AP - Mary Travers, one-third of the popular 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary who were perhaps best known for their hit "Puff (The Magic Dragon)," died in a Connecticut hospital after battling leukemia for several years. She was 72.
AP - Mary Travers, one-third of the popular 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary who were perhaps best known for their hit "Puff (The Magic Dragon)," died in a Connecticut hospital after battling leukemia for several years. She was 72.
(Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. television industry on Sunday hands out it its highest honors, the prime time Emmy Awards, facing a growing conundrum. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 17 Sep 2009 | 2:06 am
2009 Webby Award Honoree ManicAttack.com ("It's as if the cast of Lost got stuck on Funny or Die Island"- Comedy Central Insider) will release independent feature film "Shooting... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 17 Sep 2009 | 1:25 am
TORONTO (Hollywood Reporter) - Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group is in final negotiations to acquire the Woody Harrelson-starring film "Defendor," which received its world premiere Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 16 Sep 2009 | 11:55 pm
Mary Travers of 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, has died, according to her publicist. She was 72.
(AP) AP - Victor Hanson III, the fourth generation of his family to serve as publisher of The Birmingham News in an affiliation dating back 100 years, announced plans Wednesday to retire Dec. 1. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 16 Sep 2009 | 10:53 pm
The 29-year-old actor and musician is chatting over coffee, sitting in a Manhattan hotel lobby almost Zen-like, but full of questions and curiosity. He clearly relishes conversation,... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 16 Sep 2009 | 10:50 pm
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Burt Reynolds has gone public with his battle against an addiction to painkillers, hoping his story will help others in a similar situation. Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 16 Sep 2009 | 10:49 pm
Blake Lively, Blake Lively's legs, and Becki Newton.
There’s something to be said about heading into a fashion presentation and finding yourself in the middle of one of Harvey Weinstein’s conversations. Especially because we walked in on the following:
HARVEY: It’ll just be me, and all the women, right? [Harvey looks right at us, grins.]
Don’t worry, Harv — we won’t tell Georgina.
It’s certainly true that the Marchesa presentation was packed to the gills with dames. Almost the first thing we saw when we walked into the Chelsea Art Gallery — after Harvey — was Emmy Rossum (yes, again), all decked out in pink satin and marabou feathers, like the human version of a saucy Frederick’s of Hollywood bedroom slipper. Maybe now that her secret marriage is a not-so-secret breakup, she’s trying to sex it up a bit. Keep trying, honey. But maybe not quite as hard as otherwise-gorgeous starlet Emmanuelle Chriqui, whom we spied wearing a full-on gown. We know it’s de rigueur for a celebrity to wear a designer’s clothes to their show, but surely Marchesa has options that don’t make you look like you got lost on the way to an awards show.
Much sassier was Ugly Betty’s Becki Newton, who was wearing a heavily beaded mini cocktail dress that she must have really loved, since we overheard her gushing over a little number that was very similar to the one she was wearing. We do that all the time — although when we do it, it’s over J.Crew cardigans rather than $4,000 frocks. But budgetary differences aside, Becki proved once again that celebrities are just like us: She was hobbling around like her feet were just killing her. Welcome to day six of Fashion Week.
Working her heels with more aplomb was Rachel Zoe, who swept through with Assistant Brad and her husband, Rodger, in tow. She snapped tons of pictures — the Emmys are Sunday, after all — and then booked, as one of the PR girls murmured that she was due to be on TV in half an hour. Less well-cared-for was Connor Paolo, who plays Eric on Gossip Girl. He was still standing in line outside when we left, talking on his cell phone and looking slightly annoyed. Obviously, we were appalled. So maybe Connor wasn’t scheduled to appear live on television within the next 45 minutes. The kid’s still on the Greatest Show of Our Time. Show some respect!
Is there no end to the collateral damage wrought by the Gosselins' marital implosion?
While it could be years before we know what the kids think of him, Jon Gosselin's dogs are...
The opening moments of the G-Star Raw show kind of reminded us of Star Trek, with models being beamed seemingly out of nowhere. Artist Jeremy Kost caught the trippy sci-fi moment on camera.
Las Vegas will be seeing a new name in lights.
After weeks of grueling rehearsals, cranky judges, whiny judges, overly excited judges and unfavorable comparisons to the...
1. At Oscar de la Renta, the white tulle dress with gold embroidery on Sasha was stunning.
2. The backless sweater vest at 3.1 Phillip Lim, worn by Emma with a muscle tee and antique-silver sequined shorts, looked chic.
3. We loved Peter Som's colorful spring collection! Especially the striped jacket and gray miniskirt with round sunglasses.
4. Pamela Love's candlelit installation at Milk: Her spiral-staircase earrings are fierce and unique.
5. At Proenza Schouler, the sleeveless turquoise woven tie-dye dress with sequin details — fabulous!
Madonna's papa don't preach, but her brother sure does.
The pop icon's estranged sibling Christopher Ciccone, whom she hasn't been on voguing terms with since before he...
Front Page: Mendes teams with Winfrey on film -- Focus Features has teamed with Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Prods. and Sam Mendes' Neal Street Prods. to mount a feature adaptation of "Netherland," the Joseph O'Neill novel that Harpo optioned last year when it was published.
Front Page: NBA icon to play himself in Universal comedy -- LeBron James will make his feature starring debut, playing himself in "Fantasy Basketball Camp," a Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment comedy.
Can anyone really stop the mighty Jennifer Aniston from releasing her new movie on time?
—Joku
The Aniston may wield all sorts of clout in this country—but it's...
Artist Jeremy Kost was backstage at Erin Wasson x RCVA, and he caught the designer personally adorning her models with accessories galore. The downside of all those bracelets and rings, however, is that they might not fit.
Actor Henry Gibson, who played roles ranging from loopy poets to vengeful Illinois Nazis and cranky judges during a 40-year film and television career, has died at age 73, his representatives said Wednesday.
That soaring voice, one of the most powerful of the 1960s, has been silenced. Folk music icon Mary Travers died today of leukemia at age 72, according to her publicist.
As part of Peter,...
Burt Reynolds checked into a drug rehab clinic "to regain control of his life" after becoming addicting to painkillers prescribed following back surgery, his manager said.
Time for a hug.
Chelsea Handler watched the premiere of The Biggest Loser and was shocked—shocked!—at the treatment the contestants received as they struggled to lose...
As you may recall, earlier this year a bankrupt Death Row Records struck a deal with a music publisher, EverGreen, that promised a boatload of unreleased material. It sure sounded like a cash grab, and we braced ourselves for an avalanche of scratchy, cringe-inducing freestyles accidentally recorded when the engineer forgot to turn off the tape. Instead we got “Falling Asleep on Death Row,” a crisp Snoop Dogg banger from the days when -gy Dog used to follow his name. It comes off Snoop Doggy Dogg: The Lost Sessions v.1 (out October 13), it’s produced by a pre-studio-recluse-era Dr. Dre, and it is awesome: Over a disarmingly soft beat, Snoop goes in hard, shouting about snitchings, cop killings, jailhouse shankings, and, yes, smoking weed. What else you got over by the bottom of the barrel, Death Row?
