AP - "Michael Jackson's This Is It" premiered to high praise from fans who applauded at each number as though they were at a concert and marveled as the singer stepped nimbly through his moonwalk and other signature moves.
AP - "Michael Jackson's This Is It" premiered to high praise from fans who applauded at each number as though they were at a concert and marveled as the singer stepped nimbly through his moonwalk and other signature moves.
(AP) AP - Watching "Michael Jackson's This Is It" will have fans grieving once again, but this time, it won't only be for the fallen King of Pop, but for what we lost — a brilliant entertainer who gave every inch of his body and soul for what might have been one of the most spectacular comebacks of all time. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 28 Oct 2009 | 12:06 am
'Despite my past and stuff like that, I appreciate all of y'all,' Brown tells fans at the New Jersey concert, which also featured Fabolous and The-Dream.By Shaheem Reid Chris Brown performs at the... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 28 Oct 2009 | 12:01 am
AMSTERDAM, October 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Tommy Hilfiger Group today announces that for the six month period to 30 September 2009 total global sales increased by... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 28 Oct 2009 | 12:00 am
It seemed everyone in Hollywood wanted to see what This Is It was all about.
Going on speculation and a glowing review from Elizabeth Taylor, a heaping spoonful of A-listers and others...
What a good way to start a season, not to mention a marriage.
Along with sister Kim, Khloé Kardashian came out to support her new hubbie Lamar Odom as the Los...
The Avon Foundation For Women Gala "Celebrating Champions Who Change Women's Lives" The ninth annual Avon Foundation for Women Gala on... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 27 Oct 2009 | 11:30 pm
Ginger Love:Amy Adams and Zach Galifianakis are set to star in Ridley and Tony Scott's comedy Town House. Based on Tish Cohen's debut novel, the story centers on an agoraphobe (Galifianakis) who lives off his rock star father's royalties. But when the cash starts running out he and his teenage son are forced to leave the house. He meets a hot young thing (Adams) who teaches him a sappy life lesson. It's set to start shooting next summer but Adams should start preparing now, because it sounds like she's going to have to kiss that beard. [Variety]
Drive Me to Hell:Billy Bob Thornton will star with The "Dwayne Johnson" Rock in Faster, George Tillman's upcoming action drama. The Rock will play Driver, an ex-con out to avenge his brother's death. Thornton will play Cop, the cop trying to stop him. And the role of Killer, a hitman after Driver, is still up for grabs. If only Zach Galifianakis wasn't busy! [Variety]
Twin Hills:Adam Sandler has signed on to play both Jack and Hill in a romantic comedy called Jack and Jill. That's all. Variety says no more about this Columbia Pictures film, leading one to conclude that it's part of Hollywood's new strategy to produce movies with no plot, in which all the characters are played by the same marketable actor. Genius! [Variety]
Picture Imperfect:Josh Lawson, Emma Lung and Ron Perlman will headline Charles de Lauzirika's indie thriller Crave. The movie centers on a distressed photographer (Lawson) who's haunted by the urban decay around him. His life is thrown into chaos when his relationship with a young hottie (Lung) ends and a hard-nosed detective (Perlman) tries to hunt him down. Advice: Give up. A manhunt headed by Ron Perlman can only end badly. [THR]
Rabbit Tale:January Jones has signed on to star opposite Nic Cage in The Hungary Rabbit Jumps, which isn't actually about rabbits. Instead, it's about a man (Cage) who enlists a vigilante group to help him go after his wife's (Jones) attackers. He promises the group a favor for its help but when it comes type to repay, he finds himself in a bit of bind. Presumably a famished Roger Rabbit will make a cameo. [THR]
"Michael Jackson's This Is It" premiered to high praise from fans who applauded at each number as though they were at a concert and marveled as the singer stepped nimbly through his... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 27 Oct 2009 | 11:15 pm
When Treasury Department pay czar Kenneth Feinberg cut executive compensation at seven companies that accepted bailout money, a collective groan rose from Wall Street. Surprisingly, it wasn't ignored. Instead, Feinberg revisited the issue and decided to increase base salaries for execs at those companies. As a result, average salaries rose to $437,896, up 14 percent from last year. The move was largely seen as an effort to help these seven companies retain their top brass, though not everyone is buying what Feinberg is selling. "I don't think it's a good thing," one analyst told the Wall Street Journal. "Politically, it's odd. In terms of messaging, it's odd. From a business perspective, I prefer to align compensation with performance objectives and not a fixed rate."
Meanwhile, Feinberg is stuck trying to please both the populists who want to see companies punished for their misdeeds and the executives at those companies, who could easily bolt for higher paying jobs. Because in the bizarro world that Wall Street executives call reality, $437,896 just isn't that much money.
(Reuters) Reuters - DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc posted better-than-expected third quarter profit on Tuesday, as the release of the "Monsters vs. Aliens" DVD boosted sales. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 27 Oct 2009 | 10:51 pm
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - At a recent screening for "An Education," as star Peter Sarsgaard and director Lone Scherfig moved through the crowd, a debate broke out about the movie's Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 27 Oct 2009 | 10:34 pm
Reuters - At a recent screening for "An Education," as star Peter Sarsgaard and director Lone Scherfig moved through the crowd, a debate broke out about the movie's relationship between a 30-year-old man and a teenage girl in 1960s London. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 27 Oct 2009 | 10:34 pm
Could they make these eliminations any more overdramatic?
Dancing With the Stars milked every drop of suspense they could out of two celebs being on the chopping block tonight, with all...
When plays are in previews it's expected that there will be a kink or two to work out. But 10 kinks? That might be too many. And last night at a preview for Kenneth Lonergan's The Starry Messenger, that's how many times Matthew Broderick had to refer to a prompter comfortably sitting in the front row. That's better than Merwin Goldsmith though, who used a script on stage. To be fair, he only joined the play last week.
