AP - Gwen Stefani is rocking the '80s well into 2010, presenting a LAMB collection on Thursday that included off-the-shoulder "Flashdance" tops and acid-wash jeans.
AP - Gwen Stefani is rocking the '80s well into 2010, presenting a LAMB collection on Thursday that included off-the-shoulder "Flashdance" tops and acid-wash jeans.
AP - Gwen Stefani is rocking the '80s well into 2010, presenting a LAMB collection on Thursday that included off-the-shoulder "Flashdance" tops and acid-wash jeans.
AP - Gwen Stefani is rocking the '80s well into 2010, presenting a LAMB collection on Thursday that included off-the-shoulder "Flashdance" tops and acid-wash jeans.
AP - A federal judge Thursday tossed out a cookbook author's claim that comedian Jerry Seinfeld's wife was a culinary copycat when she came out with her own book explaining how to entice children to eat vegetables.
AP - A federal judge Thursday tossed out a cookbook author's claim that comedian Jerry Seinfeld's wife was a culinary copycat when she came out with her own book explaining how to entice children to eat vegetables.
 BBC News | Ellen? I give up on 'Idol' New York Post MAKING Ellen the new judge on "American Idol" is like putting a tutu on the gorilla in your living room and expecting it to start doing grand jetés. In other words, "AI" can't hide the fact that the show lost its heart when it lost Paula, ... Ellen DeGeneres on 'Idol': Risky move or brilliant plan? Measuring the Ellen DeGeneres effect on 'American Idol' Sideshow: Ellen to boogie on over to 'Idol' |
Reuters - As it expands its circle of producers, Sony Pictures Animation has struck a multiyear, first-look deal with Fred Seibert and his Frederator Studios to develop animated features.
No longer the new kid on the block, Kara DioGuardi was more than happy to offer her expert opinion on American Idol's latest hire.
"I'm a huge Ellen DeGeneres fan," the...
AP - The fashion industry put on its most glamorous face at New York Fashion Week on Thursday, presenting a star-studded overture to reluctant recessionistas.
This could be awesome.
Jeff Bridges, forever beloved as The Dude in The Big Lebowski, is in talks to reteam with the Coen Brothers on a remake of True Grit, reports...
Like most Vogue editors would, we assume, Hamish Bowles is taking the “Anna made me do it” defense for his looming performance of Noel Coward songs at Juicy Couture tonight. “Anna said she wanted her editors to be extremely proactive, so I really took her at face value,” he told us at the Couture Council of the Museum at F.I.T.’s luncheon honoring Dries van Noten yesterday. Only now, Hamish says, he’s discovered, “I am perhaps the most proactive editor!”
But truthfully, Bowles has only himself to blame. The idea to sing cabaret at the Juicy store came about after Vogue shot Juicy designer Gela Nash-Taylor’s country house outside Bath in England. Taylor had been planning a surfer theme for the ground floor, and Bowles said, “’Why don’t we do a totally English, Gosford Park country house sort of thing upstairs?’ It was one of those ideas that’s was sort of thrown out: ‘Let’s do cream cheese and cocktails and maybe I could sing a Noel Coward song or something,’ and the next thing I know, I’ve had two weeks of rehearsals! It’s the anti–Susan Boyle moment.”
Bowles has two sets, at 7:45 and 9:30 (La Wintour is expected at the latter). To prep, he says, “I’m planning to take a great deal of sedatives and I’m hoping I can slur the words out.” He also tried to rally a group of supportive friends who have turned out not to be so supportive. “They now tell me they’ve been letting eggs fester for a week,” he says, “so I’m not sure if that was a great idea.”
But if Bowles’s singing fails, he can rest easy knowing that at least his new mustache is a big hit. Said dapper ‘stache was acquired on a boat in Greece. “I was in a situation where I didn’t have access to a razor or a shaving mirror,” Bowles says, “so I sort of developed facial hair for the first time ever in my life.” During the shaving process, he trimmed and shaped, and is quite pleased with the results; he even hopes to grow some handlebars someday. We love the look, and so does Bowles’s No. 1 fan. “I sort of start whenever I see myself in the mirror,” he says. “I think, ‘My God, who is that gorgeous creature?’”
Read more posts by Jada Yuan
Filed Under: fashion shows, fashion week spring 2010, hamish bowles, juicy couture, party report, vogue
 Los Angeles Times | The Beatles: Remasters of the universe with sizzling sales USA Today With a little help from their fans, The Beatles again rule the marketplace as Fab Four fever greeted Wednesday's release of the band's remastered catalog and The Beatles: Rock Band. Discs are moving steadily ... Cheaper alternatives to 'The Beatles: Rock Band' Beatles take the music industry's sad song and make it better Life After The Beatles: What Is The Future Of 'Rock Band'? |
All Paula Abdul can do now is sit back and laugh.
The former American Idol judge is wishing her old show and its wisecrackin' new judge lots of luck.
Yup, that's her...
You were waiting for Mayor Bloomberg to offer up his predictions for the MTV Video Music Awards, weren't you? Well, he's officially weighed in: He says he expects Lady Gaga will have a big night when she goes up against Beyoncé for "Video of the Year" and "Best Female Video" on Sunday. [MTV]
The fantastic Dries Van Noten just happened to be in town — he was receiving an award from F.I.T. and the Couture Council — so New York's fashion director, Harriet Mays Powell, stopped by for a chat. Click to watch the two talk about his cerebral, artistic designs, and how you, if you're lucky enough to don one of his critically adored creations, can tell your own story through his garments.
Read more posts by Harriet Mays Powell
Filed Under: behind the scenes, dries van noten, fashion shows, fit, jonah green, videos
AP - La Toya Jackson says her brother Michael looked "absolutely fabulous" when he was laid to rest last week.
The Bachelorette, Jillian Harris, and her chosen beau, Ed Swiderski, are about to take a huge step in their relationship.
Nope, it's not a breakup. And it ain't a trip to...
• Now that the city has decided to hand over Tavern on the Green's operating license to Central Park Boathouse owner Dean Poll beginning on January 1, the restaurant has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. [NYT]
• Departures: Chef Jason Neroni has parted ways with 10 Downing; and mixologist Eben Freeman has left Sam Mason's (now bankrupt) Tailor.
• Morimoto has been given the community board approval to open a "low-key hangout" in the Church Street space formerly occupied by Dennis Foy. [Eater]
• A photo tour of Los Feliz, a new "tacos-and-tequila lounge" on the LES. [MM]
• A peek at Capital Grille, a new FiDi steakhouse opening on Sept. 28. [Eater]
• A visit to the penthouse of restaurateur Elaine Kaufman. [NYP]
• The city's very first Stumptown Coffee Roasters opened on the ground floor of the new Ace Hotel on West 29th Street this week. [NYT]
Several of the models at the L.A.M.B presentation this afternoon eschewed pants. But they could have been totally naked (or wearing barrels, or modeling gowns made from banana peels) for all that anyone paid any attention to them. Those poor hungry girls played distinctly second fiddle to what was happening in the audience.