• This week's reviews: Pete Wells of the Times slaps Michael Psilakis' Gus & Gabriel Gastropub with a zero-star review today ("The problem is that it fails to achieve even its low aims"); The New Yorker's Leo Carey comes to an entirely different conclusion; Bloomberg's Ryan Sutton hits Williamsburg to pay a visit to Brooklyn Bowl (with food by Blue Ribbon) and the Brooklyn Star; TONY's Jay Cheshes gives a "generic" Civetta two stars out of five; and NY's Adam Platt finds that "most things deliver" on Dan Silverman's menu at the Standard Grill. • The Post's Steve Cuozzo is sick and tired of "menu sprawl," the practice of giving diners 478 things to choose from. Steve likes to keep it simple. [NYP] • A Q&A with Andrew Carmellini, chef and co-owner of Locanda Verde. [RG] • NYC International Pickle Day is October 4th! Mark your calendar. [GS] • Renee Zellweger and Jon Bon Jovi co-own a Mexican restaurant (East Hampton's Blue Parrot). With Jen Aniston now saying she would like to open a Mexican spot in Manhattan, that makes three, so it's officially a trend. [Eater]
We first caught wind of the supernatural horror thriller Paranormal Activity way back in January 2008, when the film debuted to raucous applause and frightened shrieks at the Slamdance Film Festival. The ultra-low-budget film, reportedly made for just $11,000, was quickly picked up by Dreamworks and positioned as the next Blair Witch Project but has spent the last 21 months gathering dust on the shelf. Now, weirdly enough, Paramount plans to release the film on September 25 in ten college towns — places like Ann Arbor, Michigan; Austin, Texas; and Durham, North Carolina — and then, based on the responses it gets, possibly roll it out to more markets. From the looks of the trailer, which employs night-vision technology to capture the panic-stricken looks on the faces of a test audience, the film just might have the greatest pants-shitting potential of any film to hit the theaters since My Bloody Valentine 3-D. Now let's just hope that these marketing geniuses at Paramount wise up and decide to release the film here!
Some stars are clearing out of the Toronto Film Festival midway through, but there's still plenty of films and action left, from heartful to ho-hum to simply weird.
Speaking of...
In The New Yorker this week, James Stewart has a 25-page behind-the-scenes look at the events of September 2008. With the cooperation of some of the major players — the Wall Street CEOs and government officials — he gives a vivid picture of how things went down in Washington and on Wall Street during that uncertain, freaky time, and in painstakingly reported detail presents an account that is, against all odds, Hollywood-movie-level exciting.
Of course, unlike Hollywood movies, the financial crisis didn't really have a hero, per se. But because we need one, because America needs one, we went through the characters and determined who in this great mess came off best. Here are the contenders:
Jamie Dimon: "Stop pussyfooting around," the JPMorgan CEO urges AIG president Bob Willumstad early on, when the latter is waffling about how to keep the company out of bankruptcy. He then gives him Warren Buffett's phone number. Dimon's status as a team player is cemented on September 13, when he reminds the group of CEOs who have been called upon by the government to help save their competitor, Lehman Brothers, that helping one another is the best way to help themselves.
Dimon spoke up. "Look, we're all in a fix. This is something we have to do in the best interests of the financial system."
Still, Dimon does not win the article, because his part, while memorable, is small. If he had burst into "Working Together (We Can Make a Change)" in the previous scenario, we might feel differently.
Christopher Flowers: The founder of private equity firm J.C. Flowers & Company has described himself as a "grave dancer," but his presence here is more like that of the Grim Reaper, or the guy the hospital sends in to pick up the organs of the deceased: a thin, bespectacled, no-nonsense man who gets called to look over at both AIG and Lehman as they hover near death. We particularly enjoyed this exchange between Flowers and then–Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson after he is called to weigh in on Lehman.
When Flowers was leaving, he turned to Paulson. "By the way," he said. "Have you been watching AIG?"
"Why, what's wrong with AIG?" Paulson asked. Geithner had mentioned there were some liquidity issues, but Paulson had heard that the New York State insurance commission was stepping in, and that a private-sector solution was taking shape.
"Well, you should take a look at this," Flowers said, and pulled out the spreadsheet he got from AIG the day before.
"Oh my God!" Paulson said.
Despite being colorful, Flowers is too minor — and too creepy — to win the article.
Hank Paulson: Former linebacker Paulson favored bold, decisive action, even when it seemed kind of nuts, like when he decided the government should guarantee $4 trillion in money-market funds, and "some people were aghast." But although an anonymous "someone" pegs his interest in nuance at USA Today–level, Paulson impressed us again for the simple reason that he seems to actually listen to people in a bi-partisan, non-egotistical way. And oddly, we found his empathy for his former boss, George W. Bush, kind of moving:
"There were plenty of people around the president who just wanted the free market to work. He freed me from all that. He wanted there to be a free market left for all of us to work with. They don't like him. They want to see him as disengaged. But he was very focused on what was best for the economy."
Well, maybe you have to see it in context. Anyway, Paulson still does not win the article, because the Lehman thing really did not need to go down the way it did.
Tim Geithner: Does anyone think that maybe the reason Geithner often "punctuates his remarks with profanity" is to make up for his youth, lack of experience, and (inevitably mentioned) babyface looks? We kind of do, after reading the New Yorker piece. Maybe it's a holdover from childhood or something, like he developed a potty mouth to compete with the kids with bigger muscles. Anyway, despite the fact that Stewart thinks the four-letter words have a way of "injecting some blunt common sense into the debates," we think that, ultimately, his spastic anger undermines him. For instance, when he tells the Wall Street CEOs they've brought in and separated into groups to try to brainstorm a way to save Lehman, "You guys have got to try harder!" they mock him:
Throughout the day, when members of the various groups passed in the Fed corridors, they asked one another, 'Are you trying harder?'
Ouch. Geithner's impatient hotheadedness may have also been a contributing factor in Barclay's decision not to take over Lehman Brothers; the failure of that deal seems to have hinged largely on communication problems. Although "the various calls between the British and the Americans remain a point of contention," at one point Geithner yells at the British chairman of the financial authority, "Are you going to approve this, or not?" "It was not a high point for Anglo-American relations," one person familiar with the conversations says. As you may have guessed, Geithner does not win the article.
Ben Bernanke: When White House officials first interviewed Bernanke, they were worried that he "lacked assertiveness," Stewart tells us. He definitely seems to have proved them wrong. Although we liked the part where the former Princeton professor gave Chris Dodd "a short tutorial" on the Fed's authorizing statute, it was the scene where Paulson tries to convince Bernanke to authorize that $750 billion rescue package where he really shone:
Bernanke was growing agitated. Hank! Listen to me," he interrupted. "We are done!"