Last Thursday Lonergan, who wrote and is directing the long-awaited play about a teacher who begins an affair with a younger woman, said he was “alternating between great hope and total despair about the show.” Given the performance Monday, and the reaction from some of those who were there, it sounds like he may want to lean a little toward the latter.
As much as Patrick Swayze's death hurt his fans, the pain was infinitely worse for Lisa Niemi, his wife of 34 years.
"I am so grateful for what I had and my connection to him,...
The most memorable part of the night came after Thompson defended his time at the Board of Education by citing reports that called him a conciliator. "No más!" Bloomberg yelled in Spanish, inexplicably. At the end of the debate each candidate was asked to grade the other's job performance. "I think I'll be kind and give the mayor a D minus," Thompson said not so kindly. Bloomberg didn't offer a grade but he did say, "[Thompson]’s certainly the best comptroller that I’ve ever had to work with." Of course, he's also the only comptroller he's ever had to work with.
We've always known subtlety isn't Adam Lambert's speciality.
The glamtastic former Idoler has unveiled the cover of his upcoming debut album, For Your Entertainment, due out...
This reality-contestant merry-go-round is dizzying. Can we get off?
Thanks to baseball playoffs wreaking havoc on Fox's schedule, So You Think You Can Dance is all mixed up this...
Adam Lambert posted the cover of his debut album For Your Entertainment on his website tonight and holy geez is it something. We're pretty sure he's in there behind all that make-up, Photoshop and cosmic awesomeness, we just haven't found him yet. [AdamOfficial.com via Idolator]
Zombies and vampires, while entertaining, are wearing thin. What do we think will be the new trend?
—Alicia Broun Lamar, via Facebook
We do not think when we are the...
U2 have announced they will perform a free concert at Germany's Brandenburg Gate on November 5, to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 27 Oct 2009 | 8:54 pm
AP - Magician David Copperfield has won a six-month stay in a lawsuit filed in July by a Seattle woman who contends Copperfield sexually assaulted her while she was a guest on his private island in the Bahamas. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 27 Oct 2009 | 8:47 pm
It was only a matter of time until one of the Jonas Brothers decided he's the Beyoncé of the group and we're glad it's Nick Jonas.
The young one confirmed...
(AP) AP - Michael Irvin pulled off another late comeback to survive on "Dancing with the Stars." Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 27 Oct 2009 | 8:39 pm
Yikes! Michael Jackson's body may have had no trouble groovin' to the beat during his final months, but it's a wonder he could move his face.
The King of Pop's longtime...
The press wasn't allowed to attend George W. Bush's motivational speaking debut in Fort Worth last night, but some guy with a camera was. The two and a half minutes of shaky footage below captures event organizer Tamara Lowe introducing Bush, followed by more than a minute of sustained applause and the beginning of Dubya's remarks. It only rolls long enough to catch the "Don't mess with Texas" pablum but you're not missing much. (The rest of speech went on to cover Oval Office rug selection.) The most remarkable thing from this clip is how pumped the crowd is. Let's let rwhite79, who shot and uploaded it to YouTube, explain:
the fact that you can't hear his intro and she has to yell tells you how loud it got in there. Not 1 person was seated....awesome to see the people of Texas give such a great reception for him
Front Page: Reveille, Stolper to launch production shingle -- Reveille has partnered with reality producer Stella Bulochnikov Stolper to launch the production shingle Wikked Entertainment.
Front Page: Duo in talks for Fox 2000 dramedy 'House' -- After a long gestation period, Fox 2000's dramedy "Town House" is getting closer to the screen.
Front Page: SCL mulling affiliation with Teamsters Local 399 -- For the first time in more than a decade, composers and lyricists working in film, TV and videogames are considering unionization.
Front Page: 'Paranormal' gets ready to go global -- In the midst of a frighteningly successful domestic run, "Paranormal Activity" is about to test its appeal in international territories.
ABC thought it had really hit on something with its plan to cover the skies in giant red "V"s to promote the reboot of seminal alien invasion series V. What could possibly go wrong, other than mass hysteria? But then the Washington Post's Lisa de Moraes had to go and ruin everyone's fun by reminding the network that burning hundreds of gallons of jet fuel to fill the sky with ominous red "V"s might not fit with its whole commitment to "corporate responsibility." Now ABC has scrapped the plan, which would have scared you near to death by putting a "V" above the Statue of Liberty. The network's official line is that it has decided to spend its money other ways. That probably means paying lizard people to invade de Moraes' house.
• The much-hyped Breslin opens for lunch on Thursday, but co-owner Ken Friedman already has a detractor: the mosque across the street. [NYO] • Closings: Centro Vinoteca in the West Village has been shuttered by the city. And the Bread Bar at Tabla is closing as of tonight. [Eater, GS] • François Payard's eponymous patisserie closed four months ago, but he'll make a mini-comeback next month when he opens a chocolate bar. [NYT] • How busy is restaurateur Michael "Bao" Huynh? He's opening one restaurant a week during the month of November. So he's pretty busy. [GS] • Greenhouse is facing more legal trouble: A couple of weeks after the club was sued for $1 billion comes another discrimination suit for $1.5 billion. [NYDN] • A roundup of restaurants offering various Halloween specials. [Zagat]
Front Page: Host forced to finish taping by flashlight -- "Late Late Show" host Craig Ferguson had to finish taping his program by flashlight on Tuesday after high winds knocked out power at CBS Television City in central Los Angeles.