We were minding our own business — having some champagne and checking out Gwen’s latest — when we looked over and spied a woman with a complicated platinum pompadour talking to Harper Bazaar’s Glenda Bailey. “Well,” we thought. “She has a lot of nerve. Showing up to a L.A.M.B show dressed like a Gwen Stefani clone. Creepy.”
Maybe not so creepy if, as in this case, you actually are Gwen Stefani. In our defense, Gwen skipped her trademark red lipstick today — how else are we supposed to recognize her? We eventually figured it out when the pale-lipped woman in question sidled up to Gavin Rossdale and patted him affectionately on the ass. If there are any rumors of trouble in paradise for those two, let us put them to rest now: They seem crazy about each other. There was actual canoodling going on. We didn’t even think that happened outside of books.
But Gavin had to share. As soon as people realized that Gwen was really watching her own show from the audience, girlfriend was swarmed. She was a good sport, happily posing for countless cell phone pictures and chatting up several show-goers, but she had to have been surprised by the reaction. After all, Fashion Week is all about appearing completely blasé in the face of both huge celebrity and total craziness. We once went to a show that closed with a lengthy interpretive dance, and no one but us even raised a brow. Surely Gwen didn’t expect this afternoon to turn into a better-dressed version of a backstage meet-and-greet, but at least no one asked her to indulge them with a chorus of “Hollaback Girl.” And the good news is, Gavin managed to entertain himself. The whole time his wife posed for pictures with fans, he took photos of her collection on his Blackberry. That’s love.
Read more posts by The Fug Girls
Filed Under: fashion shows, fug girls, gavin rossdale, gwen stefani, l.a.m.b., new york fashion week spring 2010
Reuters - Kate Beckinsale has to be one of the most schizoid actors working. She careens from arty dramas like "Snow Angels" to schlock like the "Underworld" vampire series.
At last night's Paul Rowland penthouse party, Kai Kuhne explained why he isn't showing this week. "An investor was pretending," he told us, a little cryptically. Those financial woes might explain why Kuhne swiped a bottle of Svedka from the soirée. Or perhaps the designer just wanted a giggle out of models Behati Prinsloo and Iris Strubegger. Then again, maybe he was just drinking with a purpose.
Read more posts by Mike Vilensky
Filed Under: behati prinsloo, fashion shows, fashion week spring 2010, iris strubegger, kai kuhne, party report, paul rowland
Review in a Hurry: The coldest place on the planet just got its first homicide, and Kate Beckinsale's on the scene as a U.S. Marshall—with serious issues. But like the Antarctic setting,...
Whitney Port showed her Whitney Eve line for the first time at Fashion Week this afternoon in the tents at a group show, along with People's Revolution clients Nicholas K and Mara Hoffman. So Whitney freelances for People's Revolution for The City, yet she is also a client. Though a tip sheet announced Olivia Palermo, who now works in public relations at Elle, would attend, she was nowhere to be seen, which is unsurprising considering all the nasty glares she shot at Whitney last season. However, we spotted Whitney's ex Jay Lyon waiting in line with all the normal people with a pretty brunette who appeared to be his date. Real nice, Jay — bring a hot date to your ex's very first fashion show! Fellow City cast mate Allie also sat front row, looking pretty fantastic with an amazingly shiny curtain of long, dark hair.
First up in the three-designer show was Nicholas K, whose spring 2010 line included drapey casualwear paired entirely with flat shoes. Whitney followed. Out strutted a model in a silver jacket and flouncy miniskirt with exposed tulle, which looked exactly like something Whitney would wear. The miniskirt certainly set the tone of the show. Butt-cheek–skimming hemline after butt-cheek–skimming hemline followed in shades of black, floral, silver sequins, and even tie-dye. One mullet-hemlined minidress came up so short in the front we winced in fear of the model flashing her crotch as she walked. Another silver minidress with a scary-short hemline was tragically see-through under the runway lights, which clearly illuminated the model's white thong underwear beneath. After Whitney came Mara Hoffman, a trippy mix of patterned and silver dresses, though we had a hard time getting our mind off that one Whitney Eve mullet dress.
Backstage, no less than three cameras circled Whitney and Kelly Cutrone. They were filming The City and determined to let no blank stare go undocumented! A brunette (who we're pretty sure was Samantha) flitted in, on cue no doubt, to hug Whitney (we assume it was Samantha, because Kelly congratulated her on the Bergdorf sale — we have a hard time telling reality stars apart sometimes). We approached Whitney, standing next to Nicholas K designer Nicole Kunz, for an interview. "Hi, we're waiting for Mara," she said to us. Mara arrived, and we began interrogating Whitney about tips for wearing miniskirts. "This is like a waste of everybody’s time if we’re going to do one interview," she told Kelly. "Are you trying to interview all the designers together or do you just want to talk to Whitney?" Kelly shot back at us. Everyone, we assured her, because it seemed like the right answer. Change of topics: How did the group show come about? "Well, we all work really closely with People's Revolution and so that’s how it came about," Whitney said a bit sheepishly. Whitney admitted she was stressed out, but said her line, which has been around for a short while now, was doing well. Kelly interjected, "We just started it. This is like her debut and launch of the collection."
Nicole said they decided to do the group show for financial reasons. She showed with Mara last season. "We know the routine, and Whitney came aboard, so we were happy to help her out with the whole process," she said. Before long, the many reporters from outlets like People elbowed us out of the way for their shot at Whitney. Nicole and Mara disappeared. We hovered, hoping for our shot at The City background fame. Eventually, we got to talk fashion with Whitney all by herself. "My inspiration was sort of, you know, playing off of spring and kind of Alice in Wonderland goes to a cocktail party," she said. "Very fantasy-driven but also fun and flirty, having a good time." Why did she decide to do a runway show this season? "You know what? I just — it kind of came into place really, really fast within the last couple weeks when I found out, and I just pulled it together really fast," she said. "But I didn’t really think it through so much. I was just like, you know, I have this chance, this ability, and I might as well go for it."
The line isn't in stores yet, and Whitney's not particular about where it lands. "Anywhere that wants to sell it. I’m open to everyone," she said. She said she'll be working "behind the scenes" at other fashion shows, but wasn't sure which ones. The always-polite reality star appeared to be tired of us, so we left her alone. When we turned around, we overheard Kelly saying to a member of her staff, "No one was with the other designers?" The staffer said something about a call that had just come up. Oh well! And as we exited backstage, a lady with a clipboard thrust a release form in our face with a pen. "Can you sign this? You were in the background shots." Score.
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: designers, fashion shows, jay lyons, kelly cutrone, mara hoffman, mtv, new york fashion week, nicholas k, nicole kunz, olivia palermo, peoples revolution, reality tv, show & tell, show and tell, spring 2010, the city, trends, whitney eve
A few more photos from the first day of Fashion Week are below.
Photos: Getty Images, AP
If there's one thing that irks Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic more than Courtney Love's disputed assertion that Grohl was somehow responsible for Kurt Cobain's appearance in Guitar Hero 5, it's the game's feature allowing players to use a Kurt avatar to perform Bon Jovi songs (yes, they've seen the video, apparently). The surviving Nirvana members just released another statement.