It was the first time Federal officials had heard him raise his voice. The Fed is already doing all it can with the powers we have," Bernanke continued.
One participant recalled, "Ben gave an impassioned, linear, rigorous argument explaining the limits of our authority and the history of financial crises in the U.S. and abroad. That history showed that efforts to resolve such crises are successful only when overwhelming force from all parts of government is brought to bear," the participant said. "It was a tour de force."
It was as though Bernanke were the professor and Paulson was the student. Bernanke's comments lasted for about 15 minutes, and Paulson was uncharacteristically silent until near the end.
No rest for the weary: Hamish and Leighton, sitting pretty.
Before the Phillip Lim show this afternoon, we randomly found ourselves wondering whatever happened to that girl who won Stylista. Was she still working for Elle? Surely she wasn't, as once rumored, still dating Alec Baldwin. Apparently, we were inadvertently using the Secret, because she was the first person we saw inside the tent, and she was clutching an Elle-branded microphone. There was nary a Baldwin to be had. Why doesn't this sort of thing ever happen after we spend lunch idly speculating what Jon Hamm would look like stepping out of our shower?
After marveling at the universe's uncanny ability to answer our most banal queries with shocking quickness, we actually took a good look around the front row and were rewarded with Lauren Conrad, sporting a gorgeous tan dress and highly enviable gold Loubs. In past seasons, LC has been accompanied by Lo Bosworth or another one of her blonde friends, but today her companion was a PR flack who actually stepped in to prevent Lauren from giving away too much about the sequel to her best-selling YA novel. Once the conversation was safely diverted from LC's literary pursuits, she was allowed to tell reporters that, as far as she was concerned, "(Lim) can do no wrong." It seems Lauren has replaced the watchdog of the MTV cameras with one of a different sort, but at least the new version doesn't come in a package deal with Spencer Pratt.
If Lauren lucked out in today's wardrobe lottery, Juno's Olivia Thirlby was less fortunate, appearing in a soft gray suit that unfortunately ended in harem-pants-esque legs that resembled nothing so much as a very pricey pair of sweats. Unsurprisingly, Leighton Meester fared a bit better, even if it was, as she told the room as a whole, her day off. Blair Waldorf wears sweatpants for no man, vacation day or no.
Likewise refusing to compromise was MTV's Alexa Chung. After snapping a multitude of photos, one of the paparazzi yelled, "Give us the finger!" Instead, Alexa rolled her eyes and just sat down. After all, if you give someone the finger at their request, does it really count as giving them the finger? We're pretty sure that's MTV's version of wondering whether a tree that falls in an empty forest makes a sound, but we're also convinced that said philosophical musings are better saved for a week when our feet don't hurt so much.
You've read the transcript and heard the audio, but now you can watch Obama chastising Kanye in an off-the-record interview on Monday. The video leaked over an hour ago, and, shamefully, no one has yet created a mash-up of Kanye interrupting the president calling him a jackass. [Daily Intel]
Following Universal Studios' announcement yesterday of the details for its upcoming Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park (coming next spring to Orlando!), Universal has released videos showing concept artwork and giving a virtual tour of the park. Minus all the conceptual screaming children that seem to be everywhere, this looks totally awesome. [Buzzfeed]
If Joe Francis didn't know that Frankie Delgado was Brody Jenner's best friend, he's aware of it now.
The Girls Gone Wild founder was thrown out of L.A.'s club...
Do you remember Citigroup's "Live Richly" ad campaign from a few years ago? The bank spent more than $100 million plastering American cities with various cheeky sayings from 2001 to 2005. When the campaign was first introduced, it was during the mini-recession of 2001, and since Citi's existence wasn't threatened during that particular downturn, the bank managed to find some humor in the fact many Americans had lost their jobs or weren't earning as much as they had in the past. If you look back at them now, though, you'll see that they contain lots of useful advice for the 53,000 people who have been laid off by the bank over the past year ("Make ends meet. Bend down and touch your toes"), as well as the Citi employees who have managed to hang on, but who won't be collecting fat bonuses now that the federal government owns a third of the bank ("Go on a spending diet, but don't forget to sneak a little dessert"). Click here to experience the irony in all its embarrassing glory.
In another awesome benchmark for journalists respecting the code of "off the record" (seriously, didn't Judy Miller go to jail rather than do something like this?), the video during which Barack Obama called Kanye West a "jackass" for his behavior at this weekend's VMAs has been leaked. Politico's Ben Smith briefly posted the footage, then took it down when, in his words, "wiser heads" prevailed. But CNN had already scooped up the clip, seen here. It matches the audio footage that leaked yesterday, the provenance of which Intel Chris wrongly questioned. What's handy about this clip is that you can now actually see the look on his face when Barack Obama realizes that even though the conversation was "off the record," the tape would swiftly and irrevocably get leaked.
A trailer for the upcoming movie about pop singer Michael Jackson's final days is seen on a computer in Washington, DC, after it was officially released today. The trailer shows tantalizing glimpses of... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 16 Sep 2009 | 4:55 pm
Rodarte
Rodarte's draped, mutilated, and burned spring collection impressed the critics, though a few left wishing the Mulleavy sisters would lose the horror-movie motif and lighten up a bit. Although the plaid swags and matted hair reminded Cathy Horyn of Braveheart, she felt the duo "refined their point of view." It was a common sentiment: Fashion Week Daily deemed the collection "their most accomplished yet," Style.com called it the "most fully realized," and Godfrey Deeny of Fashion Wire Daily felt it showed "all the technical virtuosity of French haute couture." The chief concern was how the clothes would translate off the catwalk. Robin Givhan of the Washington Post called the collection "indulgent and depressing," boldly asserting that "The designers of Rodarte could use a few constraints. They could use an austerity plan. They need clarity. They need less of everything." More kindly, Suzy Menkes of the International Herald Tribune wondered if the duo could "tame their intense vision" enough to appeal to real women with their upcoming Target line. Though "gorgeous," WWD found the collection to be repetitive, concluding, "it would be nice to see them come back into the light and bring a few more approachable looks with them."
Jay-Z’s latest single, The Blueprint 3’s “Empire State of Mind,” has been blaring from plenty of cars of late, and while the soaring, cinematic tour of Jay’s rise to success, fame, and his subsequent enjoyment of the most sought-after seats at local sporting events (“I could trip a referee”) hasn’t turned rap on its head, the rapper does do something unique: He drops an actual address in among the self-aggrandizement and neighborhood shout-outs.
I used to cop in Harlem, all of my Dominicanos
Right there up on Broadway, pull me back to that McDonald's
Took it to my stash box, 560 State Street
Catch me in the kitchen like a Simmons with them pastries.