Nick Jonas (the talented one) is pulling a Beyonce and releasing an album on his own. Rumors of a solo album have circulated in middle schools and youth groups for months, but it wasn't until today that mama Jonas confirmed. “Nick is working on a solo act — it's called Nick Jonas and The Administration. Shhh! He's at the photo shoot for the album cover right now," Denise Jonas told Parade.com. And with that, Joe and Kevin go gentle into that good night. [Parade]
Dreaming a little dream doesn't always work.
Corey Feldman's wife, Susannah, filed for divorce last week after seven years of marriage, citing the nondescript irreconcilable...
So Adam Lambert’s “For Your Entertainment” Cover has been released. And while this joke might be from the files of “Yesterday’s Meme”, we can’t help but think that this t-shirt is a million dollar business idea.
Ladies and Gentlemen, here is: THREE LAMBERT MOON.
(click for larger version)
Be honest: How many of you would plunk down $19.99 for one of these? If the original version could mint money, something tells me Lambert Wolf Moon could put my entire litter of illegitimate children through college.
Giorgio Armani journeyed to Moscow this week despite feeling weak after a bout with hepatitis. The Russian capital's fashion industry has been crippled by the economic crisis for about a year now, and Armani went to lend his moral support. While talking to reporters over there, the 75-year-old designer hinted at retirement. "I'm already organizing staff who will continue my work," he said. He also admitted — despite being known as "King Giorgio" in Italy — that he is, in fact, human. "Of course I am not eternal, there comes a time when you must hand it over." But as he's done with investors in the past — one day he wants a bourse listing, the next he wants to sell his entire empire — he's giving mixed messages. Last month he made some management changes to ease his workload, yet in Russia he wanted everyone to come and see how good he looks.
Dressed in a sleek black suit, Armani joked with reporters about his appearance: "You see how I am, I don't look bad yet, do I?" he remarked to a roaring round of applause.
Armani's deputy general manager John Hooks thinks that, though Armani will lose money this year, the economy has bottomed out for the Armani empire and the fashion industry as a whole. Maybe Giorgio is waiting to leave on a high note. Being beautiful isn't a bad way to bow out, but being beautiful and making bank is so much better.
Say hello, officially, to Them Crooked Vultures — the rock-hero supergroup made up of the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones. They've been playing together for a few months now, but just yesterday released their first studio track, “New Fang” (they also announced a November 17 release date for their as-yet-untitled album). With Homme on vocals and guitar, Vultures' lineup is the same as Songs for the Deaf–era QOTSA, plus a new — albeit legendary — bassist. And no, that’s not a bad thing: “New Fang” sounds like a particularly rollicking Homme composition, with all the mania and devilish guitar licks that would suggest. Another thing we do not have a problem with? The last third of this band’s name, in the singular.
If you felt the ground quiver earlier today, fret not: That was just 80s Trapper Keeper designer Lisa Frank rolling over in her grave. (*Assuming she is dead, which we are.) That’s because today, a glowing orb from outerspace came hurtling towards the Earth’s surface, crashing into a field somewhere in America’s heartland, cracking perfectly down the middle to reveal quite the sight. No, not Arnold Schwarzenegger’sglistening nude body… Something much, much, much more sexually intriguing.
Ladies and gentlemen, today, we bring you Adam Lambert’s album cover: For Your Entertainment (click for high res copy):
This album cover is the FANCIEST THING WE HAVE EVER WITNESSED. Unicorns may not exist, but gay ones certainly do, and this album cover is more of a warning to that endangered species: Step your game up, you cashmere soft, ivory horned, glittery hooved motherf**kers. Cause Lambert’s through f*ckin’ around, y’all. Thank you, you beautiful Lambert, you. You have not let us down.
In other news, I just plunked down some hard earned bloggin’ bucks on a ‘78 Camaro so that I may airbrush his visage unto its hood and become my town’s classiest lady. It’s going to be a great year.
(Ed. Note: I’d like everyone to know that I actually wrote this post while myself hurtling through space, 10,000 feet in the air on a Virgin Atlantic airplane which is currently experiencing severe, slightly nausea-inducing turbulence. But this cover was so amazing that I threw safety to the wind, plunked down $13, and bring you this post live from somewhere over Arizona. Good day.)
Last month, CNN's Wolf Blitzer tanked on Celebrity Jeopardy! with a final score of negative $4,600. This month, network cohort Soledad O'Brien managed to take home $6,200 for charity, but still came in third behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Spinal Tap's Michael McKean. As some people have pointed out, this does not make CNN look amazing, especially in light of the news that CNN is currently last in cable-news-network ratings. But when we saw O'Brien at last night's benefit for the News Literacy Project, she brushed the bad news away.
"Ratings are cyclical," she said. "Remember, during the election we could do no wrong. That wasn't very long ago." Maybe the Jeopardy! debacle damaged CNN's credibility, we suggested. "No, not really," she said. "Honestly, nobody tests Wolf Blitzer on breaking news because he has to click on a buzzer and shout out an answer. The reason he's a good journalist is because he asks thoughtful, insightful questions, and actually, speed in that case is not of value. So in his actual job, he does great. People gave Wolf a hard time, but I will tell you this in his defense: The buzzer is very hard to operate. People think it's like you jump off your couch and are like, 'Thailand!' It's not like that. If you go too fast, they delay you. They freeze you out. And they won't allow you to hold it down. It's much, much harder than it looks. You have to time it exactly right." What's more, she said, you start getting stressed out about not being able to buzz in properly, and that's when everything falls apart. "You start focusing on how you're trying to judge the buzzer," she went on, the horror clearly coming back to her. "So if you get too focused on that, when they come to you, you're like, 'Wait, what was the question?' You sort of blank. I realize it sounds like I'm making excuses, but truly it's really hard!"