"We want people to know that we are dismayed and very disappointed in the way a facsimile of Kurt is used in the Guitar Hero game. The name and likeness of Kurt Cobain are the sole property of his estate — we have no control whatsoever in that area.
While we were aware of Kurt's image being used with two Nirvana songs, we didn't know players have the ability to unlock the character. This feature allows the character to be used with any kind of song the player wants. We urge Activision to do the right thing in "re-locking" Kurt's character so that this won't continue in the future.
It's hard to watch an image of Kurt pantomiming other artists' music alongside cartoon characters. Kurt Cobain wrote songs that hold a lot of meaning to people all over the world. We feel he deserves better.
Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl
Stay tuned for more official statements as they become available.
Read more posts by Lane Brown
Filed Under: activision, avatar, courtney love, dave grohl, guitar hero, guitar hero 5, krist novoselic, video games
Owing to her ongoing treatment for breast cancer, Maura Tierney has been forced to leave NBC's upcoming dramedy Parenthood (the show's premiere was pushed back to mid-season from fall following her diagnosis this summer). The network says she's expected to be okay, but her medical care will conflict with Parenthood's production schedule and require her role to be recast. We wish her a complete and speedy recovery. [Variety]
Read more posts by Lane Brown
Filed Under: health, maura tierney, nbc, parenthood, tv
So we don't know for sure why Miranda, Samantha, Carrie, and Charlotte have been filming scenes dressed in (extreme) costumes from what appear to be eighties versions of themselves. But we have some hints: BlackBook's Cayte Grieve was an extra on the set that day. She reports that the scuttlebutt among the crew members and extras is that:
• They're filming around Bergdorf Goodman, and in eighties attire (the extras were similarly clothed), because that's where the four ladies originally met.
• It is, indeed, a flashback and not a dream sequence (cue heavily gelled camera lenses).
• Bette Midler also makes a cameo in this portion.
Our favorite part of Grieves's report was when Eliot Spitzer came across the set and had to be shooed away by crew members. But, moving along, what are your reactions to these outfits? Here are ours, in four words: Skanky, Preppy, Dorky, Tranny. That Patricia Fields really knows how to distill a concept!
True Lies: What I Learned on the Set of ‘Sex and the CIty 2’ [BlackBook]
Read more posts by Chris Rovzar
Filed Under: cynthia nixon, kim cattrall, kristen davis, photo op, sarah jessica parker, sex and the city, sexandthecitymania!!!!
Still trying to wrap your head around The Weinstein Company's decision to release Rob Zombie's Halloween II during the last week of August, as opposed to, say, the way scarier month of October? Well, while that rationale still remains a mystery, horror aficionados who have long since tired of the Saw franchise will be pleased to hear that the long-delayed Trick 'r Treat will finally be released this October. For the Fangoria crowd (of which we consider ourselves to be honorary members), Trick 'r Treat sits alongside the still-unreleased All the Boys Love Mandy Lane as two of the most anticipated entries in the genre to come along in years. Yet, for some reason, both have struggled to find domestic distribution. And while we're somewhat peeved that Trick is going straight to DVD, the simple fact of the matter is that we're pumped to turn off the lights, curl up with a box of Bat Dots and watch the Anna Paquin–Brian Cox anthology on our flat-screen on October Shocktober 6. After watching the horrifying trailer, we're fairly confident that you will be, too.
Must Watch: Final Trailer for Mike Dougherty's Trick 'r Treat [First Showing]
Read more posts by Mark Graham
Filed Under: trailer mix
Turns out there is still room in the mashed-veggies market for Jessica Seinfeld.
A judge on Thursday threw out a lawsuit brought by the author of a for-kids cookbook who accused...
AP - It's Kate Beckinsale on Ice.
Last night, following a reading from his new memoir, I Drink for a Reason (for which the Columbus Circle Borders seemed ill-prepared, as the comedian lobbed F-bombs into the adjacent children's section), David Cross prefaced an audience Q&A with an admission: "I have no idea what's going on with the Arrested Development movie." When asked by a fan to elaborate, he clarified, sort of: "There's no movie — there's not not a movie, but there's no movie." We certainly hope that clears things up for everybody.
Related: Amber Tamblyn’s Dad Approved David Cross’s Salty Author Bio [Daily Intel]
Read more posts by Yelena Shuster
Filed Under: arrested development, david cross, news reel
As we waited behind a camera crew to interview Vena Cava designers Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai at their presentation at Milk this afternoon, two tiny but very well-dressed older ladies — one with gray hair and one with a blonde bob — were waving anxiously at what appeared to be us. Turns out they were cheering on their daughters. Lisa and Sophie turned around and a cacophony of girly squealing emanated from the foursome. "Mom!!!" they cried and exchanged hugs. Apparently, Momma Vena and Momma Cava come to every show, and the designers are anything but embarrassed by it. "They’re adorable!" Sophie said. "They always wear head-to-toe Vena Cava." They even style themselves. "My mom and I talk about it on the phone, we discuss and strategize, and then when I go home to L.A. I try everything on with her and we talk about it and make outfits. It’s fun," Lisa said. No mom jeans here!
The spring 2010 collection was inspired by a tribe in South Africa that Lisa and Sophie discovered in books at the Brooklyn Public Library — and by Gianni Versace. The prints and beading in the collection were inspired by the South African wall murals, while one of the most standout pieces of the new line — a crop top made entirely of safety pins — was culled from nineties Versace.
As runners-up for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, the designers earned $50,000 to help grow their line and got a mentor, Gap creative director Patrick Robinson. As a publicist tapped our shoulder, indicating our time was up, Lisa said the prize has "been hugely instrumental in getting the word out about our brand." Every two weeks they go into Patrick's office and show him what they're working on. He gives them advice. He even attended their show today. As a co-chair of the next Met Gala, would he bring Vena Cava aboard to help him plan the ball? "I don’t know. We haven’t heard about it yet," Lisa said. Before we could ask if they share a desk with Kanye West at Patrick's office, the publicist came between us once and for all just as Vogue's Meredith Melling-Burke walked up. We understand — our publication didn't give them $50,000, after all. We wonder if Meredith was delivering the memo about the ball.
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: designers, gap, lisa mayock, meredith melling burke, new york, patrick robinson, show & tell, sophie buhai, vena cava; fashion shows
In Margaritaville, some people claim there's a woman to blame, but in San Diego, Tila Tequila says it's Shawne Merriman's damn fault.
Now it's up to the D.A. to sort out...
Sad face. The upcoming NBC series Parenthood is letting go of actress Maura Tierney after the actress concluded that her breast-cancer treatments will continue to conflict with the production...
As we prepare ourselves for a week full of parties, shows, and front rows — and the footwear conundrums they all present — we're adding a new element to our fashion coverage: you. It's the Reader Look Book: a fashion photo album, simple enough, dedicated to your style. Whether you're working it for the tents or just plain working it at work, we want to know what you're wearing and how you're wearing it. You upload the photos, we'll create the slideshows, and we'll all revel in the shared sartorial glory.
So let's get this started: Using the tool below, upload snaps of what you're wearing — or of what your friends are wearing, or even a shot of those perfectly cut skinny jeans that the guy in your office is totally pulling off against all odds.
