AP - Spanish writer and journalist Angeles Caso has won the country's most lucrative literary award for a novel about the ordeals of women from poor countries who emigrate in search of a better life. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 16 Oct 2009 | 4:26 am
AP - Spanish writer and journalist Angeles Caso has won the country's most lucrative literary award for a novel about the ordeals of women from poor countries who emigrate in search of a better life. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 16 Oct 2009 | 4:25 am
AP - Confirming that endorsement deals still have cachet in a recession, "Transformers" star Megan Fox is pulling down a seven-figure payday to model Armani underwear and jeans.
AP - Confirming that endorsement deals still have cachet in a recession, "Transformers" star Megan Fox is pulling down a seven-figure payday to model Armani underwear and jeans.
AP - The family of a 6-year-old boy who set off a nationally televised scramble when he was thought to be in a balloon over Colorado has been featured twice in the ABC show "Wife Swap."
Dead President: The cast of Robert Redford's Lincoln assassination pic The Conspirator keeps getting better as Tom Wilkinson, Evan Rachel Wood, Kevin Kline and Alexis Bledel have signed on to join James McAvoy and Robin Wright Penn in the period piece. Wilkinson will play former Attorney General Reverdy Johnson; Kline will play Lincoln's War Secretary Edwin Stanton Wood; Wood will play the daughter of Mary Surratt (Penn), the only woman charged in the conspiracy to kill Lincoln; and Bledel will play Sarah Weston, the wife of war hero and lawyer Fredrick Aiken (McAvoy). For his part, Redford is producing and serving as a script adviser, as he personally knew many of the characters portrayed. [Variety]
Devil In Blue Slacks:Chris Messina is on board to star in Devil, a psychological thriller based on an M. Night Shyamalan story. Brothers John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle will direct. Most of the plot is unknown except that Messina will play a sobered-up homicide detective. This being M. Night Shyamalan though, he's probably a chair who thinks he's a sobered-up homicide detective. [Variety]
Still Lost:Vampire Diaries star Ian Somerhalder is sticking to the world of gothic fairy tales for his next film. In Cradlewood, Somerhalder will play a wealthy heir who's afraid he's going to be killed because of a bizarre pact his ancestors made with a demon. Producer Michel Shane described the film as "a perfect segue for the kids who have outgrown Twilight but want something romantic and scary." Which is a coincidence because we are exactly those kids! [THR]
Father Knows Best: Warner Bros. has snagged writer Will Fetters to pen the adventure tale Crazy for the Storm, a coming of age story about a young man pushed by his father to embrace adventure. At the age of 11 he's stranded in the mountains after surviving a plane crash that killed his father. The film is based on Norman Ollestad's memoir. Fetters has become something of a go-to scribe for Warner Bros., which also has him working on its A Star Is Born reboot and the screenplay for a Nicholas Sparks book. If he does well with these, they'll let him take a crack at a real movie. [THR]
French comic book "Le domaine des dieux" (The Mansions of the Gods) representing the harbour of the village of Asterix and Obelix characters from Gaul is seen being held over the pier of the harbour of... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 15 Oct 2009 | 11:41 pm
Albert Uderzo, French author and illustrator who launched the Asterix comics strip character with author Rene Goscinny, is pictured after receiving honorary doctorate degree for his lifetime work, at the... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 15 Oct 2009 | 11:41 pm
VIDEO: Gallic heroes Asterix and Obelix hit the road again in a brand new comic book due out later this month, to mark the 50th anniversary of the first issue about the rebellious village in northern France... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 15 Oct 2009 | 11:41 pm
Depechemode.com webmaster Daniel Barassi would like you to know that Dave Gahan did NOT shout “Thank you very much Chile!" at the end of a concert in Peru. Sure, it kind of sounds like he says "Thank you very much Chile!" but really he didn't. He said "Thank you very much, good night!" Everyone knows that Dave Gahan always ends his shows by saying "Thank you very much, good night!" Why would he change that now? Exactly! He wouldn't. [AP]
For a power-hungry billionaire, Ted Turner has been kinda quiet lately. That changes tomorrow when Bloomberg TV runs an interview it did with the mogul. In it, Turner says he wishes he was still running Time Warner so he could implement a few changes. First, he wants CNN to include "less fluffy news and more international news," especially about China. Then he'd turn his attention to Cartoon Network and "put Captain Planet on at a top time period so that kids would see the environmental superhero instead of just Superman." These are basically a bored viewer's ramblings -- typically emailed to Rick Sanchez and quickly deleted. You know, if the bored viewer didn't also happen to be the founder of the network. [The Hollywood Reporter]
Has the nation been duped by a balloon-wielding evil genius? Did little 6-year-old Falcon Heene have us right where he wanted, enthralled with our local news stations and hoping for his safe...
People are seen visiting Berlin's "Neues Museum" (New Museum). After around ten years of planning, restoration and rebuilding lead by British architect David Chipperfield, the Neues Museum, heavily damaged... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 15 Oct 2009 | 10:49 pm
The bust of Queen Nefertiti of Egypt is seen on display in Berlin's "Neues Museum" (New Museum). After around ten years of planning, restoration and rebuilding lead by British architect David Chipperfield,... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 15 Oct 2009 | 10:49 pm
So, it turns out there's an explanation for why a 6-year-old would stay hidden in a box in his garage while the entire country was searching for him. His parents told him to! At least, that's the way it seems after little Falcon "Balloon Boy" Henne all but admitted on CNN that the whole thing was a hoax meant to land his eccentric family back on reality TV. In response to his dad's question about why he didn't come out of the box even though he heard his parents shouting, Falcon said, "You guys said that we did this for the show." To which Balloon Dad immediately responded, "Man." Then Balloon Mom chimed in with a shaky "No." What was a tragic story 10 hours ago and an uplifting story five hours ago is now a disgusting story. Good luck not popping with all those pitchforks chasing you, Balloon Family.
No, the comic actor isn't talking about his last couple of movie roles.
Will Ferrell has signed on to star in the indie film Everything Must Go, according to Variety. Go...
"She is the woman that the White House put in charge of monitoring this show, because we're smearing them, we're lying, we're making things up -- we're 'the arm of the Republican Party.' I just opened up Mao's little book here. How about this one: 'A revolution is not a dinner party... a revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence, in which one party overthrows another.' .... Mao Zedong, the little red book, led to millions of deaths... and she is not the only one in the White House.''
When news broke yesterday that Fox had decided to ditch its reality channel, it seemed likely that a 24-hour picture of a waving American flag would replace it. Not so! Instead, Nat Geo Wild, a spinoff of the National Geographic Channel, will launch this spring. The National Geographic Channel has increased its ratings in recent years by getting away from strictly nature-based coverage, which the new network will focus on. And the stoners rejoiced. [The Live Feed]
(Reuters) Reuters - As a sympathetic and unflinching portrayal of one woman's struggle to escape emotional self-destruction, director Sebastian Silva's "The Maid" precisely plumbs the depths of human frailty to reveal the interior life of a troubled character while avoiding the pitfalls of distracting sentimentality. This is striking cinema from a notable international filmmaker. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 15 Oct 2009 | 7:58 pm
Ready for a feel-good Lindsay Lohan story?