For those of you old enough to remember it, the Lilith Fair was one of the biggest music industry success stories of the late nineties. Its cultural impact was undeniable, if short lived; led by the wildly popular, yet kinda boring Sarah McLachlan, the festival was the highest grossing touring festival of 1997, but folded just two years later. Well, we're not sure anyone was clamoring for this, but organizers announced today that the Lilith Fair will be back in 2010 and will make stops in at least eighteen cities. Outside of McLachlan, no performers have been announced yet, but we've got a pretty good feeling that all four of you Katy Perry fans out there should start planning your summer road-trip plans now. [LilithFair.com]
Cindy Crawford recently said she would feel "depressed" to walk a runway alongside 20-year-old models. She also tells German magazine Bunte, "I would not have become a supermodel in 2009. I look too healthy." She added, "A body like mine with big breasts, normal thighs and toned upper arms" isn't what the industry wants now. "That's why I like being in my 40s so much — being at peace with yourself, knowing about your strengths beyond being pretty." [AFP]
Lest you worried Ricky Gervais would show up sober and prepared to host the Golden Globes in January, let him allay your fears: "Everyone is sitting around and drinking. I'm going to be drunk, and I'm not going to rehearse. So, it's the perfect gig for me." [Reuters via Movieline]
Daily Intel just received the following missive from one Ivanka Kushner, née Ivanka Trump, regarding our earlier post about the Post's Cindy Adams report detailing the J-Vanka wedding, a.k.a. the event of the season, at least until this weekend, when Gay New Year arrives. Sayeth Ivanka:
Cindy Adams neither attended nor was invited to my wedding, and her story was filled with various inaccuracies, including those about the weather and the “marketing flyer” included in the invitation, which were both easily fact-checkable. My wedding was a private, perfect occasion, the memories from which I will treasure for a lifetime.
How did Cindy know so much detail? we wondered. Did she crash?
Had she hidden behind an imported palm tree? Because the details really made it sound like she was there. Like we were there. ("For the clear-sided, see-through reception and ceremony tents, Donald brought in chandeliers from his golf club in D.C. It was smack in the middle of the course so you could see the beautiful trees and changing leaves.") Reached by phone, a hoarse Cindy admitted that it was true, she hadn't been to the wedding, but "half of the guests called me afterward" to report the details. Apparently, her account was a re-creation based on their accounts; a piece of New Journalism, or rather, Old New Journalism, since the New New Journalism is based mostly on Googling. "There was an inaccuracy," she admitted. "The Trumps are Christian, they're not Catholic. I typed wrong. My fingers ... " As for the marketing flyers? They were in there," she insisted. A lot of people got them."
Front Page: Three-judge panel upholds SAG moves -- Former Screen Actors Guild president Alan Rosenberg has struck out again in court in his long-running attempt to overturn moves by SAG's national board to fire Doug Allen and abolish SAG's negotiating committee.
After weeks of buzz about budget cuts at W, it looks like layoffs have begun. Features director James Reginato has left the magazine after working there since the early nineties. More layoffs are expected at the title next week. [FWD]
In a post that's mostly about the $1.25 million interestingly termed "retainer" that Sarah Palin received from her book, the Times Caucus blog lists some other gifts/income she received while governor of Alaska: "Various gifts including jewelry, handmade blankets, clothing, airfare and skincare products valued at $2,666." If only we could see these assuredly hideous blankets! [Caucus/NYT]
There are three things we know Jamie Dimon would never do: Screw someone else's wife, steal from the blind, and poach employees from struggling companies, no matter how big a jerk he thinks their boss is and how hard he's tempted. Actually, we don't know, maybe he would do the first two things. But he definitely wouldn't do the latter. Why do we know this? Because the JPMorgan CEO is a famously soft, pillowy-lipped angel-hero — where have you been? Also, he said today at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association meeting in New York: “I morally have an issue with people going against those companies that are hamstrung. It’s wrong to say, ‘Let’s go hire the best people.’ We’re not going to do that.” In fact, from now on, JP Morgan will only hire orphans, lepers, and the adorably disenfranchised. That's how good Jamie is.
Zooey Deschanel attended the 13th Annual Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony in Beverly Hills last night wearing a pink empire-waist dress accented with a black bow. She also wore bows on her head and feet.
How do you feel about the abundance of bows in this look?
Reuters - Even after death celebrities make millions and fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, who surpassed singer Michael Jackson, was named the top earning dead celebrity. Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 27 Oct 2009 | 4:19 pm
Don't let the om symbols fool you. Bikram yoga in New York is a competitive sport, and the 7th Annual Asana Yoga Competition was cutthroat. We sent our own yogi enthusiast Tim Murphy to size up the competitors and show off his best poses. Suck it, inner peace and spirituality.
Well, you can all stop laughing now: Former NBC wunderkind Ben Silverman was serious when he announced his departure from the Peacock to start a "broad-based, 360-degree, multi-creative company" with Barry Diller. And to prove it, he's finally given the new venture a name! Diller confirmed in an earnings call this morning that Silverman's company will be called Electus. Our questions: Is the name in reference to eclectus parrots (which, like peacocks, are known for the sexual dimorphism of their coloring)? Is it a play on "elect us," and an indication that Silverman still plans to enter politics one day? What was wrong with TigerVision? Also, what will this company do?
The python version of Alexander McQueen's spring 2010 runway shoes just arrived at British Vogue's offices. They are called the "armadillos" and actually measure twelve inches, not ten as previously reported. The staff tried them on "but miserably failed to make it further than the Vogue fashion cupboard." As soon as they get to our offices, we will gladly videotape ourselves trying to walk in them for your viewing pleasure. No embarrassment or carnage will be censored. [Vogue UK]
Last week's assault on cellphone-chatting drivers turned out to be a nice fundraiser for the city: The 7,500 tickets issued during the 24-hour crackdown pumped $975,000 into city coffers. [NYP]
I’m all for charity, but it rarely ends in seeing two ladies make out. That is why I never give money to homeless people on the subway. All that changed last week, though, according to US Weekly:
Theron, 34, took part in a live auction during a gala for the charity OneXOne in San Francisco Thurs. Oct. 22. And while she was initially selling a 2010 trip to South Africa that included World Cup tickets, a safari and a meet-and-greet with Nelson Mandela, she raised the stakes when bidding stalled at $37,000, far below the $280,000 Jeremy Piven had just raised.