Here’s how it works:
1. Click the box at the bottom of this post to upload the stylish image in question.
2. In the "Title" box, tell us who you are.
3. We want details! In the "Description" field, dish a little if you can: brands, inspirations, thoughts, whatever you can tell us about the fashion we're looking at.
4. If you want, add searchable terms to the "Tags" field, like words that would be associated with your image (e.g., purple, BCBG, chiffon). Or you can ignore this part altogether.
5. Check the tiny box at the bottom of it all to accept the terms and conditions (no soul-stealing here, we promise), and click "save."
And that’s it. Easier than getting dressed in the morning!
We'll quickly approve photos and they'll be pooled into the Reader Look Book, which will continually update as long as you guys keep uploading photos. Because honestly, you deserve to have your personal style recognized.
Read more posts by Jessica Coen
Filed Under: the reader look book, trends
Alexandra and Theodora Richards both sported sunglasses to the BCBG Max Azria show earlier today.
Do you ever wear sunglasses indoors?
Read more posts by Amina Akhtar
Filed Under: look of the day
Representative Jerry Nadler of New York just introduced legislation today suggesting that in 2011, the United States Mint create a coin marking the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The coins — which would bear the words "Always Remember" — would be minted in New York and Pennsylvania, and the proceeds would go to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center. They'd cost a total of $10, which raises the question: Does this mean the $3 coins Aunt Helen bought from a street vendor downtown five years ago while she was visiting from California are going to appreciate in value? [City Room/NYT]
Read more posts by Chris Rovzar
Filed Under: 9/11, jerry nadler, memorials, politics, september 11, world trade center, world trade center memorial
Jay-Z plays the Garden tomorrow for the New York Police and Fire Widows' & Children's Benefit Fund, but last night he played the Blender Theater — a semi-secret show for a crowd of 600 just announced on Tuesday — for sponsors MySpace Music and DJ Hero. Being a corporate affair, there was an evident divide. The eager fans who managed to finagle their way in were joyously smooshed up front, while the various execs and video-game-tester types were seated in the cordoned-off back section. To his credit, Jay had no problem tweaking his corporate overlords, calling out the Blackberry set repeatedly: "Homeboy sitting on the steps — this ain't a poetry reading. You fucking my whole vibe up … Some of ya'll in the back acting bourgie. Yeah, I act bourgie, but I got a right to."
Otherwise, it was another monster show from a guy whose live act is as reliably great as he thinks his recorded output still is. We know it was supposed to be a promo gig for Blueprint 3, but there were only a few nods in that direction — he ran through the singles, as well as snippets of "Venus vs. Mars" and "Hate" (half the crowd knew the words, and Jay responded with a sly "Oh, you got the bootleg?") — but the set list was mostly greatest hits. Hearing throwback cuts like "Jigga My Nigga" next to something like "Show Me What You Got" is a reminder that Jay's bravado isn't quite as seemingly effortless as it once was, but for the most part the ride through his back catalog — "Heart of the City," "U Don't Know," "PSA," etc. — was a smooth and enjoyable one.
Late in the set, Jay let us know that "They told me to do 45 minutes. But I think I'm gonna do an hour and 15." Then a fire alarm cut off the mikes (luckily this happened during special guest Memphis Bleek's one full verse of the night). Eventually they came back, and Jay finished things off with sterling versions of "Hard Knock Life" and "Encore." Tickets for tomorrow night, we're sad to report, are sold out.
Read more posts by Amos Barshad
Filed Under: jay-z, last night's gig, music
• It looks like there's a new frontrunner to take over BusinessWeek. Mayor Bloomberg's media company, Bloomberg LP, has bypassed Bruce Wasserstein as the leading contender to take over the McGraw-Hill-owned mag. [NYP]
• After close to three decades at ABC News, John Stossel is leaving the network to join Fox News and Fox Business Channel. [FNC, TVN]
• Not all magazines are closing down or trimming operations. Cesar Millan and IMG have launched a title for dog owners called Cesar's Way. [WSJ]
• There's been an editorial shakeup at O, The Oprah Magazine. [NYP, WWD]
• Will this season be the last for Oprah Winfrey's daytime talk show? [NYDN]
• Graydon Carter appears to have been granted a pass. The Vanity Fair editor reports he hasn't been forced to sit down with the flock of cost-cutting McKinsey consultants now prowling the halls of Condé Nast. [NYO]
• A judge has tossed out a lawsuit by Missy Chase Lapine, the author who claims Jessica Seinfeld ripped off her cookbook last year. [AP]
• According to the Wall Street Journal, "Bonnet books," or Amish love stories, are "a booming new subcategory of the romance genre." Who knew? [WSJ]
• The raid by British commandos to free New York Times reporter Stephen Farrell has stirred up controversy. Some are suggesting that the operation, which left a British soldier dead, could have been avoided if Farrell hadn't ignored warnings about not venturing into Taliban territory. [Telegraph]
• Related: Farrell has recounted his 4-day ordeal on the Times website. [NYT]
• Now that the New York Times Co. is selling its classical music station WQXR, it's moving from 96.3 to 105.9 on the FM dial. [NYT]
• Saturday Night Live will kick off its 35th season on September 26 with Megan Fox as host; U2 will be providing the music. [NYM/Vulture]
• James Patterson's 17-book deal is worth a staggering $150 million. [Forbes]
• A musical about Woodstock is headed to Broadway. [NYT]
• New York magazine's website has launched two new blogs. [PaidContent]
• Orange County Register sports columnist Mark Whicker has apologized for penning possibly the dumbest newspaper column in history. [E&P]
• Courtney Love says she never gave Activision permission to use Kurt Cobain's image in "Guitar Hero 5." She's blaming it all on Dave Grohl. [RS]
• Interested in buying CFO magazine? Great news; it's for sale. [Folio]
While Marc Jacobs has taken to wearing skirts, the look hasn’t exactly caught on with most males outside of Scotland. At last night’s launch for Saks’s designer third floor, we asked Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron if she’d like to see her man, the Irish-born Stuart Townsend, wearing one, and she quipped, “Stuart’s in one right now.” Sadly, the not-hard-to-look-at Mr. Townsend was not present, so we were unable to verify this.
Read more posts by Bennett Marcus
Filed Under: charlize theron, party lines, skirts, stuart townsend
Owing to the strong buzz from Telluride, Paramount has moved up the wide release of Jason Reitman's Up in the Air from December 4 to November 25, on which it will share theaters with The Road, Wes Anderson's The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Rob Marshall's Nine. (Oh, plus Old Dogs for the cinephiles.) You had probably better call your mom and tell her not to set a place for you for Thanksgiving dinner.