So are we, but this isn't it.
The starlet has had a rough couple of weeks filled with everything from failed fashion shows to...
Sophia Bush loves recycling.
The actress is also huge a fan of Hervé Léger dresses, particularly black and white striped ones.
Check out these two similiar dresses...
Even as indie cliches go, “disaffected rock-and-roll waitress” is almost to precious to bear. That Jemina Pearl plays one in her video for “I Hate People” isn’t helped by the presence of scene whore elder Thurston Moore in diner-clerk garb, or an affectless Iggy Pop coming in for the chorus. But unless you require your brat-pop haughtily, and pointlessly, fuzz-adulterated — and judging by local enthusiasm for Vivian Girls, some of you clearly do — Pearl’s song will get you in the end. Imagine the Strokes getting really loose with a singer who works a wink and a sneer, but only really knows how to smile. And she’s not bad playing a disaffected rock-and-roll waitress, either.
Hear that? It's the sound of the hype machine shifting into third gear. Already there's been a lot of buzz around the forthcoming eponymous new line by Coach designer and well-regarded gentleman Reed Krakoff. Initially, speculation had it that the president and creative director — who has not only been able to transform the 68-year-old New York–based company into an international juggernaut, but managed to keep it in the black when even mainstay brands have been suffering — was cobbling together a luxury-products offshoot (bags? Body spray?) for a 2010 debut. Well, today we have word through the Daily that Reed Krakoff's accessories line will indeed debut this coming Fashion Week! The Daily goes on to speculate that the curtain goes up on a runway either Monday, February 15 or Tuesday, February 16 — placing Krakoff in the company of New York titans like Oscar de la Renta, Donna Karan, and Tommy Hilfiger. Looks like the Coach boss is looking to make a name for himself from day one. Should be a very hot ticket.
This is insane: At the "suggestion" of special master for executive compensation Kenneth Feinberg, Ken Lewis, the outgoing CEO of Bank of America, will get no salary or bonus for 2009, the year he spent being battered by the press and Bank of America shareholders and possibly being a government patsy. In fact, according to The Wall Street Journal, he'll have to repay the bank more than $1 million in salary he has already earned. This is how it went down, a Bank of America spokesman told the Journal:
"Mr. Feinberg suggested that Ken Lewis should take no compensation for 2009. Mr. Lewis agreed. Mr. Lewis added that he felt it was not in the best interest of Bank of America for him to get involved in a dispute with the paymaster," the spokesman said.
He "suggested" it and he just backed down? Okay, no way. To us, this can only mean one of three things. Either 1) Ken Lewis really did have a big hippie epiphany in the mountains of Colorado and decided he no longer needed money or material possessions, 2) the government has serious shit on Lewis, or 3) these negotiations were conducted with Lewis stretched on a rack while Feinberg dripped hot wax on his chest. We're guessing a 2-3 combo. This is scary.
UPDATE: Phew! Falcon Heene was found alive and well hiding in a box in the attic of his garage, fearing he would be in trouble.
________
For about two hours today, we were...
Falcon Heene, the boy who captured America's attention today when it was reported that he was trapped in a weather balloon soaring thousands of feet above Colorado, is alive and well. He was just found hiding in a box in the attic of the family garage, apparently thinking he was in trouble for releasing the balloon. As the local sheriff just observed on CNN: "Once a child realizes that people are looking for them, they hide."
Hey, remember earlier this summer when Michael Jackson died and So You Think You Can Dance producer Nigel Lythgoe asked Janet Jackson's old choreographer Paula Abdul to participate in a...
Khloé Kardashian says she definitely wants to have kids with Lamar Odom, but she'd like to enjoy her recent weight loss before packing on the pregnancy pounds.
"Honestly, I...
Who could forget the Wife Swapping, storm-chasing, UFO-loving Heene family?
Well, probably most people, until 6-year-old son Falcon was reported to have taken an...
Ivanka Trump is no longer just a real estate executive, jewelry designer, proponent of "fresh-tasting, healthy" microwaveable meals, and real estate heiress about to settle down with a real estate heir. She's now a published author, too! Ivanka's motivational book, The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life, is now here (with a blurb by her almost-bossAnna Wintour, no less), and last night she celebrated its publication with a party at—where else?—Trump Tower. Naturally, all the Trumps turned out for the fête. But while papa Trump wasn't necessarily in tip-top shape (he's "put on a bit of weight around the middle," reportsDavid Patrick Columbia), Ivanka was "radiant and remarkably composed," reports Vanity Fair, even though she's getting married in a mere 10 days. Her advice to other women who might have to juggle a wedding merging two billionaire families while also promoting a soon-to-be bestseller at the same time: "Be relaxed, try to enjoy the moment, and remember: it's just a great party!" [VF, NYSD]
Ken Lewis, the outgoing CEO of Bank of America, won't be collecting a salary or bonus for 2009, according to the Wall Street Journal. Why? Because the Treasury Department's pay czar, Ken Feinberg, demanded it and the bank conceded rather than put up a fight. Don't shed any tears for Lewis: His retirement package is still worth between $69.3 million and $120 million. But there's reason to believe Citigroup chief executive Vikram Pandit is quaking in his Ferragamo loafers this evening:
The move will stun Wall Street, which has been anxiously awaiting Mr. Feinberg's rulings on compensation at seven firms receiving large sums of government aid, including also Citigroup Inc. and General Motors. Mr. Feinberg had been expected to clamp down on compensation by cutting salaries for the most highly-paid employees at these firms. But until now there's been little indication he would take away an employee's entire pay.
Garth Brooks, one of the biggest country stars of all time, said Thursday he was coming out of retirement after nine years away from the music business.
William Tecumseh Sherman is known mainly for three things: for being a general in the Civil War, for burning Atlanta to the ground in his role as said general, and, finally, for providing the most definitive answer in the history of American politics regarding a potential candidacy for president, which is often quoted as, "If drafted, I will not run; if nominated, I will not accept; if elected, I will not serve." Since then, whenever a politician has been asked about their political aspirations, their answer is inevitably measured up against Sherman's. Sometimes, when someone really wants to put any prospect of a candidacy to rest for good, they'll even quote him directly. That's not something that Hillary Clinton has done since bowing out of the presidential race in June 2008. Though she's addressed her future aspirations many times, and always downplays the possibility that she could run for president again, her answers never quite reach the level of being Shermanesque. Which is probably why people keep asking. Herewith, a in-depth analysis of those statements.
When: October 14, 2008 Where: Fox & Friends What Was Said: When asked what the chances were of her running for president again, Hillary replied, "Probably close to zero. There's an old saying: Bloom where you're planted."
Comments: Clearly there's wiggle room in here. "Probably" and "close to" signify that the chances of another run might not actually be anywhere near zero. As for the "bloom where you're planted" adage, it hardly means anything except "I'll take whatever I can get."
Photo: Wikipedia, Getty Images
When: July 22, 2009 Where: An interview with The Nation in Bangkok, Thailand What Was Said:
Interviewer: Will we ever get to see you as president of the United States?
Hillary: Well, that's not anything I'm at all thinking about. I think the job I have now is, um [clears throat], incredibly demanding, and I'm 100 percent focused on it, and in our country when you're in the secretary of State position you're out of politics, so I'm not involved in our domestic politics at all, and that's fine with me because this job is so demanding.