“For f*** sake! You can do better,” she tells attendees. “There is no way I am leaving here with Jeremy Piven getting a higher bid. I’ve got t**** for God’s sake.”
(I’m going to assume for $280,000 Jeremy Piven was auctioning off a chance to kick him square in the nads and someone got a sweet deal)
To sweeten the pot, she offered up a 7-second kiss for $130,000 to a male bidder. “Swine flu is going around. This is high risk kissing!” she told him. After one man bid $135,000, a woman upped the stakes to $140,000 — ascending the stage for a 20-second smooch as the audience counted down.
Remember that this is all in the name of charity, so as you watch these two ladies go at it, think about how you too can help the world by getting to first base with an Oscar winner:
Little does that lady know, she has to dry hump Nelson Mandela once she gets to South Africa.
In July, Universal bumped the release date for Paul Greengrass's $100 million Matt Damon–starring Iraq drama Green Zonefrom this fall to next March, thus forfeiting any Oscars the Academy would've otherwise bestowed upon the film. At the time, we wondered whether this meant Zone was bad. But now, having seen its just-released trailer, we realize we shouldn't have worried — it's pretty much just another Bourne movie, this time set in Iraq, featuring Greg Kinnear, and totally free of amnesia. Looks good to us. Plus, with Jackman probably not hosting the Oscars, we needed a reason to look forward to March.
Oct. 27 marks the 15th anniversary of the industry’s first banner display ads, which appeared on Hotwired.com…
It was May 1994, and Ed Artzt, the chairman of P&G at the time, made his landmark speech at the 4A’s meeting in White Sulphur Springs, WV calling for marketers and their agencies to dive headlong into the “new media” revolution or be left behind.
If yesterday’s GeoCities news gave you a nostalgic internet chill, check out this hilarious original ad for AT&T — I’m pretty sure Wesley Snipes wore this in White Men Can’t Jump:
Whaaaat? “Click” my “mouse”?? Why would I do that??? This is all so confusing…
But the absolute first banner ad on the internet was, technically, this one:
The fashion industry just gets jazzed when Victoria's Secret models trade commercial sex appeal for high fashion. Adriana Lima left many pleasantly surprised when she hit the runway for Givenchy and later appeared in the label's fall ad campaign, her eyebrows bleached and cleavage decidedly tucked away. Fellow Victoria's Secret sexpot Miranda Kerr sent similar shock waves through Paris Fashion Week when she walked in the spring 2010 Balenciaga show. She dabbles again in high fashion in an editorial showcasing the latest resort collections in the next issue of V, hitting stands November 3. Willy Vanderperre shot Miranda along with Ana Beatriz Barros for the "postmodern pinup" story, rife with pantslessness and bras over clothes, just as the theme implies. See the editorial in the slideshow.
The city's Department of Education wants kids to eat healthier meals. As part of her Yum-o! foundation, Rachael Ray has been looking for ways to "give back." Yesterday the two came together when Ray appeared at a press conference at PS 89 in Tribeca to unveil the "sizzling soft tacos" that the school system is force-feeding to some 600,000 kids this week. Unfortunately, however, the PR spectacle didn't go off as planned.
A cockroach made an appearance as well, "marching across a countertop a few feet from where Ray was touting the benefits of good food." Ray's publicist quickly disposed of the roach and Ray says she never even saw it, but leave it to the politician in the group to take charge of the situation. When a Daily News reporter approached Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and asked her about school cleanliness, she said, "You have to talk to the Department of Ed about that."
Elle creative director and new City star Joe Zee is looking for boyfriends to make over for his column. "Is that guy in your life screaming 'untapped potential'? Is his hair more Don King than Don Juan?" Joe quips on his Facebook page. If you're interested in getting your man in Elle, send Joe his photo with a sentence or two on why he's a fashion fail. Think of how fun and awkward it could be! May as well let Joe deal with his kicking and screaming over "branching out." [Joe Zee/Facebook via Fashionista]
BWE.tv alums Sara Schaefer and Cory Cavin put together the following intense, gripping trailer for the intense, gripping trailer for the movie Paranormal Activity.
Seriously, if you see ONE TRAILER this fall, make it this one. The trailer that this trailer is for, I mean. But also this trailer, about it. Alright, that’s confusing. Just remember, it’s scary. Also remember, trailers.
President Obama now has a backup plan in the event he decides to kick Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to the curb. 50 Cent has graciously stepped forward and offered to help the president run the U.S. economy. If President Obama needs him, of course.
He's clearly qualified, not only because he'd bring a fistful of cash with him to Washington (which could help balance the budget), and not just because he managed to escape the downturn without losing too much money. (He says he lost "a few million," but that amounts to nothing, really, when you're as rich as he is.) He also reports that the financial crisis taught him some really valuable lessons:
I buy diamonds on a very regular basis, but now I am selling my old stuff before I get something new.
If the president is interested in having him "as his financial adviser," he says, "that would be cool." If you happen to speak to the president over the coming weeks and he asks you for a few names of potential Geithner replacements—or simply some savvy economic advisers who could bring fresh perspective to Washington—please keep 50 in mind.