Read more posts by Lane Brown
Filed Under: dates, movies, old dogs, the fantastic mr. fox, the road, up in the air
At last night's launch party for Anna Sui's Target collection, Mickey Boardman was still, um, gushing about his glorious interactions with Liza Minnelli at Paper magazine's 25th-anniversary party on Monday. “Everyone just ejaculated” when “the gays on staff” hit upon the idea of having Minnelli sing “New York, New York,” he told us. And when Boardman saw her backstage, “She looked great — and she's 63! Not that I know that she was born on March 12, 1946.” Booking Liza was not Boardman's only accomplishment that night. “It was most gratifying to see Amanda Lepore and Sofia Lamar at the public library, and these people that you don't know if they've ever read a book.” And how did Paper convince a library, of all places, to host the bacchanal? “Well, you give them money and they let you do it. I find that if you offer people money they let you do stuff.”
Read more posts by Mike Vilensky
Filed Under: anna sui, fashion week spring 2010, liza minnelli, mickey boardman, paper magazine, party report
Oh my God you guys that is not what I meant!!! I meant “sucking” because it’s vampires!!!! And vampires have oral sex with one another!!!!!!! Grow up!!!!!!!!
Yep, the Twilight porns are-a-comin’! I wonder if they’ll manage to subjugate women as successfully as the original (Heyooo!!!)
Also, porn version of Twilight? Isn’t that called True Blood?? BOOOM!!! Thank you folks, I’ll be here all week! And another thing — what if President Bush were a 7/11 clerk? Ever wonder what that would be like?? I think it might sound uhhhlittlesomething… like this…
Remember when Ed Norton used to have a sense of humor? You know, before he got all moody and started Hulking out on The Hulk's producers? Well, it seems that after watching the pilot of ABC's (allegedly hilarious) Modern Family, he decided that he just had to guest-star on the show. So, he will! You should look for him playing a bass guitarist on an episode airing in November. [Ausiello Files/EW]
Read more posts by Mark Graham
Filed Under: abc, cameos, edward norton, modern family, tv
There are ways, one discovers, that one makes friends in New York City. Some people just hang out with the people they went to college with and the various people their college friends went to high school with. Some people meet friends at work. Some people probably meet organically, the way you read about in the Times "Weddings" section, but which never sounds true.
Or some people just meet Nick Gray, who has styled himself as a sort of Lois Weisberg for the Tumblr age. Every month or so, Gray, who is 28 and lives in Williamsburg, has a party for a whole bunch of young people who are largely strangers. Some he's met on Facebook or through Tumblr. Some he meets at McCarren Park or Whole Foods or bowling; he hands them his card, which has his e-mail address on it, and adds them to his "Friends Newsletter," which gets sent out once a month and updates everyone on what his friends are doing.
These Newsletter Friends include people like CollegeHumor founders Ricky Van Veen and Jakob Lodwick (whom Gray met at Wake Forest), Abbeville Press editor Briana Green (whom he met at a bar), and a woman named Lauren Aguilar, who is getting a Ph.D. in social psychology at Columbia (whom he met — and kissed — on New Year's at a dinner hosted by Whisk and Ladle, the semi-secret supper club).
"He always had a real outgoing personality," said Sue Gray, Nick's mom, who was in attendance. "He wasn't shy about doing this type of thing. Our basement was always a gathering place."
Last night, Nick — whose day job is working for the family business, which installs entertainment equipment on jets — greeted everyone as they walked through the door. Even though everyone gets a name tag, he seemed to remember all the names, even those of people he'd only met once. In the kitchen, a young woman named Rachel Eakley had provided hors d'oeuvre like Parmesan polenta, Gruyère and thyme crackers, and pommes annettes.
"Nick's parties are all about togetherness — not about exclusivity," said Anthony Volodkin, the 23-year-old founder of mp3 blog aggregator the Hype Machine. "It's very un–New York."
"These parties are very culturally significant in Williamsburg," said David Karp, who is the founder of the blogging platform Tumblr and is also Eakley's boyfriend. He said this completely without irony.
In fact, being un-ironic and nice seemed a key qualification for attending a Nick Gray party. Also, doing things. There was a furniture-maker, the founder of a dance troupe, and two women who had just started an ice-cream company called "Milkmade." There was a band, the Freelance Whales, who performed on instruments like the banjo and the glockenspiel. With all this business, perhaps it stands to reason that a Nick Gray party has a schedule, which had been sent out in an e-mail the day before. The third item on the itinerary was "Juggling Lessons."
Read more posts by Doree Shafrir
Filed Under: brooklyn, hipsters, neighborhood news, parties, williamsburg
Ghostface can do no wrong on the promotional trail for September 29's The Wizard of Poetry. First, he explained to us the strict rule about not being allowed to rap about crack over R&B. Then he unveiled the album's mind-boggling cover art and expressed an interest in doing dirty things to Natalie Portman in a stairwell. Now, in a sit-down with D.J. Whoo Kid, he delivers a master class on giving a batshit-crazy interview. Over seventeen action-packed minutes, he starts a beef with The-Dream, purports to be banned from Canada, and announces that Poetry will include a new song in which his fictional paramour beds the FiOS guy. Enjoy! [NahRight]
Read more posts by Amos Barshad
Filed Under: crazy people, ghostface, ghostface killah, music
If you watched Bravo's NYC Prep this summer, you undoubtedly remember Camille Hughes, the prim, SAT-obsessed Nightingale student dead set on joining Harvard's class of 2014. It looks like there's been a change of plan: Hughes will not be returning to Nightingale-Bamford for the new school year. So was she kicked out of the posh Upper East Side institution, or did she decide on her own to finish out her high school career elsewhere?
Private school administrators across the city were none too pleased with the portrait painted by NYC Prep and the reality show's cast of spoiled, status-obsessed teens. Although Nightingale was never mentioned by name on the show (nor were any of the other schools attended by NYC Prep cast members), the school made its displeasure quite clear when the head of the school, Dorothy Hutcheson, sent out a letter to parents explaining that "the decision to participate in the show" had been "made by the student and her parents without consulting Nightingale's administrators." Wrote Hutcheson: "We counsel our girls to avoid such exposure, knowing that best intentions are usually subsumed by a media machine that too often simplifies the many facets of a Nightingale education into a shallow and stereotypical view of independent schools."
Nightingale didn't indicate if it planned to discipline Hughes for taking part in the show. But at some point over the summer, Hughes and her parents made alternate arrangements for her senior year. According to several Nightingale parents and students, Hughes was informed several weeks ago that she would "not be welcome" back when classes recommenced this fall. A school official, however, says that is not the case. Darrel Frost, Nightingale's director of communications, says the school was "expecting her back this fall" and had reserved a place for her, but that Hughes and her parents had made the decision to enroll at another school, so that "Camille could focus on a different educational route."
Hughes has since enrolled at the Professional Children's School, which was set up for child actors with unreliable schedules, but has also been a popular place for students who find themselves booted from other private schools in the middle of the school year. Did Hughes choose to attend the much less prestigious PCS to give herself time to pursue her budding TV career? That's impossible to say, but she hasn't improved her chances of getting into Harvard, that's for sure.
The flurry of the tents tends to give us an uncontrollable urge to shop. All those clothes and shoes, such little time. Unfortunately, our wallets aren't that accommodating right now. But with Anna Sui's new Target line hitting, high-low pairings will be our saving grace this fall. And dare we say that might include some home shopping? Stylist Lori Goldstein (who has worked for Vera Wang, Carolina Herrera, Italian Vogue, and W) has hopped over into the design world and is unveiling a new line of accessories, tees, cotton tunics, and more, for under $100 on QVC. The majority of the items are basics — with the exception of the accessories, which aren't for shrinking violets. The LOGO collection debuts this Saturday, with a second show (and more stock) viewing on the 23rd.