The whole world knows Jigga grew up in the Marcy Projects in Bedford-Stuyvesant. So why is he bigging up Boerum Hill? What exactly is at 560 State Street? Vulture investigated.
“I guess after Reasonable Doubt, it was time [for Jay-Z] to move somewhere else,” says Morgan Lieberthal, a resident of 560 State Street since 1997 (who also saw Jay-Z in concert at Madison Square Garden last week). According to him and other residents who have been there since the mid-nineties, Jay moved into apartment 10B sometime in late 1996 or early 1997.
Allowing for the obvious narrative liberties a rapper might take, the 500 block of Brooklyn’s State Street would seem to be an ideal location for a stash box. Sheltered from the roaring intersection of Flatbush, Atlantic, and Fourth Avenue, this serene, verdant brownstone block is hidden in plain sight. It’s just steps from the busiest intersection in Brooklyn, and yet the only consistent noise is the five-times-daily call to prayer from a mosque across the block on Atlantic Avenue.
Did it seem like Jay-Z was engaged in anything shady? “That was just so not the vibe,” says Stephanie Jones, a writer and performer living in 9A since 1993. She remembers the apartment complex as an enclave for black artists at the time, including Lord Jamar of the rap group Brand Nubian and later of HBO’s Oz. She recalls a building populated with filmmakers and musicians. And Jay was, by all accounts, a cordial and respectful neighbor. “He would nod his head to you in the hallway. He’d open the door for you,” says Jones’s husband, Nathan Dudley, a Brooklyn school principal who moved into the building in 1998. “He always had a group of people with him, but not many going in and out.”
Dudley says that over the past few days he has seen kids in front of the building, awestruck and pointing, and employees at the Radio Shack around the corner, arguing over Jay-Z’s connection to the address. At the time he lived there, “he wasn’t mainstream or commercial yet,” says Jones. “He worked out of his apartment. Everyone here did. It was just a normal thing.”
Well, someone had to come to Jon Gosselin's defense.
The reality-TV dad's new divorce attorney, Mark Heller, says that he was the one who insisted that Gosselin's ex-lawyer,...
Front Page: Conglom won't announce NBC plans until last minute -- It's a nail-biter: Vivendi will wait until the last minute to decide, or at least to announce, what it plans to do with its 20% chunk of NBC Universal.
Coldplay's latest legal issue is on ice.
A federal judge has dismissed a plagiarism suit brought by guitarist Joe Satriani against the British quartet, in which he accused them...
U.S. District Judge Clay Land just dismissed the latest suit by lawyer and "Birther" movement head Orly Taitz. Taitz was down in Georgia representing a captain in the Army who didn't want to serve in Iraq and sued to be allowed to stay in the U.S. because Barack Obama didn't have the legal right to order her into harm's way. The argument being, of course, that the commander-in-chief is secretly not American. Though Land, of course, takes the time in his decision to patiently explain the legal concerns of a court ruling over this particular type of military matter, he also devotes a few paragraphs to some old-fashioned ass-handing. For example:
Plaintiff's challenge to her deployment order is frivolous. She has presented no credible evidence and has made no reliable factual allegations to support her unsubstantiated, conclusory allegations and conjecture that President Obama is ineligible to serve as President of the United States. Instead, she uses her Complaint as a platform for spouting political rhetoric, such as her claims that the President is "an illegal usurper, an unlawful pretender, [and] an unqualified imposter." She continues with bare, conclusory allegations that the President is "an alien, possibly even an unnaturalized or even an unadmitted illegal alien . . . without so much as lawful residency in the United States." Then, implying that the President is either a wandering nomad or a prolific identity fraud crook, she alleges that the President "might have used as many as 149 addresses and 39 social security numbers prior to assuming the office of President."
In further support of her claim, Plaintiff relies upon "the general opinion in the rest of the world" that "Barack Hussein Obama has, in essence, slipped through the guardrails to become President." Moreover, as though the "general opinion in the rest of the world" were not enough, Plaintiff alleges in her Complaint that according to an "AOL poll 85% of Americans believe that Obama was not vetted, needs to be vetted and his vital records need to be produced." Finally, in a remarkable shifting of the traditional legal burden of proof, Plaintiff unashamedly alleges that Defendant has the burden to prove his "natural born" status. Thus, Plaintiff's counsel, who champions herself as a defender of liberty and freedom, seeks to use the power of the judiciary to compel a citizen, albeit the President of the United States, to "prove his innocence" to "charges" that are based upon conjecture and speculation. Any middle school civics student would readily recognize the irony of abandoning fundamental principles upon which our Country was founded in order to purportedly "protect and preserve" those very principles.
"Plaintiff's complaint is not plausible on its face," Land concludes. "Unlike in Alice in Wonderland, simply saying something is so does not make it so.
Why is seemingly everyone out to embarrass Jennifer Aniston while she's making the rounds on the Love Happens publicity tour? During an appearance on the Tonight Show last night, Conan rolled out a (pre–nose job) clip of Aniston's forgettable performance as Jeannie Bueller on the short-lived NBC sitcom Ferris Bueller (one that was dubbed in German, no less). And then today on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ellen went against a preshow promise not to ask Jennifer Aniston to sing and, well, made her belt out softly enunciate a number anyway. So then how did the shy Aniston fare? Sadly, not quite as well as another one of Brad Pitt's exes, Gwyneth Paltrow, did when she sang "Cruisin'" in the movie Duets. It wasn't terrible or anything, but the best thing we can say about Aniston's warbling performance is that she's got really good taste in songs (she chose Cole Porter's "I've Got a Crush on You").
So, what do you think, VultureWatchers? You know where to sound off!
Cutouts are nothing new in the world of trends. But this spring, they've crossed over into a more … awkward territory. The slashes, holes, and gaps are in areas most women would prefer to keep hidden. Navels poked out at Alexander Wang, where one khaki skirt's waist hit right under the belly. Sides (and potential love handles) were at Erin Wasson, Frank Tell, Monique Lhuillier, and Yigal Azrouël. And Cushnie et Ochs sent out a gown with a huge thigh hole, so expect a peep show. Looks like clothes aren't necessarily about covering up this spring. Click ahead to see these looks and more.
Rejoice, America! Despite cancellation fears and the fact he tearfully pledged on television just two days ago to take time off, beloved hip-hop personality Kanye West will hit the road with Lady Gaga on November 10 on their Fame Kills tour, giving him a chance to apologize to Taylor Swift in 34 different cities. In a related story, you may have already seen it, but we just noticed this incredible sentence in a day-old People story: "After Swift's mother, Andrea, asked to speak to the rapper [backstage on Sunday] and 'tore into him,' he continued to maintain that Beyoncé's 'Single Ladies' should have won Best Female Video." [MTV via Idolator]
Kate Winslet has one more reason to call 2009 a great year. She made People's best-dressed list, one of several notables to be chosen for their sense of style.