• L'Oréal is working on a "cure" for gray hair that will likely consist of an "oral element backed by a hair care range." God forbid that we age. They expect to launch the product in ten years. [StyleList]
• Thierry Mugler's new limited-edition fragrance features a Swarovski crystal dangling in the center of the bottle. Only 100 were made, and each costs $3,000. [Now Smell This]
SKIN
• A new study reveals that mothers and daughters have remarkably similar skin aging patterns. So if you want to know how you'll wrinkle, just look at your mom. [Daily Beauty Reporter/Allure]
• Jennifer Lopez's makeup artist Scott Barnes reintroduced his Body Bling bronzer recently, so it is now available in two editions: Body Bling Original and Body Bling Platinum. You know, for that sun-kissed winter shimmer. [Brides]
Among the many perks of working for VH1 — aside from the David Wallace visits — are occasional global emails offering employees tickets to exclusive events and concerts, sometimes at a reduced rate.
Sometimes, however, these emails are insane. Today, we received one such insane email, offering tickets to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame anniversary show for a very the opposite of reasonable price:
There are a pair of tickets available to RRHOF on Friday, Oct 30.
Section 5, Row L, Seats 1-2
$499.50/each [emphasis mine]
U2, Metallica, Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, Ozzy Osbourne and special guests
First come, first served. If you don’t receive a response, tickets have been sold.
First come first served??? Better hurry before an MTV Networks freelance employee with a spare $999 lying around jumps on this offer! A chance to see five legendary artists (four of whom still tour constantly) each perform like a song and a half in front of a crowd of super-rich people and industry execs for the low, low price of A THOUSAND DOLLARS? What an offer!
Sadly, instead of buying the tickets, I have decided to live in New York City for an additional month without starving.
Seriously, though — not to sound like some uber-artistic “it’s about the music!” whiner or someone with no understanding of basic Capitalism, is there anything that is less “rock n’ roll” than shelling out $1,000 to see a bunch of bands pay tribute to each other at a Hall of Fame for themselves?
Remember back in May when we all saw the trailer for Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopusand had a big laugh before returning to our buckets of fried chicken as we slowly and complacently drifted to sleep with the knowledge that humans will always reign supreme in the real world? Well wake up and wipe that grease off your chin, people, because we’re gonna need a bigger boat.
A giant shark that could be up to 20ft long has sent shockwaves across Australian beaches after a great white was nearly bitten in half.
A stunning picture shows a 10ft predator thrashing about with two massive chunks missing on either side of its body, off the Queensland coast.
Experts said its rival may be 20ft (about six metres) long, judging by the size of the huge bites.
Basically, it is time for us humans to pack it in. With the ice caps melting and whatnot, we will never make it in a Waterworld-type future where great white sharks get lightly nibbled like they were disappointing cocktail hors d’oeuvres.
I’m no shark expert (I still have two more semesters left at Shark School), but upon further inspection of those bite marks I think this may not be the work of a Mega Shark after all. By my calculations, whatever took a bite of this poor great white looked a little something like this:
After working as Nan Goldin’s studio manager and as an editor at Self Service, photographer Skye Parrott returned home from Paris and decided to launch a magazine with her best friend, Katherine Krause. The result was Dossier, a biannual journal that has since spawned an airy Fort Greene shop of the same name. The large glossy, which mixes fashion, art, and writing, allows Parrott the freedom to shoot a variety of subjects and clothes, all the while staying true to her beautiful, intimate style of photography. We sat down with Parrott to talk about taking pictures, her seventies style, and the classic allure of a Chanel purse.
What’s the idea behind Dossier?
What we ended up with was the idea of a file (dossier means file in French), a collection of all these different artists, writers, fashion designers, illustrators that we found interesting, all presented in no particular order.
Who or what are your favorite subjects to photograph?
I most like to take pictures of people I know well — to photograph them again and again. That being said, some of my favorite pictures I’ve taken are of people I don’t know, so I think given the right circumstances, I can find something interesting to photograph in most anybody.
How about favorite fashion looks to shoot?
I really like to tell a story when I shoot, and the clothes are what you use to build those characters. Depending on what the story is, it could be ballgowns or bathing suits.
What kind of pieces do you carry at the Dossier shop?
We wanted the store to feel like a physical extension of the magazine, so we carry all the same things the magazine deals with — fashion, art, literature, jewelry, design objects. My partner, Katherine, does the buying for the clothes, but basically anything we find interesting is fair game. For the new clothes and jewelry, we try to focus on young local designers, like Electric Feathers and Duskin. Katherine had a serious vintage habit before we had the store, so now she just has an outlet for it. We carry vintage YSL, Norma Kamali, and Sonia Rykiel.
Two of Skye's favorite photographs.Photo: Courtesy of Skye Parrott
How do you describe your personal style?
Much to my husband’s chagrin, I have to say that the seventies are a big influence. I like peacoats, high-waisted pants, and leather boots. Paris was definitely a big influence, so I also like anything really classic, really basic, anything that you can wear forever. I’m not really into sneakers or being too dressed down, and I’ve always worn a lot of black. Dark blue and dark gray are what pass for color in my closet.
What pieces or labels do you wear most?
I tend to find something I love and wear it until I’m totally sick of it, like my Phillip Lim winter coat and a black Chanel bag that I wear constantly. I also have a Pamela Love talon necklace that I’ve been wearing every day for the past six months. My favorites are pieces that can be dressed up or down and look good no matter what you wear them with.
What was the first designer item you bought or wore?
The one that stands out is an embroidered, black Comme des Garçons coat that I got for my 23rd birthday. I was living in Paris with my boyfriend at the time and I didn’t have any money, so when I saw it in this thrift store, I didn’t buy it. He somehow found the money to go back and get it for my birthday.
Who are some of your favorite designers?
Yves Saint Laurent when he was designing, vintage Sonia Rykiel, Zac Posen, Alexander Wang, Karl Lagerfeld, Phillip Lim, [and] my friend Yara’s line, Nomia. I also own a lot of APC.