Interviewer: You've given up hope to be the first lady president?
Hillary: [Laughs] Well, I've got a very demanding and exciting job right now and I'm not somebody who looks ahead, I don't know, but I doubt very much that anything like that will ever be part of my life.
Interviewer: So it's wait and see.
Hillary: (laughs) No, no, no, no.
Interviewer: Never say never.
Hillary: Well, I am saying no —
Interview: Now ...
Hillary: — because I have a very committed attitude towards the job I'm doing now —
Interview: Now ...
Hillary: — and so that's not anything that is at all on my radar screen.
Comments: Hillary may as well have declared her candidacy for 2016 right here. Notice the repeated emphasis on how focused she is on her current job. In fact, the demands of being secretary of State seem to be almost the sole reason she isn't contemplating a run for president. All things come to an end, and no secretary of State has served two full four-year terms since Dean Rusk in the sixties. And the perfectly placed clearing of the throat? Come on! As George Costanza pointed out in "The Soul Mate," throat-clearing is "a nonverbal implication of doubt."
When: July 26, 2009 Where: An interview with David Gregory on Meet the Press What Was Said: After Gregory shows a clip of the exchange in Thailand:
Hillary: The answer is "no," I don't know how many more —
Gregory: But you didn't say never!
Hillary: Well, I say, "No, never," you know, "Not at all." I don't know what else to say.
Gregory: Are you saying you wouldn't entertain another run?
Hillary: I have absolutely no belief, in my mind, that that is going to happen, that I have any interest in it happening. You know, as I said, I am so focused on what I'm doing ...
Comments: Hillary has an opportunity to flat-out deny that she would ever run again. Instead, she falls back on how she feels in the present day, leaving open the possibility that her "interest in it happening" could change in the future. She then transitions, once again, into being "focused on what she's doing," before, suspiciously if understandably, changing the topic completely.
When: October 12, 2009 Where: An interview with Ann Curry on Today What Was Said:
Curry: Will you ever run for president again, yes or no?
Hillary: (laughs) No.
Curry: No?
Hillary: No, no. I mean this is, this is a great job, it is a 24/7 job, and I'm looking forward to retirement at some point.
Comments: For the first time, Hillary unequivocally denies that she'll run for president again. Thrice. Then again, she also mentions, as usual, how time-consuming her current job is — as if anyone expects her to run for president while remaining secretary of State. She's also "looking forward to retirement at some point" — maybe when she's 74?
When: October 14, 2009 Where: An interview with Cynthia McFadden of ABC News What Was Said:
McFadden: You said earlier this week that you were going to retire at some point ...
Hillary: (laughs)
McFadden: ... and that you were not going to run for president.
Hillary: I did say that.
McFadden: It's making enormous waves throughout the country back home.
Hillary: You think so? Oh, well, I mean, really, I feel like I have had the most amazing life in my public service and for the last seventeen years, ever since my husband started running for president, I have been, you know, in the spotlight, working hard, and this job is incredibly all-encompassing. So I think looking forward to maybe taking some time off. You don't think that's a good idea?
McFadden: Well, never is a long time. So I want to ask you again. You're never going to run for president again?
Hillary: I have absolutely no interest in running for president again. None. None. I mean, I know that's hard for some people to believe, but, you know, I just … I just don't, I feel like that was a great experience, you know, I gave it all I had, I'm giving this job all I have. I try to live in the present, so it just seems, you know, that that's not in my future.
Comments: At first, Hillary completely dodges the issue, vaguely alluding to "taking some time off" again. Then comes a seemingly airtight denial: "I have absolutely no interest in running for president again. None. None." But — and not to rely too much on a Seinfeldian reading of body language — notice the scratching of the eye, a possible "tell." Most revealing, though, is the final line (which apparently wasn't aired, but appeared in the transcript) — another mention of "living in the present," which, again, may indicate that her seemingly stringent denials apply only to her current state of mind. Still, she sounded as certain as ever that it won't happen.
The family at the center of a dramatic hot air balloon watch has been in the spotlight before. The Heene family appeared on a reality show that highlighted concerns about the children's safety.
MAKEUP
• Zoë Kravitz, the face of Vera Wang's Princess fragrance, shares her makeup tips: "My mom told me to use coconut oil instead of body lotion. It makes my arms and legs feel amazing. I try to use products that don't have anything fake in them." [Teen Vogue]
FRAGRANCE
• U.S. freestyle-skiing champion Michelle Roark created a fragrance named Confidence. She spritzes her neck-warmer before competing, as well as the back of her neck and behind her ears. [WSJ]
• Brioni released its limited-edition men's scent this week, and the luxury label is only selling 7,000 bottles. At the current exchange, the smaller bottle is priced at $399, and the larger one is $830. [WWD]
SKIN
• The number of products that claim to renew skin overnight are on the rise, and just this year skin-care companies released 55 new night-specific products. Do you buy into it? [NYT]
After putting him through the wringer over the past month, Justice William M. Erlbaum found State Senator Hiram Monserrate not guilty of two felony counts of slashing the face of his girlfriend, Karla Giraldo, with a broken water glass during an argument. He did, however, find Monserrate guilty of the a misdemeanor charge of recklessly causing Giraldo physical injury by dragging her though his lobby after she was cut, which carries a prison sentence of up to a year. In his decision, the judge sounded as though he really regretted not being able to convict Monserrate on all of the charges: “The state has clearly proven that he did cause injury to Karla Giraldo beyond a reasonable doubt," he said, adding that the charges relating to her slashed face “were not proven.” Even Monserrate's lawyer sounded skeptical: “If ever a case cried out for reasonable doubt, this is it,” he said. The sentencing is set for December 4.
A lawyer for Matthew Tannin — who along with fellow former Bear Stearns fund manager Ralph Cioffi is being tried for securities fraud in the wake of the collapse of two subprime-backed hedge funds two years ago — told the court today that her client was not being deceptive when he promoted the health of the funds to clients and then turned around and told colleagues the subprime-mortgage market was "toast." He was merely worried, she said, and "worrying is not a crime." Not YET, anyway. [WSJ]
Snoop’s never been shy about using questionable cartoon art for albumcovers, but we think he’s outdone himself this time. To your right is the actual cover of December’s Malice-n’-Wonderland, which looks like (but probably isn't) the work of legendary SkyMall artist Michael Godard. It depicts everything that is good in life: drop-top ‘64s, money, playing cards, forties, buxom women reclining in martini glasses, and skeletons wearing sunglasses. It's good to know Snoop's still trying!
Nearly two weeks after David Letterman first revealed that he was the victim of an alleged $2 million blackmail plot -- and shocked fans with his on-air confession that he had had sex with women who work for him -- the veil over the "Late Show" host's previously super-private love life has lifted.
Dammit, internet, you’ve already made it clear that children are better than us at most things, you don’t need to keep rubbing it in. I’m lazy and suck at things, and all children on the internet are amazing prodigy-genius-champions of the universe, I GET IT.
This is ridiculous:
Kind of wish they’d show a few more angles though, I feel like I didn’t really see it. No Matrix-style 360 degree zoom? Guess I’ll let it slide this time.