We gave model Amanda Laine a video camera to document her Fashion Week adventures. Her day starts at 6 a.m., since she has to do a preview for Anna Wintour. At night she's off to the Marc Jacobs show, where she gets dolled up and poses for a photographer who gives the models directions like "You're tigers" and "You just fell into a garbage can and it smells." But can she do "pensive"? Watch the video to find out.
With Paula Abdul's departure and Ellen DeGeneres's recent addition to American Idol, everyone seated at the judges' table now has their own separate reality competition show — except for Kara DioGuardi. But that may soon change! We ran into her last night, and she told us she's currently developing one: "It's called Dropped ... I'm starting to shop it now," she told us at the G-Star Raw show at the Hammerstein Ballroom. "It takes the best acts that have been dropped and gives them a second chance. You look at Katy Perry, the Jonas Brothers, Alicia Keys, and Lady Gaga, they all have one thing in common: They've all been dropped from their labels ... I was dropped. Think about how many times in your life you haven't achieved one goal, but you've achieved another one."
DioGuardi says the show would focus on music — and more! "[It'll be] 'You didn't get up at five this morning to go to a radio interview. How do you think that's doing to affect you?'" (Negatively, we bet.) So will she be the host of Dropped? "Oh, my God, now we're getting into particulars ... All right, maybe! I shouldn't have opened my big mouth."
For the record, we totally hope Dropped happens, as it might finally give a televised platform to forgotten artists like Katherine McPhee, Taylor Hicks, and Ruben Studdard.
• As expected, ratings for Jay Leno's new show are falling fast. [THR] • Bloomberg LP appears to now be in the lead to buy BusinessWeek. [NYP] • Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol sold 1 million copies its first day. [NYT] • Don't try to talk to Vogue publisher Tom Florio about what changes are in store for the mag now that those McKinsey consultants have finished their review. (He's not talking about it.) Meantime, McKinsey's final report will be handed over to Condé Nast's management next week. [NYO, WWD] • Fox News boss Roger Ailes collected $24 million in compensation last year, which is $2 million more than his boss, Rupert Murdoch, took home. [BW] • Jay-Z has his 11th No. 1 album. That puts him ahead of Elvis Presley as the solo artist with the most chart-toppers. But he's still behind the Beatles. [LAT]
• NBC Universal execs are on the prowl and looking for additional employees at NBC News and MSNBC willing to accept a voluntary buyout. [NYO] • Launches: The Atlantic has unveiled a new website called AtlanticWire.com. And former New York Sun editor Ira Stoll has debuted a new site as well. • What IAC chief Barry Diller had to say to attendees of the Goldman Sachs "Communacopia" conference today. [Daily Finance] • What NBC CEO Jeff Zucker and News Corp. boss Rupert Murdoch had to say to the same audience yesterday. [Variety] • M&A: Adobe is buying Omniture for $1.8 billion. And rumor has it Google is planning to pay $500-$700 million to buy the video service Brightcove. • Glenn Beck may be the craziest right-winger on cable news. But let's not forget that Lou Dobbs isn't far behind him. [DropDobbs.com] • Meghan McCain is a "media sensation," apparently. [LAT]
Marshall and his wife, Charlene, in court in April.
Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann gave his closing remarks in the trial against Anthony Marshall for felony larceny today, and the words he used for the 86-year-old philanthropist were scathing. Marshall, who is accused of forcing his Alzheimer's-addled mother, Brooke Astor, into willing him more of her millions in her twilight years, has had to sit through weeks of damning testimony against him by Astor's friends and employees, and even his own sons. But nothing made him physically shake the way Seidemann's fiery words did, according to the Times. "Each of these 70 witnesses provides a piece of the puzzle that adds up to one compelling and disturbing picture," he said. "And that picture is that these defendants, two morally depraved individuals, preyed on a physically and mentally ill 101-year-old woman to steal millions of dollars — dollars that she had intended to go to help the lives of ordinary New Yorkers." At one point, Seidemann produced a chart to compare the amounts of money Marshall spent on himself even as he cut down his frail mother's expenses. "Money is no object where it satisfies Tony Marshall's need," he said. "Where it satisfies Brooke Astor's need, then we become fiscally tight and we pinch that penny." According to the Assistant D.A., Marshall thought of Astor as "as his own little piggy bank; as his own ATM," and "could not wait" for her millions. "He waited and waited with the undertaker's shovel in hand for his mother to die."
Earlier this week, we identified mermaids as the new fashion-industry players to watch. Well, today more proof emerges in WWD. In conjunction with his next EP, pop star Mika is releasing a book with illustrations by fashion designers including Lanvin's Alber Elbaz. What did he choose to draw, of all the things in the world he could draw? As WWD puts it, "a colorful and glamorous mermaid." Just look at her! She has gloves and a bustier and what is possibly an Hermès Kelly bag. However, is that guy in the treasure chest dead or ogling her divine asymmetrical tail fins? [WWD]
Reuters - Tinseltown evening gowns are shimmering and flowing on New York fashion runways this week as many designers shed the stiff, formal styles of seasons past.
If you were worried about the Health Department's proposed ban on smoking in city parks and beaches, you can breathe a sigh of relief (or carbon monoxide, if you wish): While Mayor Bloomberg says he totally supports the idea, he also says the city doesn't actually plan to enforce it. "Our Police Department has enough to do. They can't be going around giving tickets," Bloomberg said. Now that's a slippery slope, isn't it? The next thing you know someone will come along and propose that the NYPD stop handing out parking tickets, enforcing open container laws, or arresting people for possessing drugs intended for personal use. [NYP]
Let's break down the photo that currently graces the homepage of TomDeLay.com, the website of the former House majority leader and soon-to-be contestant on Dancing With the Stars. We have a somewhat paunchy-looking DeLay sporting a creepy, satisfied grin, his hand resting against the waist of his pants. He's standing behind a woman — his dancing partner, we assume — who is awkwardly slumped over with an exhausted look on her face. And, finally, there's a woman who glares at DeLay disapprovingly. We're certain somebody more imaginative could come up with a backstory for the moment this photo is capturing, and we'll let them do that. But regardless, if you're Tom DeLay, why on earth would this be your photo of choice?
Good times in Publishingville, people! Dan Brown's latest collection of short, cliff-hangered chapters, The Lost Symbol, sold 1 million copies yesterday. Let this be a lesson to all aspiring novelists out there: Do whatever it takes to gain the support of the Freemasons, and you, too, can get rich! [ArtsBeat/NYT]
We've only just now read James Stewart's absurdly thrilling recounting of the dark days of the financial crisis in this week's New Yorker, and while we'll have more to say about that later for the twenty of you who care, we'd first like to raise a question about this juicy little tidbit from page 74, about an incident that occurred September 17, two days after the failure of Lehman Brothers.