Read more posts by Amina Akhtar
Filed Under: lori goldstein, qvc, shop at home
If you e-mailed your state senator over Labor Day weekend (and really, who among us didn't), you may have received an automated reply telling you that your representative in Albany was away and would return to the office in 2012, or even 2015. But don't worry, it was all a glitch! The sad thing is, we would have only been mildly shocked if it weren't. [CBS2]
Read more posts by Dan Amira
Filed Under: email, oh albany!, politics, state senate
When you’re Lindsay Lohan, and you post your phone number on a supposedly “private” Facebook page, you’re just going to have to assume that a handful of folks you don’t actually know are going to call you and leave messages along the lines of “OMG you lesbian betch, call meeeee! Loveyakthxbai”-style. But what one wouldn’t necessarily assume is that someone will hack into your voicemails and then play them for the world to hear. (Note to both Lindsay and Spaceballs’ King Roland: “1 2 3 4 5″ is nottttt the best idea for a P-Dubs.)
We bring you those voicemails here. Note the nice balance between absolute strangers, people looking to get something out of her, and her daddy, Michael Lohan, who somehow falls into all of these categories.
Oprah’s two-part interview with Whitney Houston airs this week, and it’s clearly attempting to bill itself as a harrowing glimpse into how Whitney’s life spiraled out of control while she was on drugs in the mid-90s, but one line definitely got my attention:
She did so many drugs, she spent seven straight months in pajamas?? That sounds…completely awesome. Am I wrong? Seven months in pajamas? I don’t care what drugs I have to do to make that happen or what they do to my system, that sounds like my idea of Heaven. Well, like, clouds and sh*t too.
Wait, wouldn’t you eventually run out of drugs and have to get dressed to go out and get more?? I guess I better stock up on all seven months’ worth at once. I’ll swing by Sam’s on my way home. Not Sam’s Club, this dude Sam who sells drugs by the ton.
Also, the Brits spell the word “pyjamas?” Eddie Izzard was right — we really are two countries separated by a common ocean.
Astonishingly, the veracity of Courtney Love's completely lucid tweets yesterday — charging that she'd not consented to the use of Kurt Cobain's likeness in Guitar Hero 5 — has been called into question. Activision, the game's maker, just released the following statement: "Guitar Hero secured the necessary licensing rights from the Cobain estate in a written agreement signed by Courtney Love to use Kurt Cobain's likeness as a fully playable character in Guitar Hero 5." Additionally, a spokesman for Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic says they have "no say whatsoever in the usage of Kurt Cobain's likeness."
Read more posts by Lane Brown
Filed Under: courtney love, dave grohl, guitar hero 5, krist novaselic, kurt cobain, music, nirvana, tweets
Move over “Boys have a Penis, Girls have a Vagina” Kid, because Sesame Street has elected a new group of foul-mouthed children to lead an entirely new generation into the bowels of society, so to speak. In this clip, found by VH1-derkind and FourFour blogger Rich Juzwiak, Sesame Streets asks a group of children what their favorite words for urine and excrement are. And while not a single child screams out our personal favorites (”pissssss” (long ess) and “steamsh*ts”), it’s still pretty darned cute.
Side-note: Does Sesame Street even have a standards dept? What’s next, Elmo m-bating himself into a killer clown frenzy? Oh, dookie.
Pervy California state assemblyman Michael Duvall's mouth might be bigger than his libido. Even though he was caught on tape boasting about his sexual conquests with not one, but two, state lobbyists who were not his wife — and even though he resigned in disgrace over the scandal yesterday — Duvall claims that he never actually had an affair. He was, he claims, just engaging in harmless bragging.
His claim is borne out by one of the lobbyists he apparently boasted of bedding. Heidi DeJong Barsuglia, an employee of California-based Sempra Energy, explicitly denied a sexual liaison with Duvall. "I want to make it clear that my decision to resign is in no way an admission that I had an affair or affairs," Duvall himself wrote in a statement on this website. "My offense was engaging in inappropriate story-telling and I regret my language and choice of words. The resulting media coverage was proving to be an unneeded distraction to my colleagues and I resigned in the hope that my decision would allow them to return to the business of the state."
See, in our mind, "inappropriate storytelling" is when you tell a bunch of kids around a campfire that the woods they're about to sleep in are haunted by an eyeball-stealing lake witch. Talking about a woman you may or may not have boned and how you were "dripping out of her" when she walked up and down the stairs, all while you are wearing a live microphone on the floor of the State Assembly, is what we would call "stupidity of the highest order."
Duvall Lobbyist Denying "Speculative Media Reports" [TPM Muckraker/TPM]
Resignation [Duvall for Assembly]
Earlier: The California-Assemblyman Sex Scandal Has Brought Us to a New Low
Read more posts by Chris Rovzar
Filed Under: michael duvall, politics, sexless scandals
Bad news for fans of sexagenarian-indie-auteur beef: The battle between Werner Herzog and Abel Ferrara — over Herzog's upcoming Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, which borrows a title and a crooked-detective premise from Ferrara's 1992 film — seems to have cooled considerably. It wasn't so long ago that Ferrara was wishing Herzog and Nicolas Cage, the star of the new Lieutenant, would "die in hell" for encroaching on his intellectual property (Herzog's response: "I have no idea who Abel Ferrara is"). But this week, while both directors were attending the Venice Film Festival, Ferrara backed off a bit: "My beef is with the producers … I don't have a problem with Werner."
And Herzog responded in kind, admitting that the title was in fact the idea of a producer looking for "some sort of a franchise" and pointing out that he'd insisted on the (might we add, beautifully clunky) subtitle, to minimize confusion with the original. The good news? We may be headed toward another bizarre peacemaking beer summit. When told that Herzog had suggested they hash everything out over a bottle of whiskey, Ferrara replied, "I don't drink whiskey, I drink beer, I drink Budweiser." Which means this could totally work.
Bad blood in Venice over "Bad Lieutenant" title [Reuters]
Read more posts by Amos Barshad
Filed Under: abel ferrara, bad lieutenant, beef, beer summits, werner herzog
Are you out of work? Maybe you should consider dealing a little pot to get by. Thousands of Americans are now doing it to make ends meet, according to the AP, which reports that "demand for domestically grown marijuana is at a record high, in part because stricter border control has made it more difficult to import pot from Mexico." The economy isn't putting a damper on sales; on the contrary, "demand appears to be rising with the unemployment rate." Which makes perfect sense. What else are you going to do when you're unemployed and sitting on your couch watching TV all day? [AP via Daily Finance]
Last night at a reading of his new memoir, I Drink for a Reason, at the Borders in Columbus Circle, we asked David Cross about his amazing author bio, which not only announces he is "currently fucking Amber Tamblyn" but features a photo of the actress's father, actor Russ Tamblyn. "I cleared it with her, of course," Cross told us. "She has an amazing, great sense of humor. She told her dad and her parents are super cool. Her dad laughed even harder than we did." He paused and added, with his perfect comedic timing: "So now we have to, like, stay together for a while."