Model and lackluster D.J. Jesus Luz is getting a $10,000-a-month allowance from Madonna, according to In Touch. If the story is true, doesn't that make him the world's lowest-paid celebrity gigolo? Surely, say, Rossano Rubicondi or even whatever girl George Clooney is taking to premieres these days makes more than that a month. According to the celebrity weekly's source, the income is to offset modeling wages he lost by taking time off to accompany Madonna around the world. She also pays his cell phone, insurance, and credit-card bills. We're sure there was a lovely conversation in the Ciccone household when Lourdes learned about this.
Just because lawyers and arbitrators are trying to quiet Jon and Kate Gosselin doesn't mean the mudslinging has come to a close.
That's what instigating former flames are...
First Lego: Rock Band gave us terrifying toy Iggy Pop. Then they followed up with wonderfully androgynous David Bowie. And now they’ve captured the essence of another of rock music’s most visually iconic acts of all time — Blur! Look at them, there, with their tousled hair, their two different kinds of eyeglasses, and their sweaters (jumpers, for our friends in the United Kingdom). Adorable! [Rolling Stone]
• Meghan McCain posted this picture to illustrate her " 'spontaneous' night in" and naturally, the Twitterverse focused on what was out: her breasts. She got all mad and...
Bungalow 8's demise has been rumored for a couple of years now—and years since it's been a serious hotspot—but the venue that helped revitalize the western edge of Chelsea (and turned it into a mob scene) is finally finished, a source tells us. Amy Sacco's lounge supposedly closed "for renovations" a couple of weeks ago. But after nearly nine years in business, we've been told that Sacco does not have any plans to reopen the club that served as celeb central in the early to mid-'00s. We contacted Sacco's publicist by phone and email for comment and have yet to hear back. But a call to Bungalow 8 confirms the obvious: The line has been disconnected.
It's been a rough couple of years for the woman once dubbed the "Queen of NYC nightlife." In 2006, Sacco's first venture, the Chelsea restaurant Lot 61, closed down; and her second foray into the dining biz, Bette, exited the scene last summer. Sacco's attempt to branch out in 2007 by lending her name to a condo development in the financial district never amounted to much, particularly as sales dried up during the early days of the financial crisis. And Sacco experienced personal financial trouble last year, according to press reports. That her last remaining NYC venue has now closed doesn't mean the Bungalow 8 brand is entirely finished: Sacco opened a London branch a couple of years ago. But while the Brit outpost remains in business, it, too, has seen better days and no longer attracts much of a crowd.
What impact Bungalow 8's closing will have on the reality show Sacco was working on with Bravo is unclear. As recently as August, she was filming "test episodes" of the show inside Bungalow 8, although she indicated that the show would track her progress in opening a new club on 17th Street. It's possible that Sacco closed Bungalow to gear up to open something new. But it isn't clear if the test episodes even resulted in a full-fledged deal to produce the TV show, particularly since Sacco reportedly had difficulty snagging the celebrity talent that she'd hoped would take part in the production. And there's no question that Bungalow had turned into a major moneyloser for Sacco in recent years. The venue that was once packed with the rich and famous and, according to New York, "defined the glamour of a decade" much the same way Studio 54 did 20 years earlier, had long been a shadow of its former self. (The fact that it closed for renovations a couple of weeks ago and no one seemed to notice speaks volumes.) And Sacco wrote off the neighborhood more than a year ago when she bemoaned what had become of West 27th Street in recent years.
And so it goes. The club that defined New York's pre-recession go-go years has, at last, given up the ghost. But there are a crop of new venues that, at least for the moment, have people buzzing about their celeb patrons and impossible doormen. If you can't get into the Boom Boom Room at the Standard Hotel tonight, take heart: It won't be long now before the crowd moves on.
Damned if you do … According to a new study conducted by a team of researchers from the U.S., Germany, and the Netherlands and published in the Journal of Consumer Research, magazine photos of models, be they magically emaciated or plus-size, make overweight women feel worse about their bodies and, conversely, "underweight" women feel better about themselves. So unfair, right? A serious blow to the growing interest in "plus-size" or "full-figure" spreads, the study suggests that redefining standards of shape across the editorial and commercial side of print fashion won't be some sort of panacea for the already fragmented self-esteem of women who fall outside of our modern understanding of beauty. "Overweight women's self-esteem always decreases, regardless of the model they look at," says the study, implying that it's not the particular image someone looks at that's damaging, but rather the presentation of beauty, in any form, that troubles many readers. Anna North over at Jezebel breaks it down for us: "The fact is, images whose purpose is to sell women shit — whether those images look more or less like them — are probably never going to be on the forefront of social change. Including plus-size women in ads and fashion spreads is an important step not just for social good, but for aesthetic value — magazines would be more interesting if they contained a greater diversity of models." The takeaway? Crystal Renn and all the size 12 sweethearts in the world aren't going to make you feel any better if you don't already maintain a healthy distance between the fun and fantasy of fashion imagery and the real, live girl you see in the mirror.
Here’s Kanye West on his latest protégé, British pop singer Mr. Hudson: “I believe [he] has the potential to be … one of the most important artists of his generation.” We’ll see about that when Hudson’s album Straight No Chaser comes out later this year, but for now we’re asking a different question: Is he one of the most important protégés of his generation? Acts from the Beatles to the Beastie Boys have coached, signed, mentored, or otherwise launched baby acts as ways of extending their own achievements, but some have done much, much better than others. We’ve ranked the top ten mentors based on the quality and success of their musical offspring.
10.Diddy
Diddy blurred the line between artist and A&R better than anyone, but, notably, he pulled off his greatest signings (with the exception of the L.O.X.) before his 1997 debut, No Way Out. Which means that, for the purposes of this list, we can’t give him full credit for Biggie, Jodeci, 112, or Mary J. Blige. But we can credit him for Ma$e, Shyne, Black Rob, Loon, G Dep, Danity Kane, and Day 26. And let’s not forget Sarah Stokes, formerly of Da Band, who stabbed her husband in front of her children earlier this year. Well chosen, Diddy!
9.Prince
Arguably no one has tried harder, with less to show for it, than the Purple One. His roster of nearly interchangeable sexpots — Vanity, Appolonia, Sheena Easton, Bria Valente, and even Carmen Electra — has had some chart success, but no career longevity. His high watermark would have to be the Time, which launched Morris Day’s solo career and, less ignominiously, the production duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Also to his credit: Sheila E.’s “A Love Bizzarre,” a righteous jam.
8.Kanye West
’Ye’s Technicolor style has been more influential on the new class of emcees than the output of arguably any other contemporary artist, but when it comes to the minions officially within the domain of his G.O.O.D. Music imprint, the list is less impressive. It includes promising newbie MC Big Sean, unpromising veteran MC Consequence, and ambiguously promising Mr. Hudson (seriously, we can’t tell with this guy). West has also brought Kid Cudi into the fold, although points must be detracted for doing so after “Day-n’-Nite” became an underground hit. Most notably, Kanye signed John Legend back when he was the decidedly un-legendary John Stephens.