Geithner said, It's hard to describe how bad it was and how bad it felt. He got a call from a "titan of the financial system" who said he was worried but he was doing fine. His voice was quavering. After hanging up, Geithner immediately called the man back. 'Don't call anyone else,' Geithner said. "If anyone hears your voice, you'll scare the shit out of them."
Good call, Geith. Voices carry, and all that. But who was this weepy-voiced titan?
We'd say it was Citigroup's Vikram Pandit, because if anyone on Wall Street seems predisposed to crying jags, it's him. But then again, that aspect of his personality aside, probably no one would refer to him as a "titan." Of the people who could reasonably be called titans, we don't really see JPMorgan's swashbuckling Jamie Dimon "quavering." Bank of America's Ken Lewis might have quavered, but only because of the drink. It could have been Wells Fargo's John Stumpf. Or Goldman Sachs's Lloyd Blankfein ...
From a few paragraphs later:
"It was chaotic," Blankfein recalls of the rumors about Goldman's survival. "There were people taking deep breaths, including me from time to time."
That's right, Lloyd. Don't be ashamed. It takes a strong man to cry.
Probably not! Earlier this week, London's Daily Mail reported that a producer for Creation, the Charles Darwin biopic starring Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany, and this terrible hairdo, is blaming the film's inability to secure U.S. distribution on the film's subject matter — specifically that "religious American audiences" would find "his theories on human evolution too controversial." Jeremy Thomas, the producer in question, continued: "It is unbelievable to us that this is still a really hot potato in America. There's still a great belief that He made the world in six days."
You've no doubt been subjected to a million tweets from outraged friends and invited to join Facebook groups defending Creation against the mobs of pitchfork-wielding creationists massing against it. But maybe the movie's just not that good? And a money loser to boot?
For instance! Hardly anyone liked Creation when it screened last week in Toronto. (Sample quote: "Flat, dull, and painful to sit through.") And it stars two actors who, despite being former Brooklynites and adorable and married, are not exactly stars with box-office clout.
Let's see: Period biopic about a writer most people don't feel that strongly about? Marginal lead actor who's liked but not loved? British pedigree and bad reviews? This sounds exactly like the kind of movie that some distributor would have snapped up three years ago in an attempt to put together an Oscar campaign and then would have lost a big fat wad of cash on. It's like the 2009 version of Miss Potter, but with Paul Bettany in the Renée Zellweger role.
More to the point, the article in the Daily Mail (motto: "Okay, George Clooney didn't actually write that") doesn't cite any actual instances of actual distributors shying away from the movie because of fears of Christian protest. It just quotes a guy with a vested interest in raising a little controversy around his movie. (We asked the film's publicists if the producers could provide any evidence to back up the claim and were told, "They remain optimistic that they will get U.S. distribution and are working hard to make that happen.")
So hold off on the angry tweeting for now. Maybe creationists will picket Creation when it finally gets a distribution deal, maybe as soon as today. And maybe it'll turn out to be great and get nominated for a hundred Oscars and divide the nation like no movie since Fahrenheit 9/11. But it isn't under attack yet, and it doesn't need you to defend it.
Tavern on the Green has been a giant tourist trap for years, of course. But perhaps it's no wonder the city decided to hand over the lease to a new operator recently. Service had really gone downhill lately. Per Mimi Sheraton, the Times' former restaurant critic: "They had some idiots working for them... like one waiter who, as he cleared the plates, would eat from them." [NYT]
According to a new Public Policy Polling survey (which, let's get it out of the way, only surveyed 500 people and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percent, etc.), 33 percent of New Jersey Republicans believe Obama is foreign-born, while 19 percent aren't sure. Ho-hum, we've heard this one before. But it gets worse! Fourteen percent of Republicans answered "Yes" when asked if Obama was the anti-Christ, while 15 percent weren't sure. Maybe they were being facetious? Meanwhile, 32 percent of Democrats said they believe that George W. Bush "had advanced knowledge of the 9/11 attacks," while 19 percent are unsure. We wish PPP would have asked about the coming panther takeover, something New Jerseyans should actually fear. [TPM DC]
AP - In telling the story of the final years in the brief life of poet John Keats, "Bright Star" very easily could have been a stuffy, period costume drama.
The memorial in Madrid for the victims of the 11-M train bombing.
Even though yesterday we were assured that the raids on three Queens homes by federal officials wasn't as scary as it sounded, it turns out more raids are being planned in order to avert an attack that the FBI still deems threatening. While FBI director Robert Mueller said today that the plot posed "no imminent danger," his elite Hostage Rescue Team arrived in New York this week to address it. The raid earlier this week turned up nine backpacks and cell phones, according to the Daily News, which has caused investigators to look to New York's subway (which carries 5.2 million riders every day) as a potential target, reminiscent of the commuter-rail bombings in Madrid in March of 2004.
The man whose movements triggered all of these raids, Najibullah Zazi, is still free, and spoke with the News. Though wiretaps indicated he was part of the plot, and though he fled back to his home in Denver when federal officials began to home in on the house where he was staying in Queens, the 25-year-old Afghan national said he is "not a terrorist." A source for the News begs to differ, saying that counterterrorism agents have been eyeing him as "part of the first suspected Al Qaeda cell they've uncovered in the U.S. since 9/11."
Nicky Hilton talking on her cell in Midtown ... Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen watching the US Open ... Matthew Broderickwalking on East 61st Street ... Taylor Swift posing for photographers outside her hotel ... Mickey Rourke walking his dog in SoHo ... Keri Russellgoing to Starbucks with a friend ... Ne-Yo walking outside his hotel ... Kate Gosselin getting out of a limo ... Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale watching the US Open ... Bar Refaeli walking in the meatpacking district ... Mary-Kate Olsen leaving her townhouse with a friend ... Blake Lively walking in Midtown ... Cynthia Nixonwalking on the Sex and the City set ... LaToya Jackson arriving at the Trump International Hotel ... Ed Westwick leaving his trailer on the Gossip Girl set, and going to dinner at Avenue with Jessica Szohr ... Courtney Love leaving the Mercer Hotel ... Oliver Stone standing on the set of Wall Street 2 on Park Avenue ... and Amber Rose shopping at Barneys on Madison Avenue.
AFP - Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan's new brief as "muse" of Ungaro is to give the Paris fashion house a cooler look and be a "travelling ad" for the brand, the head of the luxury firm said Wednesday.
Money-losing chain Blockbuster Video is considering shutting down 960 locations, or approximately 20% of its stores. This comes as a shocking development, as it means that 3,440 Blockbuster locations will actually remain open and continue to rent physical videos to people who drive there in exchange for dollars.
