKE, HITTING ON PREGNANT CHICKS MEN