Earlier: David Cross Takes Author Bio to a New Level
Read more posts by Yelena Shuster
Filed Under: amber tamblyn, david cross, party lines, russ tamblyn
Today it has been announced that Ellen Degeneres will be replacing our beloved Paula Abdul as the 4th host of American Idol, which will be a nice, sweater-vested compliment to Kara Dioguardi Slutty Slut Slut to the Slut Power. While we were and still are crushed that Paula will not be joining for the upcoming season, we are fans of Ellen, and think she might actually bring some — gasp — intelligent humor to America’s hottest spotlight, with a side of trademarked dancing, no less. So in the end, everybody wins! (Except for Paula, who will one day be forgotten in a QVC warehouse until many, many years later, when authorities find her bones splayed across the concrete floor bedecked in cubic zircon, as beautiful as the day she was born.)
So how will the show change with Ellen around? Well, for starters, she will finally give the courage to a certain someone to shed his mask and show the world who he truly is:
We would have used Ryan’s face, but frankly, we don’t want to never work in this town again.
Man, this is tough… a photo of Kendra Wilkinson, a Playboy Bunny who recently talked about pregnancy making her even more horny, holding a jar of pickles up to her mouth. There’s got to be something funny about this. Lemmie think… Pickles have a long, thick shape, and she’s got her mouth open, and there’s a whole bunch of them, and, hmmm…..
Nah, I got nothing.
"I mean, basically I don't read the New York Times in public because I think it sets a bad example," the playwright, author, actor, and noted Middle Eastern peace envoy tells Gothamist of the paper, which he refers to as "a fountain of complacency, which washes the bourgeoisie every day." "I wouldn't be reading it in here. I'd be carrying it, but if I were eating here by myself, I would not be reading it. I would read The Nation, and secretly I would go and read the New York Times." [Gothamist]
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: cyrus rose, gossip girl, media, not enough, wallace shawn
By far the best part of any speech to a joint session of Congress is watching politicians navigate the deceptively complex act of clapping. When to applaud, how heartily, and whether to stand up are all calculations that run through the minds of the congressmen and senators in attendance, especially those in the opposition party. Last night, Lindsay Graham was caught in a particularly awesome moment of indecision. [Media Matters via Ben Smith/Politico]
Read more posts by Dan Amira
Filed Under: early and awkward, lindsay graham, politics
On Wednesday night, Barack Obama at long last connected the cause of health-care reform to the grand themes that got him elected president: restoring a sense of mutual responsibility to American politics and of pragmatic civility to Washington. He probably didn’t win many new congressional votes for a public insurance option. But by reminding his “progressive friends” that a public option has always been just one means to the end of expanding affordable health coverage and making a strong case for his ultimate goals, Obama has emboldened liberals to pursue other provisions they care about. And, especially since the Senate Finance Committee will finally introduce its version of reform next week, that means the debate over health care is about to enter a new phase: haggling over policy details beyond the public option.
As reform legislation moves toward the floor of the House and Senate, and potentially from there to a conference committee that will craft a bill for Obama to sign, there are four key questions to watch. We’ll warn you in advance: They’re wonky. But how they are answered will determine not only whether reform gets enough votes to pass, but also what your health insurance will ultimately look like in the Age of Obamacare.
Will insurance companies really have to accept and keep all customers?
Every version of reform passed by Democratic-led congressional committees would ban insurers from denying coverage for preexisting health conditions, rescinding coverage for people who have insurance, or capping yearly or lifetime insurance benefits. These important consumer protections would bring massive changes to insurance companies, who either refused to cover or jacked up premiums for an incredible 36 percent of non-elderly Americans who tried to buy health insurance last year. So far, insurers have been willing to accept the new regulations because the reform bills would also require everyone to buy insurance, bringing millions of new customers to United Healthcare, CIGNA, et al. But watch this fall to see if their lobbyists try to water down these rules or carve out exceptions.
How much will insurance have to cover?
Insurance insiders evaluate coverage by its “percentage of actuarial value,” or the proportion of an average person’s medical costs that a policy will pay. Most group health plans are around 80 percent, and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) bill would require all insurers to be at 75 percent or above. In contrast, Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus (Democrat of Montana), following the lead of Senator Mike Enzi (Republican of Wyoming) and the insurance lobby, has come out for a minimum of 65 percent — meaning insurance companies would have to cover less than two-thirds of patients’ overall costs.
How much wiggle room will insurance companies have in setting prices?
If I’m a 59-year-old male smoker and you’re a healthy 23-year-old female, insurers are going to want to charge us different prices. That’s understandable, but allowing too much of a disparity will lead to huge bills for the people who most need insurance, and maybe drive them out of the market altogether. The Senate HELP and House bills would let insurance companies charge older customers up to twice as much as younger customers. Again, Baucus’s proposal is far friendlier to insurers: He would allow them to vary prices among policyholders by a ratio of up to 7.5 to 1, depending on their age, tobacco use, family composition, and geographic location.
How much help will people get to buy insurance?
The Senate HELP and House bills would provide subsidies to people earning up to 400 percent of the poverty line (which was $21,834 for a family of four, with two children, in 2008) to help them buy health insurance; Baucus is at 300 percent. This distinction is important to the overall cost of reform (more subsidies require more money), but also politically, because every version of reform would have real victims: people whose incomes are just above the subsidy level and who don’t have “minimally acceptable” insurance now, and who would either have to buy it without government help or pay a pretty stiff fine. One shrewd conservative has already asked, “Does the House really want to raise taxes on eight million uninsured people?” — and that number will shoot up if subsidies stop at the lower level.
Told you this would get wonky. But the odds that Obama will get everything he wants (including a public option) or that his plan will go down in Clintonian flames are both pretty low. It’s always been more likely that a somewhat muddled, Blue Dog–placating bill will pass, making reform’s details as important as the grand sweep of its narrative. It’s a good bet that we’re all going to have to buy private insurance and that we’ll get to keep it. It’s the fine print of reform that will determine whether that coverage is affordable and worthwhile or expensive and crappy.
Related: Anderson: Obama Averts a Spiritual Waterloo
Read more posts by Peter Keating
Filed Under: barack obama, health care, politics, the fine print
The movie about the fall of Lehman Brothers aired on the BBC last night. The Financial Times' Alphaville blog wasn't the least bit impressed with the "cringeworthingly hilarious" made-for-TV production. The "failed irony, bad acting and moral superiority," along with "overly earnest analogies to the movie Fight Club" and "a very sweaty OCD-obsessive clown-like Dick Fuld," gave it "the quality [of a] straight-to-video release," Izabella Kaminska reports. We'll leave it to you to decide how the filmmakers fared in terms of casting. From left to right: actor Henry Goodman as Morgan Stanley chief John Mack; and Michael Brandon as "brash tough-talking" JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon. Update: Dealbreaker has a clip of the movie here. [FT]
AP - The latest driving title, "Dirt 2," represents a changing of the guard for the genre. The torch is being passed from driving legends like rally race legend Colin McRae to a new breed of ESPN "X Game" types.