I have a feeling if they hold out for a few more years, the trend of physical in-person movie renting is gonna take a huge upswing riiiiiight arrrrround 2017…
Nonetheless, we move one step closer to the following Onion News Network video actually coming true. I give it about three years:
Former president Jimmy Carter has managed to momentarily unite liberals and conservatives — sort of. When asked at a forum yesterday about Joe Wilson and the 9/12 protests, Carter said, "I think it's based on racism. There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president." Following up later in an interview with NBC's Brian Williams, Carter added,
I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that he's African-American. I live in the South, and I've seen the South come a long way, and I've seen the rest of the country that shared the South's attitude toward minority groups at that time, particularly African-Americans. And that racism inclination still exists. And I think it's bubbled up to the surface because of the belief among many white people, not just in the South but around the country, that African-Americans are not qualified to lead this great country.
Now, it's not as if everyone disagrees with the substance of Carter's comments. Conservatives certainly do; as is often the case, they bristle at any suggestion that opposition to Obama could possibly have anything to do with race. Heavens, no. Meanwhile, many liberals agree with Carter, but, understanding the political implications of such accusations, just wish he would keep thoughts like these to himself.
• Chuck Todd and friends doubt that America is capable of having an "adult discussion" about this. But it's certainly not one the White House even wants to have, as "even entertain[ing] the idea of race being a part of the opposition to the president is political suicide." [First Read/MSNBC]
• Mickey Kaus calls this a "[g]ift to the GOPs" and an example of the mainstream media's failed attempt to "tilt against the Republicans." [Kausfiles/Slate]
• Carol Platt Liebau believes that throwing around the racism epithet "promiscuously denudes it of power." It also "creates divisions that are going to make it harder for the President to bridge when he later needs the support of voters who may be opposing him now." Hopefully the Democrats will realize this and "kick to the curb the cynics among them who think that Americans can be guilted into signing onto an agenda with which they don't agree." [Town Hall]
• Ed Morrissey plays the Palestine card, and claims that by Carter's logic, he would be an anti-Semite. [Hot Air]
• Joel Achenbach tells Carter that "these people who dislike Obama probably disliked you even more when you were president. They disliked President Clinton. They dislike anything that smacks of big-government liberalism, tolerance for gays and abortion and gun control, and so on." [Achenblog/WP]
• Janet Daley calls Carter's remark "outrageous, unfounded and potentially inflammatory." It's absurd for Carter to suggest "that a country which definitively proved that it was no longer racist by electing a black president with a near-landslide, is actually still mired in bigotry." [Telegraph UK]
• Alex Koppelman doesn't expect the White House to "jump in on Carter's side. Beginning with the campaign, the president and his team have been very reluctant to get involved in issues of race, much less allegations of racism against Obama, in part as a way of avoiding charges from opponents that he's playing the infamous 'race card.'" [War Room/Salon]
• Jason Zengerle believes that this is "just the sort of inflammatory debate on race Obama has wisely sought to avoid from the day he launched his presidential candidacy. Carter may think he's helping, "but, really, if he wants to help Obama, he should just shut up." [Plank/New Republic]
• Michael Tomasky thinks Carter is "probably right," but he "wasn't being strategic, and it's a classic kind of no-win statement." He's seen it before: "Whenever a liberal tosses out a charge of racism, the other side demands 'proof'. And since everyone has learned by now how to code and calibrate their language so as to stop just at racism's water's edge, there almost never quite is proof, even in extreme cases." Then conservatives "get to claim the high ground." [Guardian UK]
• Victor Davis Hanson says the accusation of racism is a "disastrous political move to save a health-care plan that simply has not appealed to a majority of Americans." Furthermore, he wonders "why the Left is now nearly unhinged about criticism of a black liberal president, when it was silent (well, there was always Harry Belafonte ... ) about the racial implications of the constant and vicious anger directed at Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, not to mention the rather personal, condescending attacks on Alberto Gonzales." [Corner/National Review]
• Peter Kirsanow mocks, "It's this type of extraordinary, almost telepathic insight that made Mr. Carter one of the most successful presidents in history." [Corner/National Review]
• Paul Raushenbush agrees "that this opposition movement is displaying a deeply held, yet perhaps unconscious racial distrust of the president. What else would lead a white man from South Carolina to feel he has the right to yell down the sitting president of the United States who is African American?" [Progressive Revival/Beliefnet]
• Ta-Nehisi Coates says that "one reason some of us try to avoid this discussion is because of its enormous potential for distraction. From a black perspective, I care about the disproportionate number of black people who are sick and dying, not the contents of Joe Wilson's heart." [Atlantic]
Citigroup chairman Dick Parsons hasn't been all that successful in fixing the ailing bank. Although Citi indicated yesterday that plans to reduce the government's stake in the bank—and return part of the $45 billion of taxpayer money it's received—it remains the most troubled major financial institution in America. (And it continues to be led by Vikram Pandit, who is probably the worst CEO of a major financial institution that still has a full-time job.) But don't let that stop you from pursuing a little freelance work, Dick.
Parsons is planning to join Providence Equity Partners as a senior adviser, which means he will now be dividing his time between his existing role at Citi and his new position at Providence, which will have him working with the private equity giant to source new deals as well as manage some of its existing investments, such as MGM and Univision, both of which have proven to be troubled deals for Providence. The upside? Parsons gets to be a media industry player again! Per the Times:
The new position at Providence, which Mr. Parsons plans to pursue part time, will put him back into the deal-making fray within the media world for the first time since retiring from Time Warner’s board this year.
That's nice. But now he'll have less time for Citi. And the man responsible for not fixing the bank (not to mention partly responsible for the most disastrous merger in American corporate history) will now be handed other messes to clean up. Brilliant. And it looks pretty lousy, too. Jeffrey Cane of Reuters:
So is this the right time for the chairman of Citi to be focusing on media deals? Sure, having the former chief executive of Time Warner join Providence makes loads of sense. But it still looks bad. Taxpayers may well wonder why the chairman is broadening his portfolio when they have a $45 billion investment and a guarantee on $300 billion in assets at stake.
It’s been a moderately uneventful pop culture day thusfar, aside from the shocking news that Jon Gosselin and his nanny had an affair WHILE THE CHILDREN SLEPT (wouldn’t it have been far worse if the kids were awake? I’m just Splitting Heirs. Yes, the Rick Moranis movie.)
However, in the interest of looking at Wednesday September 16th as though it is a glass that is halfway full of water, here are two extremely happy pieces of news:
1) All day long, Deadspin is being written by the editors of the currently-retired FireJoeMorgan.com, my all-time favorite website. The site’s co-creator, Michael Schur, is also the executive producer of Parks & Recreation (and plays Mose Schrute on The Office), so the event is a kind of sports/Parks And Rec pop-culture crossover dealie, a Venn diagram that happens to intersect right overtop my heart. So I’m excited.
2) The band Pavement is finally reuniting, after more years of reunion rumors than there were actual years of the band. They’re apparently playing a benefit show next September in Central Park, and as soon as ticket information becomes available, I’m definitely not going to link it, because I don’t want to do anything that might even slightly negatively impact my already-nonexistent chances of getting tickets.