7.Pete Wentz
In an impressively short period of time, Wentz has built an emo empire: Acts signed to his Decaydance Records include Panic! At the Disco, Gym Class Heroes, the Academy Is..., and Cobra Starship (who have a song called “Pete Wentz Is the Only Reason We’re Famous”). You may want to quibble with those bands' artistic merits, but a nation of Alternative Press–clutching youth will quibble right back.
6.The Beatles
Apple Records was home to Cilla Black, Badfinger, and Jackie Lomax, all of whom are now best known for having awesome Beatles-penned singles (except Badfinger, who only got “Come and Get It”), and not being super-famous. James Taylor was actually the imprint's first signee, and released his proper debut album on Apple. Then there’s Billy “Fifth Beatle” Preston, sitarist Ravi Shankar, and Yoko Ono, who was, let’s remember, a pioneering conceptual musician, and can still be heard in dance clubs today.
5.Jay-Z
Hov has two distinct but equally checkered mentoring eras: the late-nineties–early-aughts, when the talented, hardened – and now mostly forgotten — Freeway and Beanie Sigel led the prime-years Roc-A-Fella entourage; and his Def Jam presidency days, when he scooped up Rihanna and Rick Ross, and nurtured Ne-Yo’s career amid constant internal criticism. He has also taken credit for Kanye West, though that signing appears to have been more Damon Dash’s. His greatest misses: Teairra Mari, Young Gunz, Amil, and, of course, longtime weed-carrier Memphis Bleek. Next up is J. Cole, a North Carolina emcee who makes a guest appearance on Blueprint 3. Good luck, buddy!
4.Miles Davis
While he didn’t necessarily have much to do with developing their actual careers, a bunch of jazz greats got their start with Miles, including Bill Evans, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Gerry Mulligan, Herbie Hancock, and John Coltrane. And not one of them could have straightened him out when he started wearing stuff like this?
3.David Bowie
A concise, but impactful mentorship track record: In the early seventies, the solo careers of both Lou Reed and Iggy Pop were on life support; then Ziggy Stardust showed up, produced Reed’s breakthrough second album Transformers, and co-wrote and produced both Iggy’s Lust for Life and The Idiot (he also had a hand in the Stooge’s last album, Raw Power). Additionally, he wrote Mott the Hoople’s biggest hit, “All the Young Dudes,” and that right there is just a good song.
2.Dr. Dre
Interminably delayed Detox–era Dre seems hell-bent on stalling out careers (ask Stat Quo, Joell Ortiz, and G.A.G.E. about that), but he could go around breaking the shins of every promising new artist in the Western hemisphere till the end of days and he still wouldn’t lose his Midas-touch reputation, thanks to his history with superstars Snoop and Eminem (and, to a lesser extent, 50 Cent and the Game).
1.Timbaland
We’ve cracked on him for his latter-day sins, but for a while there Timmy could do no wrong. First he waged a war on the traditional sounds of the pop charts, with Missy Elliot, Aaliyah, and Ginuwine (be honest, you got down to “Pony” too) as his frontline soldiers. Later, he rebirthed crunchy Nelly Furtado as a sultry siren and boy-bander Justin Timberlake as a superstar. In between he worked with future $100,000-a-beat producers Danja and Scott Storch, and backed the better-than-you-remember Bubba Sparxxx. Most recently, Keri Hilson has come out of his pop-production training camp. And then he squanders all that goodwill by making OneRepublic famous.
Honorable (Niche) Mentions: Thurston Moore, the avant-garde punk: His label Ecstactic Peace! has released Be Your Own Pet, Magik Markers, Tall Firs, and Awesome Color.
Beastie Boys, the hip-hop hipsters: Grand Royal was a highly active vanity label for the Beasties during its brief lifetime, with releases by Luscious Jackson, Ben Lee, Atari Teenage Riot, Sean Lennon, and At the Drive-In.
Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew, the Canadian scenester: Acts signed to BSS’s Arts&Crafts or otherwise affiliated with BSS include Most Serene Republic, Apostle of Hustle, Emily Haines/Metric, Stars, and Feist.
Birdman, the Southern rap impresario: Cash Money records has been home to Juvenile, B.G., Mannie Fresh, recent Billboard no. 1 Jay Sean, and Lil Wayne.
AP - Confirming that endorsement deals still have cachet in a recession, "Transformers" star Megan Fox is pulling down a seven-figure payday to model Armani underwear and jeans. Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 15 Oct 2009 | 3:22 pm
Arriving shortly in stores is a collection of accessories and small leather goods from Bottega Veneta in fabulous neon colors. From fun Lucite rings and cell-phone charms to neon lizard bracelets, these wild hits of color will cheer up anyone’s dark winter moods.
Here are five reasons we love them:
1. With all that amazing Bottega craftsmanship, here neon becomes chic and classy.
2. When you can’t afford their heavenly handbags, a ring or phone charm is an affordable alternative.
3. Love the no-logos policy — always!
4. As clothing, neon is tough to wear, so an accessory is the way to get in on the trend.
5. Accessories are always a smart way to update your wardrobe.
Lucite Ring, $180; Lucite Oxydized Silver Cuff, $1,850; Lizard Oxydized Silver Cuff, $1,950. Call for price of key chain and phone charms. Available at Bottega Veneta boutiques (877-362-1715).
AP - Various, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" (Chop Shop/Atlantic) Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 15 Oct 2009 | 2:54 pm
We open with a dinosaur fight between Sue and Mr. Schuester, which could also sub as a slightly gayer trailer for the movie 300. This episode immediately grabs us as we get an at-the-top appearance by Principal Figgins, who asks that these two equally sized blond warriors try to make it wurque as co-directors of the Glee Club. We then discover Sues plan: To pit the minority students against the Y-T’s and hope that the environment borderlines on the L.A. Riots of ‘92. She separates the yolks from the whites in preparation for the upcoming sectionals tourney, while simultaneously almost vomming down Will’s back. Drumming, drumming:
Question: Does Quinn always have to be seen in the cheerleading uniform? Even when she’s getting sonogram goo slathered on her? Hopefully she’s got about a dozen of those things Batman-style, lest she start to take on the scent commonly known as “Orlando’s Mickey Mouse on a Summer’s Day”, i.e. the capital of body-odor town. Quinn & Finn (2 more rhyming character names, natch) are having a girl.
Jewfro Woody Allen impersonator “Don’t Even Know His Name Reporter Guy” threatens to write an article about Quinn’s baby lest Rachel do something in exchange. I really, really hate that guy.
Kurt’s a mouthbreather. Sue gathers her personal rainbow coalition to get the Color Warz started. “Santana! Wheels! Gay Kid! Asian! OtherAsian! Aretha! and Shaft.” — Quote of the year.
We’re not even gonna talk about Mrs. Schuester because she’s the phoniest on-screen wife/actress and she suckssss. Needless to say, she’s a bitch to him and is still not pregnant.
Finn tells Rachel she’s awesome and you can practically feel her virginity fly out of her like a cartoon cat’s 2nd through 8th life. Gross perma-m-bater Woody Jewfro then demands Rachel give him an actual used pair of underwear, which goes to show that this kid’s first trip to Japan is going to be off tha hooook.