This is a recap of Top Chef Las Vegas, Episode 4 entitled “Is This The Finale? Cause How Are They Gonna Top This?” Spoilers are contained within. Or, as the French would say, “Z’alert du spouliers!”
– I had one of those “Probably take this show too seriously” moments when they announced that someone would be eliminated in the Quickfire and I yelled out “Holy sh*tf*ck!!” out loud in my apartment by myself. And it was teased in the episode last week and I still reacted like that. I’m a good human being.
– How obviously did the “High Stakes Quickfire” occur just to sweep Jesse under the rug before they presented to the French chefs?
– My regular TC-watching partner Matt has a pet peeve of dishes with “smears” that really obviously look like poop, and yet, there was Kevin, a clearly awesome chef, taking the high stakes Quickfire with (assuredly delicious) cartoon poo and vomit streaks. Hey, if it works, more poo-wer to him. (Ed Note: Delete that)
– Anyone who plans to go on Top Chef should be sure to specifically practice two or three go-to Amuse-bouches, cause they always come up. Memorize presidents before you go on Jeopardy, amuse-bouches before you go on Top Chef — that’s what I’m gonna tell my kids, and they’re gonna be like, “Daddy what is tv? We only watch space holograms.”
– Also, “Amuse-bouche” means “mouth amuser” in French. Hehehe.
– Does Bravo realize Laurine is still on the show?
– Also, if Mattin can’t even get out of the bottom on French Week, he’s really screwed when they get to the “Not Wearing A Gilbert & Sullivan Character’s Costume” Challenge.
After the jump, THE ELIMINATOR. Yep, they had to go through the American Gladiators obstacle course this week. Crazy Twist.
– Little overboard on the high-powered Judging Panel, eh Top Chef? How are they possibly going to top the caliber of guest talent from this episode on future weeks? In the finale, they’re gonna somehow resurrect Julia Child and just have her and Laurence Olivier chilling at a table.
– Is that what you call “teamwork,” Michael I.? My friend Kevin and I “teamed up” for this IM exchange this morning:
Me: They kept talking about their teamwork, but Bryan was LITERALLY holding his hand while he made the sauce!
Kevin: it was like an improv game where mike’s hands were tied behind his back and bryan actually made the sauce
Truer words…
– Michael I. doesn’t appear to know what he’s doing, but should still survive for a while on testimonial-arrogance; I can’t believe he actually said “If they understand the concept of our broken-down Bearnaise, we should be good,” as though he (er, Bryan) might have conceptualized something too advanced for a panel of five of the world’s greatest French chefs to comprehend. “If Scorsese understands what I did with this establishing shot…”
– Hector probably did deserve to go home, but he’s at least performed decently so far, and I’d definitely hire him over Robin, Ron, or Ashley. Or Lisa from two seasons ago (been a while since I took that shot, I’m required to every three weeks).
– I kept expecting even the translator dude to stand up and say “Hector’s meat effing buhh-lowwws.”
– Ron & Robin are both well into the American Idol “Do we really have to wait extra weeks to just see when these people lose?” category, which strikes every reality show around Episode 5. Someone should write a song about them to the tune of “Rockin’ Robin,” only it’s about chefs who aren’t good instead of a bird that rocks.
– Gail’s quote, “We couldn’t have had this meal at this point during any other Top Chef season” was completely right. If this had been last season, Joël Robuchon would’ve lined up 10 of the chefs against a brick wall and massacred them with a Tommy gun.
Updated Top 5 From the M Resort (As in, “MMMMMM – Food!”)
1a & b) The Brothers - Essentially taking turns dominating, but Bravo will have to weigh the “Brothers Showdown” finale potential against the fact that they’re both really kinda boring.
2) Jen - Absolute shoe-in for the Finale. Just a matter of who brings their A+ game that day. And takes it one game at a time. Can’t win ‘em all. No “I” in team. Any given Sunday… was not a great movie.
3) Kevin - It’s inconceivable that the finale will end up being a different foursome than the Brothers, Jen and Kevin, unless Bravo’s like “Crazy Vegas twist! That Preeti chick wins somehow. Told you anything can happen Vegas baby OMG!!!!!”
Distant 4) Eli - I guess?
T-5) Not Going To Win — Ron, Robin, Ash, Michael I., Ashley, Laurine.
Episode thoughts? Favorite Lines? Predictions? Ripping on Michael Isabella? Leave ‘em all in the comments.
If you're keeping track of the number of lawsuits that have been filed against photographer Annie Leibovitz, it's time to sharpen your undoubtedly dull pencil: She's been sued again. According to a suit filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court, a set design company called Mary Howard Studio claims "Leibovitz stiffed it out of more than $160,000 for work on some of her best known projects over the past two years." [NYP, previously]
The new issue of Page Six Magazine (which is now back as a quarterly) has an update on Ali Wise, the socialite/publicist who was arrested back in July for allegedly hacking into the voicemail of socialite/interior decorator Nina Freudenberger.
Not surprisingly, it hasn't been an easy few months for Wise, who faces a possible four-year prison sentence for her SpoofCard shenanigans. But she has plenty of friends who have rallied behind her, including ex-boyfriend Jason Pomeranc, Jennifer Meyer Maguire (wife of Toby, daughter of film mogul Ron), and longstanding defender Stacy Bendet, who, thankfully, is doing her best to keep the matter in perspective:
If someone like Ali Wise goes to jail, then our system is a disaster.
Free Ali Wise! [NYM]
Yesterday, we introduced you to Cuba Gooding Sr., the suave, dapper father of Oscar-winner Cuba Gooding Jr. In those videos, he was a sweet, soothing guide into the world of 70s classics. We thought, “Isn’t CGJr. a lucky kid? Having a Dad who clearly has ‘all the right moves’?”
But we had no idea that the star of Rat Race and Radio also has his father to thank for his innate comedic sensibility. Check out these Cuba Gooding Sr. outtakes, which we would have gladly paid $19.95 for. Your loss, Time Life!
(with thanks again to DAPS - follow em on Twitter!)
Camilla Parker-Bowles is an Old Bag from Deptford. I don’t know what Deptford is — or even where it is — but I’m guessing it’s a city full of hats and tampons and people taking 4 solid minutes to say the word “Yes” and horses run the local General Store. Indeed, that’s exactly what Deptford is like.
An Ohio man was caught on security cameras crashing his car through the doors of an AdultMart sex shoppe (I spell it classy), grabbing a $300 sex toy while his car continued to drive itself, then crashing through another set of doors in his escape.
It’s like one of those sitcom episodes where the kid accidentally crashes the car into the house, but also there’s vibrators:
 WA today | Katherine Heigl Adopting Korean Girl ABC News Katherine Heigl is about to become the latest celebrity to adopt a child from another country, joining Madonna and Angelina Jolie. The Emmy-award winning actress talks about her new movie, "The Ugly Truth. ... Katherine Heigl & hubby to adopt Korean baby Heigl 'always wanted to adopt' Katherine Heigl reportedly adopting baby girl |
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