Though I could always pull the “Hello, I’m the guy who writes those Lost recaps!” card. That usually works to remind Michelle who I am.
Hopefully, one or both of these pieces of news make you as happy as that sun and I both are.
Fashion Wire Daily - There's an inescapable aroma of horse manure at the storied corner of Fifth Avenue and Central Park South in New York, where the famous Plaza Hotel sits, the site of Betsey Johnson's latest presentation for party girls on Tuesday, Sept. 15, which she cheekily titled "One Night Stand."
The Jay Leno Show is off to a… start, and as part of its first week on the air media blitz, its pulling out all the stops. And where we come from, “all the stops” translates loosely into “Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz Live Via Satellite“. And because Entertainment Weekly basically hit the nail on the head regarding the segment, we bring you their writings as follows:
The whole interview is pretty surreal (and at times Suri-eal, whoa!) and stilted except for the 20 or seconds during which the pair bicker in the style of an online-dating success story commercial about who laughs more. He laughs all the time! It’s nonstop with her! Constantly laughing! First thing in the morning, it’s like “Cameron, please!” Get ready to sign up for eHarmony, y’all.
Check it out, and then see where Cameron Diaz ranks on our Laugh-O-Meter:
Wow that is one handsome dame ya found there, Rolling Stone. What’s her name? “Megan Fox,” you say? I been in the talkies since dang near aught seven, and I knows a face that’ll rake in the greenbacks when I sees one. I want this gal’s mug plastered on every trade from here ta Kalamazoo, ya hear? And do it quick, see, before someone else discovers her. Now bring me my sarsaparilla!
Oh, no, wait. He’s just staring at me. F*ck.
Thus ending today’s lesson in “Worst Headline/Cover Photo Pairing of All Timesies”.
Israeli Maccabi Haifa's Peter Masilela (R) clashes with German Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller during a UEFA champions League Group A football match at the Ramat Gan Stadium near Tel Aviv. The Al Jazeera... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 16 Sep 2009 | 10:29 am
Fish swim in a tank of the acuarium of San Sebastian during the official presentation of the 57th edition of the San Sebastian International Film Festival on September 4, 2009. Organisers of the Sept 18-26... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 16 Sep 2009 | 10:29 am
Mikel Olaziregi, director of the San Sebastian International Film Festival, gives a press conference on September 4, 2009. Organisers of the Sept 18-26 San Sebastian festival in northern Spain said they... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 16 Sep 2009 | 10:29 am
(Ed. Note: Make sure to read this entire post before putting any food in your mouth.)
Ladies, you too can look like this streamlined feline work of art for the bargain price of just $4 million! Spotted, Jocelyn Wildenstein, entering a car somewhere in the Serengeti London. We can honestly and truly say, we really love her blouse.
And prepare to get your biggest wooden spoon out with a sink full of ice cream, single girls…
Because she has somehow defied the odds and found love:
Next spring's "Iron Man 2" premiere will be memorable not only for the stars of the film, but also for two lucky fans -- thanks to cast member and Oxfam Ambassador Scarlett Johansson.
Children: So spoiled these days. In my day, riding on the back of a voluptuous sheepwould have been considered privileged. But look at that little, spoiled bastard above. Does he even know he is living out one of our greatest dreams? (That being saddling up and riding a giant sheep.)
Then again, this kid is only three years old… he probably doesn’t know… anything. Well, other than the sheer terror only known by the most scarred of war veterans, clearly.
Still, the most terrifying moment came later…
When little Timmy Monahan told his father that he’s gay:
While everyone is still buzzing over Kanye West's interruption of Taylor Swift's VMA speech, Swift herself is apparently over it. Source: FOXNews.com | 16 Sep 2009 | 8:36 am
Reuters - Financial crises and war have long fostered dramatic innovations in fashion, and today's times are no different, according to Nina Garcia, author of the new book "The Style Strategy." Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 16 Sep 2009 | 7:31 am
It says something about the popularity of "Dancing With the Stars" that the show's dancers have become almost as famous as the celebrities they're paired with. Take Mark Ballas, who last season waltzed and tangoed his way to a first-place finish with Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson.
AP - Apple has turned the iPhone into a popular device for video games. Sony is about to introduce the PSP go, a slick new version of its handheld PlayStation Portable. But both companies are still playing catch-up with Nintendo, which has dominated the portable game market for decades.
After the success of "Life in Cartoon Motion," which sold five million copies worldwide, Mika, seen here in 2008, releases a second album inspired by his adolescence and 1980s pop -- "The Boy Who Knew... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 16 Sep 2009 | 4:52 am
Reuters - Though its grasp of English history may be a bit fanciful, "Solomon Kane" is a powerful, high-spirited romp -- with equally high production values -- through the realms of the increasingly popular fantasy genre. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 16 Sep 2009 | 3:47 am
Reuters - Bond girl Eva Green turns up at a British girls boarding school as a free-spirited teacher who isn't all she's cracked up to be in the erotically-laced period drama, "Cracks."
Reuters - It's difficult to believe that the same director who made the simple and affecting "Whale Rider" in 2002 and the underrated "North Country" in 2005, is responsible for "The Vintner's Luck," an overblown work of amazing silliness.
Is there no end to the collateral damage wrought by the Gosselins' marital implosion?
While it could be years before we know what the kids think of him, Jon Gosselin's dogs are...
Las Vegas will be seeing a new name in lights.
After weeks of grueling rehearsals, cranky judges, whiny judges, overly excited judges and unfavorable comparisons to the...
Madonna's papa don't preach, but her brother sure does.
The pop icon's estranged sibling Christopher Ciccone, whom she hasn't been on voguing terms with since before he...
Can anyone really stop the mighty Jennifer Aniston from releasing her new movie on time?
—Joku
The Aniston may wield all sorts of clout in this country—but it's...
That soaring voice, one of the most powerful of the 1960s, has been silenced. Folk music icon Mary Travers died today of leukemia at age 72, according to her publicist.
As part of Peter,...
Time for a hug.
Chelsea Handler watched the premiere of The Biggest Loser and was shocked—shocked!—at the treatment the contestants received as they struggled to lose...
Some stars are clearing out of the Toronto Film Festival midway through, but there's still plenty of films and action left, from heartful to ho-hum to simply weird.
Speaking of...
If Joe Francis didn't know that Frankie Delgado was Brody Jenner's best friend, he's aware of it now.
The Girls Gone Wild founder was thrown out of L.A.'s club...
Well, someone had to come to Jon Gosselin's defense.
The reality-TV dad's new divorce attorney, Mark Heller, says that he was the one who insisted that Gosselin's ex-lawyer,...
Coldplay's latest legal issue is on ice.
A federal judge has dismissed a plagiarism suit brought by guitarist Joe Satriani against the British quartet, in which he accused them...
Citigroup chairman 
It’s been a moderately uneventful pop culture day thusfar, aside from the shocking news that Jon Gosselin and his nanny had an affair 