What is an item you can’t live without?
I wear jeans most every day in the winter (and not at all in the summer), so I definitely need good jeans. Also, since it’s getting cold, a big, woolly hat.
Where do you shop most for clothes in NYC?
Since our store is right downstairs from my apartment, I mostly shop there! But I also really love Stuart & Wright, Jumelle, and Oak. And I love sample sales.
Is there an item you are currently coveting?
I just wore these tan-and-black Chanel boots for a photo shoot, and I’ve been thinking about them ever since. And there’s this black, hooded APC coat that I’ve been eyeing as a replacement for the Phillip Lim one I’ve killed.
What’s something every girl should own?
Without question, a Chanel purse. It is the most versatile thing I own and it only looks better the older it gets. Plus, they’ll always fix it if it breaks.
Finish this sentence: I never leave the house without …
My BlackBerry (unfortunately).
"Urbanwear" designer Marc Ecko has been on the brink of ruin for many months now. He had to sell off parts of his company to stay afloat, he put his ridiculously over-the-top office/gymnasium in Chelsea up for lease, and his 30,000-square-foot castle in New Jersey was hit with several liens after he had trouble coming up with the cash to finish $21 million worth of renovations. But Ecko has been tossed a life preserver. The apparel company Iconix has announced it's taking a majority stake in Ecko's company. He won't have to worry about going bust any longer, and his line of streetwear will finally be united with its spiritual cousin, Rocawear. Everyone wins! [Crain's]
Many have criticized Wall Street firms for not doing more to manage risk in the lead up to the financial crisis and many have wondered just how much has changed over the past year. Let it be known that JPMorgan Chase is no longer playing by the old rules when banks were handing out loans to anyone who asked. If you're an accused murderer? Well, then, the new JPMorgan Chase wants nothing to do with you.
In May, the bank cut off a home equity line of credit that had been obtained by accused wife-killer Drew Peterson in 2005. ("Imprisonment" was listed as the official reason for the suspension.)
But Peterson, who is currently behind bars awaiting trial for killing third wife—his fourth wife, meanwhile, remains missing—isn't having any of it. He is now suing the bank for damaging his credit. At least the guy still has his priorities in check.
Update: Washington Mutual gave O.J. Simpson a second mortgage at the beginning of the crisis. And WaMu failed. Possible connection?
AP - "My Life Outside the Ring" (St. Martin's Press, 320 pages, $25.99), by Hulk Hogan: He may have had his own reality show and starred as Thunderlips in "Rocky III," but Hulk Hogan will always be remembered as the wrestling legend who told children to take their vitamins and say their prayers, brother.
Bill Thompson doesn't stand much of a chance at winning next week's mayoral election. But the two will face off once again this evening for their second and final debate. (Thompson will have to deliver "the political equivalent of an Oscar-performance" if he has any hope of turning things around, says Michael Barbaro of the Times.) Don't think the mayor is coasting on his lead, or on the $85 million he's spent on his campaign thus far. He's taking tonight's debate seriously: "Mr. Bloomberg seems to be taking no chances on Tuesday: there are no events other than the debate on his schedule, allowing him to spend the day preparing for the confrontation." Either that or he's figured out that it's an excellent excuse to take the day off and chill out at home, which it is. [NYT]
My only excitement about the Yankees’ return to the World Series (other than the potential immediate A-Rod backstabbing that’ll occur again if they lose) is that for one glorious week, the New York Post will have an entire nation of eyes on it demanding the most sensational, judgmental, painful pun headlines that names of players combined with scornful or praising vocabulary can possibly create.
Because they’re the Post, however, they decided not to even wait until the Series began to start slinging confusing puns and random insults. Here’s today’s extremely news-based headline:
Seriously? “Frillies?” Is this Mad Magazine? I can’t wait to read about Chase Buttley, Clod Hamels and Jimmy Rollinschmuck.
The article itself is even more amazing. Check out these angry, newsworthy quotes from random New Yorkers (the Post gets so many big scoops they should change their name to the New York Scoop):
“Philly fans are a bunch of whiners and should learn how to dress. They should try reading GQ.”
They are whiners! Take it from the city that prides itself in bashing its stars until they win a championship, even though the Yankees probably would’ve missed the playoffs without A-Rod’s 54 homers in 2007 then threw him under the bus after they lost a four-game series even though Derek Jeter was also on the team and went 3-for-17 and has been on the team for their last 9 years of not winning a title and I’m not gonna go on cause I could write a novel about this. But man are Philly fans whiners!
Moving on:
“You can’t go to a game without getting booze thrown at you!”
Totally! Remember when Philly fans threw that beer at an outfielder trying to make a catch this year?? Oh wait, no, that happened to a Phillies player at tradition-having, family-oriented Wrigley Field. Still, a great point.
Even Benjamin Franklin, Philly’s patron saint, has been described as “the father of all the Yankees.”
Snap! Just remember that during these games of baseball!
As far as sports go, sure, the Phillies have won two World Series championships compared with the Yankees’ 26, but far sadder is that no one from Philly cares much.
So true! No one in Philly roots for the Phillies. I’m really sick of seeing these Phillies playoff games at their completely empty ballpark with cricket noises occasionally interrupted by three old dudes in the outfield booing while eating cheesesteaks. Wait, we’ve come this far and no one’s done the required rip on the cheesesteak?
“The big meal there is a steak with cheese and onions on a hero, but they don’t even call it a hero. It’s a hoagie. What the hell is a hoagie?” said Ron Montclane, 26.
Dumbass Philly people and their having words for things. Their words should be more like New York words! Also, how come the entire rest of the country says “standing in line” instead of “standing on line”?? What a bunch of non-GQ-reading A-holes.