Mercedes sings “Hate on Me”, which gives her a chance to sing her face off, not to mention our favorite dancer, Hot Asian Dude, show off. Also Michael Buble’s back-up orchestra happens to go to high school with all these people and shows up to support.
Kurt’s kicking of his legs is easily the episode highlight.
Mr. Schue and Sue have another hallway “cock fight”, but I’m too distracted by Will’s beautiful Ralph Lauren Purple Label Sweater to pay close attention to their perma-bickering. Also people sure do drink a lot of slushies at that school. Then Mr. Schu flunks the Cheerios so they can’t be cheerleaders anymore.
20 minutes into this episode, and the in-fighting between Will and Sue is already getting a little boring. The writing on this show is obviously very funny and clever but sometimes it’s hard not to tune out. Especially when someone emails you this!! Also how has Fox not released the Principal’s anti-embolism stockings commercial? File this under “M” for “Big F**king Mistake”. By the way, similar videos do exist, but you do not want to see them.
Also a baby named Drizzle?!?!?
Mr. Schue interrupts an impromptu “Ride Wit Me” breakdown, and it literally seems like there are more Glee club member than ever before. They’re like the musical Duggars, these kids. Then, the white kids sing “No Air”, sung by the whitest singer in the country, Jordin Sparks. It’s a very heart-breaking affair, as Finn and Rachel sing this passionate song to each other with fake-baby-mama Quinn looking on jealously. Quinn then plants the seed that Mr. Schuester doesn’t like minorities, as he always keeps them as background players.
Cue Puck and some rando blond girl meeting up with Sue. It is here that we learn Puck… is… JEWISH. Puck Puckerman. Yeah, I’m gonna believe that. They may as well have had Gerard Butler come in and play the part. That being said, this was a very interesting and welcome development.
Will’s wife goes to the gyno, who has a Bonsai tree much like our other favorite p**sy hound, Mr. Belding. And after her equally monstrous sister threatens to sue him for malpractice, they convince him to go along with the baby lie. Love this show, hate hate hate hate this storyline.
Rachel and Quinn have a hallway showdown over Finn/Sue/Babies (the usual). So much anger in this episode!! Did the Ghostbuster 2 River of Slime carve a new path under their school?
But, the good news this means one more musical number!! Cheerleaders singing “Set Me Free”. It’s kind of forgettable.
The Glee Club Co-Directors are still at it, fighting in front of all the kids. It’s all just so angry! Sue even pushes Mr. Schue, and the dinosaur voices make a second appearance. Though this line is of particular genius:
“I’m sorry Mr. Schue, Miss Sylvester, but if we wanted to hear Mom and Dad fight, those of us who still have two parents would just stay home on pay day.” — Finn
All the minorities pull out of the club, and then basically everyone does.
Will and Mrs. Will go to the fake gyno. He waves his wand around behind a little blue curtain for the fake sonogram, which is on DVD. If only they would have put Look Who’s Talking in the machine instead! Will is so clueless he’d probably have no idea. “Our baby sounds exactly like Bruce Willis!” — words I hope to say one day. Oh, now their boy is a girl. (wiping hands off of each other.) He cries tears of happiness, which burn holes through his wife’s devil face.
Sue was a VJ for a couple of years, though not at MTV. Fuse, do you have anything to say for yourself? Gillyyy. Sue steps down as co-chair, and forces Woody Jewjew to run the story of Quinn’s pregnancy. But they’re in Glee club and they’re all going to stick together you guyssss:
This recap was fairly difficult to crank out, only because it seemed like repetitive scene after scene of Sue and Will having it out (as they do in every episode), the wife perpetuating the baby lie (as in every episode), and very little focus on the actual kids of Glee. Overall, it was probably one of our least favorite shows to air yet, given the lame-ish storyline and lack of songs we’d want to, well you know, pay 99 cents for on Itunes. 99 cents!!
The Notebook wasn't the first Nicholas Sparks novel that Hollywood decided to adapt for the big screen — that distinction goes to 1999's weepy Kevin Costner–Robin Wright Penn–starring Message In A Bottle — but it was the one that signaled Sparks's breakthrough into the big time and elevated both Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling into the upper strata of today's acting crop. The next Sparks adaptation to hit the big screen, 2008's Nights in Rodanthe, hauled in a totally respectable $41 million at the domestic box office, and now comes our first look at his next pic. Dear John, which is set to open in the always romantic month of February, stars two hot young actors both sitting on the cusp of superstardom: Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum. As you might expect, the plot revolves around the evergreen story of young love torn apart by circumstance (which, in this case, is the Iraq war). However, this movie is directed by two-time Oscar nominee Lasse Hallström (Chocolat, What's Eating Gilbert Grape), which gives it some cred that other films that target the Lifetime/Oxygen set can't boast.
Hiram Monserrate, the state senator who sliced up his girlfriend's face with a broken glass during a fight (and is officially New York's most evil politician) was found guilty of misdemeanor assault this afternoon. But was cleared of the two more felony charges against him, which means he'll be able to keep his seat in Albany. Sigh. [NYT]
Left to right: Chanel Iman and Sophie Theallet, Sasha Pivovarova and Gary Graham, Natalie Chanin (Alabama Chanin) and Karlie Kloss.
In what's quickly becoming our favorite part of the various traditions sprouting up around the relatively new CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards, the style bible has released a fine — if a bit mannered — Norman Jean Roy editorial featuring the various nominees pictured alongside their designs. Sure, it's no big deal to see Waris hanging out with Angela Lindvall (a trip to the Bowery might yield that anyways). But Natalie Chanin lounging next to Karlie Kloss looking like an antebellum Bedouin in Alabama Chanin? Simon Spurr posing with his pooch, Apollo? Shoemaker George Esquivel lending his dapper wing tips to incredible singer Janelle Monáe? Why, it's all just too much fun, and, considering the high, high stakes involved in the awarding of the Fashion Fund grants, rather sweet.
Bravo announced today that it plans to add not one, but two new ladies to the cast of Real Housewives of New York: In addition to Sonja Morgan, a former hostess and the ex-wife of J.P. Morgan's great-grandson, the network is also tossing in an event planner named Jennifer Gilbert. Some fresh blood can't hurt, sure, but the much more exciting New York-centric reality TV news today has nothing to do with the Housewives. Page Six reports that a reality show about bizarro fashion designer Lloyd Klein is now being pitched to networks. The show would be about Klein and "his clients," which may not sound like the best premise for a program, particularly since his most famous client these days is LaToya Jackson. But any show about Klein would almost certainly have to include appearances by his BFF, Jocelyne Wildenstein, the woman who holds the title of most over-surgerized New Yorker. Join us in saying a little prayer that a gutsy TV exec out there takes a chance on Klein's show. (Are you paying attention, Animal Planet?) This could be huge!
God, we feel awful. The Smoking Gun just posted the search warrants for the car and Connecticut home of alleged David Letterman extortionist Robert J. Halderman. Included is a numbered inventory of the items recovered as evidence (see above), and on that list is a copy of "MY Magazine w/Letterman." Since MY magazine hasn't done a Letterman feature in a while (and also because it doesn't exist), we can only assume it was the sight of Letterman on the September 14 cover of our magazine that pushed Halderman over the edge. Or maybe it was the package on Dan Brown. Either way — sorry, Dave!
Once again, thank you Getty for your incredible warehouse of terribly photoshopped and possibly cruel images. I mean, did they throw a lion off of a roof for this? Because = worth it.
Anyway, the rain makes for perfect Glee recap writing weather, on its way.
EVENTS
• Check out the StrikeOff alternative textile show, promoting new and unique fabric designs. The exhibit features more than 50 designers, including natural dyers, hand-weavers, silk painters, digital print designers, and more. RSVP at RSVP@project1281.com. Through 10/16. 19 Kenmare St., at Elizabeth St.; T–F (9–8).
• Stop by the Estée Lauder counter at Bloomingdale's to meet model Hilary Rhoda. Guest will receive makeovers and can opt to have their photo taken professionally. Bloomingdale's, 1000 Third Ave., at 59th St. (212-705-2000); 11–7.
SALES STARTING TOMORROW
• Archetype Showroom is hosting a fall/winter 2009 closet sample sale, offering one-of-a-kind pieces from YMC, Lewis, April 77, and more. Through 10/17. 676 Broadway, nr. Bond St.; F (10-7), S (noon-5).
• All womenswear, menswear, shoes, and accessories are 30 percent off at Atrium. J Brand black-and-white twill jeans are $139 (originally $199), the Moncler button-up quilted parka is $840 (originally $1,200), and the men's Ralph Lauren V-neck cardigan sweater is $159 (originally $225). Through 10/18. 644 Broadway, at Bleecker St. (212-473-9200); F–S (10–9), Su (11–8).
ENDING TOMORROW
• Buy one suit by Joseph Abboud for $300; buy three suits for $750. Jackets are $175 to $300, and shirts, pants, and ties are also marked down. Soiffer Haskin, 317 W. 33rd St., nr. Eighth Ave. (718-747-1656); T–Th (9–7), F (9–5).
Host Jessie Cantrell has all the best moments from yesterday in her Best Day Ever debut, including last night’s Nip/Tuck premiere and the continuing hunt for the elusive “smize” on America’s Next Top Model.
Acne founder Jonny Johansson has humble roots. "The luck for me was that when we started, you could actually sell a T-shirt that you had sewn in five minutes, and people would pay a lot for it," the Swede says. "If I came into the fashion business now, I wouldn’t stand a chance." Now that's how to start a business! He is presently focusing on expanding the label so it can be known for more than just denim and safety pants, which is pretty much happening right now, considering the $480 Acne Atacoma wedges are already imitated by Topshop and Jeffrey Campbell. And isn't copycatting the true mark of success, anyway? [NYT]
At the debate earlier this week between Michael Bloomberg and Bill Thompson, the mayor said he thought Rudy Giuliani would make a good governor. The remark generated boos from the crowd (and rightly so), but it looks like the mayor wasn't paying much attention.
Because he now says he plans to campaign with Giuliani by his side in Brooklyn this weekend. Having Rudy with him will help him shore up support with hard-core Republicans and, presumably, Italian-American voters in places like Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge. But Rudy? We're thinking an appearance by Tony Sirico or Joe Pantoliano would work just as well and wouldn't run the risk of stirring up a backlash. Then again, Bloomberg could probably campaign with Kim Jong Il to capture the city's elusive North Korean vote and Bill Thompson still wouldn't have a shot, would he?
Commercial crossovers are always painful. There may not be an iron-cladder ironclad rule in all of showbiz. Years of watching peak-years Simpsons episodes with bafflingly terrible Simpsons Butterfinger commercials airing during the breaks first educated me about this rule, and that terribleness has rolled on through to this day in the form of — take your pick — transforming GMC vehicles.
Does this rule excuse the following Family Guy Windows 7 commercial from being the laziest lazy that ever lazied? You be the judge:
I give it two weeks before Fox makes this commercial their 17th Seth MacFarlane Sunday night show in an animation block that’ll run from 8:00 to 3 pm the following Tuesday.
OK, OK, we’re being a little harsh here. What follows is an absolutely adorable video, where we witness a little girl discover two of life’s most important lessons while listening to Britney Spears’ karaoke anthem “Circus”: 1. How to pump up the volume, and 2. How to make a living.
The fact that her parents encourage this sort of behavior out of an infant is… aaaaaadorable! No, really. The second we have a kid we’re putting that little bastard in heels, girl or boy.
The mayor and city council have devised an ingenious (albeit inadvertent) way to reduce the number of hillbilly tourists flowing into the city. The city council approved a ban on flavored tobacco products yesterday, making NYC the first major city to do so. [WNYC, VV]
Well, this comes as something of an electoral surprise — First Lady of France, the lovely and tuneful Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, who has the reputation as the most elegant and stylish woman at the international table, has been bested in a recent Le Figaro poll determining who is the "most chic woman in Paris". And Mrs. Bruni-Sarkozy didn't just come up second — she landed in fifth place with only 8.6 percent of the total vote. And who, pray tell, represents the "ultimate chic, urban classiness, and unflappable elegance" of Parisian style to the readership of the Sarkozy-supporting Le Figaro? It's ex-Chanel muse, designer, model, socialite, heiress, and Roger Vivier brand ambassador Inès de la Fressange (pictured), who snapped up 29.5 percent of the vote and at 52 is still walking the runways, having taken to the catwalk for Jean Paul Gaultier earlier this year. In short, even the most stylish woman by any international standard is a plebe compared to Paris' chicest femme jolie. Americans, we are all doomed.
Meet The Most Elegant Woman In Paris (Sorry Carla, But It's Not You) [Independent UK]
If you've ever wanted to dress like Don Draper from Mad Men, you'll soon get your chance. Brooks Brothers will be introducing a limited-edition suit inspired by the AMC show beginning next week, a narrow, gray number designed by the men's clothier in collaboration with Janie Bryant, the show's costume designer. On Tuesday night, Brooks Brothers celebrated the new Mad Men suit with a party at the store's Midtown flagship. Douglas Marshall caught up with Vincent Kartheiser, the actor who plays Pete Campbell on the hit show, to chat about how the American workplace has changed since the wild and crazy '60s, the nature of the human condition, and David Letterman vs. Bill Clinton.
Q: Is that scotch you're drinking?
A: No, it's Apple Juice. I have an Apple Juice craving today.
Q: Really?
A: It's totally scotch. I'm in AA but I like to fit in.
Q: Ha. But speaking of liquor, you play a character on a show where there's lots of drinking going on. And smoking. And sex. It's amazing how much has changed in the workplace since those days, isn't it? It makes me wonder what Pete Campbell would think if he here today to see everyone going crazy over the David Letterman saga. Did you have any thoughts on the Letterman situation?
A: I didn't really think about it all that much. I don't know much about the situation, but I guess if you are the boss of somebody, it could be tricky. But what if there's no weirdness between the two people? Well, then, I don't know. Maybe it's okay?
Q: Have you had any romantic encounters with your co-workers in the past?
A: Oh, no. I don't shit where I eat.
Q: Were you ever tempted?