Gisele Bundchenwalking down the street just after having lunch at Blue Ribbon yesterday ... Matt Damon heading to the set of The Adjustment Bureau with his wife and daughters ... Naomi Watts carrying a bag of groceries from Whole Foods ... Gerard Butler riding a bike in SoHo ... Samuel L. Jackson shooting scenes for The Other Guys ... Courteney Cox and David Arquette shopping in SoHo and later going to dinner ... America Ferrera filming scenes for Ugly Betty downtown ... Beyoncé and Jay-Zeating at Nello's on Madison Avenue ... Chace Crawford and Blake Lively walking on the set of Gossip Girl ... and Jude Law playing soccer in the West Village with sons Rudy and Rafferty.
The following DirecTV commercial featuring David Spade and Chris Farley reprising their roles from Tommy Boy has been airing non-stop during football games the past few days, and it’s making me less and less comfortable with each airing. At first, I was like “Hmm, Chris Farley in a commercial, that’s a little odd,” but I’ve since escalated my reaction to “This is really really effing bizarre and shouldn’t be happening.”
A friend of mine argued “It’s not any weirder than just seeing Chris Farley in movies now,” to which I answered, “Yes it is, because Chris Farley knew he was in those movies.”
Reactions? Awkward, or really really awkward?
Ball’s in your court, Verizon Fios — how bout a Heath Ledger Joker commercial?
French judges ordered Dieudonne M'bala M'bala, a far-right black comedian, to pay 20,000 euros (30,000 dollars) Tuesday over an anti-Semitic stunt during a stage show in which he invited a notorious Holocaust... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 27 Oct 2009 | 10:11 am
Former Men at Work frontman Colin Hay performs in Las Vegas in 2006. Lawyers Tuesday accused 1980s rock band Men at Work of stealing a "quintessentially Australian" flute riff for their iconic hit "Down... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 27 Oct 2009 | 10:11 am
Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas cruise ship is pictured at the STX Europe shipyard in Turku in September 2009. The world's biggest and most expensive cruise ship ever built, Oasis of the Seas, is to... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 27 Oct 2009 | 10:11 am
The solarium deck of Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas cruise ship is pictured at the STX Europe shipyard in Turku in September 2009. At a cost of some 900 million euros (1.3 billion dollars), the mammoth... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 27 Oct 2009 | 10:11 am
The solarium deck of Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas cruise ship is pictured at the STX Europe shipyard in Turku in September 2009. The world's biggest and most expensive cruise ship ever built, Oasis... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 27 Oct 2009 | 10:11 am
Don’t really have anything against Elijah Wood (does anyone?), just a funny intense picture.
I do have one thrilling Elijah Wood real-life story: Three years ago, my roommate and I went to a party in Brooklyn that our friend was DJing, got there around midnight, then we went over to the DJ table to say hi to our friend and he responded “Don’t worry, Elijah Wood is on his way!” To which my roommate wondered, “Umm…I didn’t realize we were waiting for Elijah Wood?”
Elijah Wood then showed up (no idea who he knew at the party, but I guess everyone knew he was coming), and he hung out for a while and smoked some cigarettes (you know the story’s true cause he’s smoking in that picture). And one of my other friends met a girl at that party and now lives with her.
So, there you go. Elijah Wood: Matchmaker, smoker, party arriver-at. Cuhrazy story, huh?
Reuters - Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani, still frail after a bout of hepatitis, hinted on Tuesday of succession plans for his vast clothes empire after his retirement and joked about his appearance. Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 27 Oct 2009 | 9:10 am
US actor Andy Garcia playing Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili during filming in Tbilisi earlier this month. US actor Val Kilmer has arrived in Georgia to portray a journalist covering last year's... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:46 am
US actor Val Kilmer, seen here in 2007, has arrived in Georgia to portray a journalist covering last year's Georgia-Russia war in a Hollywood film about the conflict, the movie's co-producer has said. Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:46 am
It seemed everyone in Hollywood wanted to see what This Is It was all about.
Going on speculation and a glowing review from Elizabeth Taylor, a heaping spoonful of A-listers and others...
What a good way to start a season, not to mention a marriage.
Along with sister Kim, Khloé Kardashian came out to support her new hubbie Lamar Odom as the Los...
Could they make these eliminations any more overdramatic?
Dancing With the Stars milked every drop of suspense they could out of two celebs being on the chopping block tonight, with all...
As much as Patrick Swayze's death hurt his fans, the pain was infinitely worse for Lisa Niemi, his wife of 34 years.
"I am so grateful for what I had and my connection to him,...
We've always known subtlety isn't Adam Lambert's speciality.
The glamtastic former Idoler has unveiled the cover of his upcoming debut album, For Your Entertainment, due out...
This reality-contestant merry-go-round is dizzying. Can we get off?
Thanks to baseball playoffs wreaking havoc on Fox's schedule, So You Think You Can Dance is all mixed up this...
Zombies and vampires, while entertaining, are wearing thin. What do we think will be the new trend?
—Alicia Broun Lamar, via Facebook
We do not think when we are the...
It was only a matter of time until one of the Jonas Brothers decided he's the Beyoncé of the group and we're glad it's Nick Jonas.
The young one confirmed...
Yikes! Michael Jackson's body may have had no trouble groovin' to the beat during his final months, but it's a wonder he could move his face.
The King of Pop's longtime...
Dreaming a little dream doesn't always work.
Corey Feldman's wife, Susannah, filed for divorce last week after seven years of marriage, citing the nondescript irreconcilable...
I’m all for charity, but it rarely ends in seeing two ladies make out. That is why I never give money to homeless people on the subway. All that changed last week, though, according to 
President Obama now has a backup plan in the event he decides to kick Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to the curb. 
Among the many perks of working for VH1 — aside from the 
Remember back in May when we all saw the trailer for 