A: Let's say you are doing a TV show and you have a girl who you are supposed to have a flirtation with on the show for the next six years because it's part of the storyline. You're not going to get together on the show, but there's this ongoing chemistry and in the last season—when the show is slowing down or running out of fans—they write it in the script that the two of you start making out now. Well, if you make out with that girl during the pilot in the first two weeks and have a torrid romance, but then it fizzles—it's gonna make the next six years really fucking shitty and ruin some of the chemistry.
Q: That's an excellent explanation. So I guess that means you keep things pretty professional.
A: Well, no. I've fucked up before. I just don't do it anymore. I've been acting for 25 years.
Q: Since you were six, I understand. Amazing! So what were some of these mistakes you've made?
A: I hooked up with... Well, I can't say. Oh, God.
Q: Drink some more scotch and then we'll talk.
A: Okay, so I hooked up with someone who played a family member in a movie I did. Like a family member in the movie. Then I showed up a week later and it was really awkward because I was like, "Hey, how are you doing? I was really drunk? I'm sorry."
Q: I'm going to guess that unlike David Letterman, you've never been the victim of blackmail. And you've never blackmailed anyone yourself.
A: No, I've never blackmailed anyone, but I have been blackmailed. People have threatened me with shit. I've had "friends" say that they were going to tell people things about me that weren't true. But I was like, "Okay, do it." I think when you don't care, the motive becomes lost. I honestly don't know much about the David Letterman thing. I was in the airport and I saw it on a newspaper, so I Googled it that night and read up on it. But I don't know much else.
What is cool is that he came right out and was honest and said, "I had relationships with my staff." That's what Clinton should have done.
Q: That's a great point.
A: I just think it's the right move. Bill Clinton should have done the same thing and been like, "I got a blowjob." That happens. Men fuck up. Women fuck up. People—human beings—make mistakes. They make mistakes with their brains, their dicks, policies—all sorts of different things. We as human beings and as Americans have to accept that we are making these mistakes, so that we can fix them.
If you never believe that smoking is bad you are never going to quit. If we never challenge ourselves to say that eating meat every day is actually bad for the earth, then we are actually never going to change. If you don't say driving my car to work every day is bad for the environment, then you are actually never going to change. You have to first say, "It's bad for me. I know it's bad for me." And years later maybe just maybe you'll have the fucking guts to change and really do something about it.
So I think it's great that Letterman came out and said "this is what happened and I don't think this is something I have to hide." The world is going to judge him and then the world is going to forget. He makes people laugh and that's his job. His job is not being faithful.
AP - The real mystery of "Law Abiding Citizen" isn't how Gerard Butler's character manages to wreak explosive, bloody havoc on Philadelphia while confined behind the walls of his jail cell.
On the scale of flattering acts, somewhere in between “Actor being knighted to draw attention to still-existent British royalty” and “Musician being deified after releasing good early-90s rock album then ODing”, there’s “Athlete inspires 8-acre cornfield maze bearing his likeness.”
The guy in the interview isn’t some crazed uberfan either, he’s remarkably sane and charming, thus calling into question my own biases against people who have designer cornfields. Those biases are = everyone with a cornfield is literally Mel Gibson from Signs. Guess I was wrong.
One of the greatest bands to ever happen to humankind and definitely to Norway, A-ha, have announced that they are breaking up, many many many years after their major hit “Take On Me” was birthed into our earholes and collective consciences. According to the BBC News:
The trio added that the split would allow them to pursue “other meaningful aspects of life, be it humanitarian work, politics, or whatever else.”
Whatever else, hm? Good news for lead singer Morten Harket, who, at 50, can still have a bustling career as a “male model” and/or “Kurt Russell impersonator.” And imagine if they had broken up after their 1985 hit “Take On Me”? That’s like 25 more years of humanitarian work… wasted. What will we have to look forward to now that we won’t be not waiting for A-ha’s next album?
To celebrate this band that we have certainly all puked to at karaoke, let’s take a moment to watch our favorite A-ha related video… The Take On Me: Literal Version.
Kanye West apparently is not on the invitation list, leaving the stage wide open for Taylor Swift, who will host Saturday Night Live on November 7, NBC has announced.
AP - "Frostbite" (Three Rivers Press, 277 pages, $14) by David Wellington: In David Wellington's supernatural novel "Frostbite," hiker Cheyenne Clark is lost in the Northwest Territories of the Canadian Arctic. She narrowly escapes an attack by a ferocious wolf, though her ankle is severely clawed.
The First Ladies of Morning Television, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, get to do a lot of fun things as 4th hour hosts of The Today Show. But perhaps no other feat has made my skull burn with the fire of 1,000 jealousies then watching themdrive around in my fantasy mode of transportation, The $25,000 Cupcake Car. Watching them conduct the interview while wearing candy hats and sitting on a tiny cupcake stool is oddly satisfying, albeit definitely humiliating. Thought #2: Shouldn’t all wheelchairs look like this?
The parenting duo of Jon and Kate are pretty much considered the lowest of low even by their D-list reality counterparts. Source: FOXNews.com | 15 Oct 2009 | 8:43 am
They say that breaking up is hard to do, especially when millions of eyes are there to witness every caustic comment and verbal volley. No one knows that better than Jon and Kate Gosselin, whose divorce is playing out on a world stage, complete with tabloid covers, he-said-she-said television appearances and court orders.
The best way to get tongues wagging is to say nothing at all, and it's a skill Rihanna has down to a science. In a Twitter posting yesterday, the singer -- or her people -- alluded to what might be a new release, coming in November.
Has the nation been duped by a balloon-wielding evil genius? Did little 6-year-old Falcon Heene have us right where he wanted, enthralled with our local news stations and hoping for his safe...
No, the comic actor isn't talking about his last couple of movie roles.
Will Ferrell has signed on to star in the indie film Everything Must Go, according to Variety. Go...
Ready for a feel-good Lindsay Lohan story?
So are we, but this isn't it.
The starlet has had a rough couple of weeks filled with everything from failed fashion shows to...
Sophia Bush loves recycling.
The actress is also huge a fan of Hervé Léger dresses, particularly black and white striped ones.
Check out these two similiar dresses...
Hey, remember earlier this summer when Michael Jackson died and So You Think You Can Dance producer Nigel Lythgoe asked Janet Jackson's old choreographer Paula Abdul to participate in a...
Khloé Kardashian says she definitely wants to have kids with Lamar Odom, but she'd like to enjoy her recent weight loss before packing on the pregnancy pounds.
"Honestly, I...
Who could forget the Wife Swapping, storm-chasing, UFO-loving Heene family?
Well, probably most people, until 6-year-old son Falcon was reported to have taken an...
Just because lawyers and arbitrators are trying to quiet Jon and Kate Gosselin doesn't mean the mudslinging has come to a close.
That's what instigating former flames are...
• Meghan McCain posted this picture to illustrate her " 'spontaneous' night in" and naturally, the Twitterverse focused on what was out: her breasts. She got all mad and...
Bravo announced today that it 
If you've ever wanted to dress like Don Draper from Mad Men, you'll soon get your chance. Brooks Brothers will be introducing a limited-edition suit inspired by the AMC show beginning next week, a narrow, gray number designed by the men's clothier in collaboration with Janie Bryant, the show's costume designer. On Tuesday night, Brooks Brothers celebrated the new Mad Men suit with a party at the store's Midtown flagship. 
