Overtime: Mindy Kaling (The Office, Subtle Sexuality, your dreams) and fellow Office scribe Brent Forrester are teaming up to write The Low Self Esteem of Lizzie Gillespie for Mandate Pictures. Produced by the same group behind Juno, the romantic comedy will center on a woman whose lack of self-confidence has convinced her to only date losers. Then, unexpectedly, a complete stud begins pursuing her. But as studly as the stud is he can't be as studly as Ryan Howard. [Variety]
Music Man: Brad Falchuk, the executive producer of Glee, has signed a seven-figure deal with 20th century Fox TV that will see him continue with the show and work on other projects. Falchuck will be tasked with developing new projects and may also direct other Fox pilots. "The tone of Glee is so specific, it takes delicate balance," 20th Century Fox TV chair Dana Walden said. "If you can direct Glee successfully, you can probably direct anything." Like more musicals! [Variety]
Court Order: NBC has ordered a new legal drama based on the life of attorney Tom Goldstein. Barry Schindal wrote the pilot for Tommy Supreme, about a real-life lawyer who has argued 21 cases in front of the Supreme Court. The show is being described as a reverse House, or, "a likable guy in the most unlikable profession." Speaking of likable guys, Antonin Scalia should totally play himself. [Variety]
You'll See the Brains Flying Off the Screen!: Sony is moving forward with plans to make a 3D sequel to Zombieland. The studio has locked down producer Gavin Polone and director Ruben Fleisher and is in discussions with Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg to come back as zombie bashing bros. Hopefully they're already working on setting up another excellent cameo. [Variety]
No More Games: Keith Arem, who talent directed the mega-selling video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, will make his film directing debut with Frost Road. An action-thriller that Arem wrote, the story is about a small East Coast town that is invaded by a deadly disease. It will be hard for Arem to replicate the success of Call of Duty, which made $550 million the first five days it was out, unless he can figure out how to get theaters to charge $60 a ticket. [THR]
Read more posts by Adam K. Raymond
Filed Under: the industry, 3d, barry schindal, brad falchuck, brent forrester, call of duty: modern warfare 2, dana walden, fox, frost road, gavin polone, jesse eisenberg, keith arem, mandate pictures, mindy kaling, nbc, ruben fleisher, sony, the low self esteem of lizzie gillespie, tom goldstein, tommy supreme, tv, woody harrelson, zombieland
What's wrong with this picture?
Lots, according to the Catholic League, which has voiced its opposition to PETA's latest shock-'em-into-action ad campaign, which features a...
At a workshop on the future of journalism yesterday, the head of the Federal Trade Commission said the agency is studying ways to help struggling media companies struggle a little less. What might this help look like? It could come in the form of new anti-trust laws, tax breaks, government subsides or even changes to copyright law.
These ideas didn't sit well with Rupert Murdoch. He said government intervention would only prop up failing news organizations and that anyone who cares about the First Amendment should be "chilled" by the idea of taxpayer money going to journalism. The only thing the government should do, he said, is remove regulations so he can buy up more and more media properties. He also called Arianna Huffington a thief.
FTC to Examine Possible Support of News Organizations [WSJ]
Read more posts by Adam K. Raymond
Filed Under: ftc, ink stained wretches, media, news corp, rupert murdoch
The New Yorker's Richard Brody (who, it should be noted, has one of the decade's best beards) put out his list of the decade's best movies yesterday. It's full of esoteric and foreign films, pretty much the exact thing you'd expect from The New Yorker's film listings editor. But a few selections stand out: The Darjeeling Limited at number two (Brody wrote a flattering profile of Wes Anderson last month) and Knocked Up at number eight (he wrote a sappy love letter to Jonah Hill last night). [New Yorker]
Read more posts by Adam K. Raymond
Filed Under: lists, knocked up, new yorker, richard brody, the darjeeling limited
Last Friday we found out that Mayor Bloomberg spent a pretty astonishing $102 million to squeak by Bill Thompson in last month's election. And today we find out exactly how much Thompson spent — a just-as-astonishing $9,003,711. As the math majors out there can figure out, that's 8.9 percent of what Bloomberg spent. But Thompson doesn't mind; he's the coolest Democrat in the state now! [Observer]
Read more posts by Adam K. Raymond
Filed Under: receipts, bill thompson, elections, politics
AP - Little Richard is out of the hospital following hip surgery, promising to perform again.
AP - Little Richard is out of the hospital following hip surgery, promising to perform again.
Variety reported last night that Summit was tempted to go the "two-film route" when deciding how to bring Breaking Dawn to the big screen.
Uh, darlings, such old news,...
It's official. Paul Greengrass has dropped out of the fourth Bourne film. The Playlist called this yesterday and Universal has a statement today. In it, Greengrass denies speculation that his departure is related to the studio rewriting the script without consulting him. He also gives Universal a big smooch:
"You won't find a more devoted supporter of the 'Bourne' franchise than me. I will always be grateful to have been the caretaker to Jason Bourne over the course of 'The Bourne Supremacy' and 'The Bourne Ultimatum.' I'm very proud of those films and feel they express everything I most passionately believe about the possibility of making quality movies in the mainstream. My decision to not return a third time as director is simply about feeling the call for a different challenge. ... I've been lucky enough to have made four films for Universal, and our relationship continues. Jason Bourne existed before me and will continue, and I hope to remain involved in some capacity as the series moves on."
Universal plans to carry on without Greengrass, but it's not clear who will direct. While everyone tries to figure this out, go see Green Zone, which is basically Bourne 4 with a different title.
Greengrass Makes Exit Statement on Bourne [Variety]
Read more posts by Adam K. Raymond
Filed Under: quitters, bourne identity, movies, paul greengrass, universal
This just in!
Even with the $164 ticket and the endless scrutiny, the Tiger Woods car crash story has been missing something. Namely, it has lacked a Chinese-language animated...
Jealous of the attention heaped upon Ilya the Manatee, a deer from New Jersey made a plea for some fawning media coverage of his own today by swimming some 2,000 yards across the Hudson River. The 10-point buck jumped into the water sometime after being spotted at an intersection in Jersey City. A few hours later a police boat found him running along the rocky edge of Governors Island, shot him with a tranquilizer and transported him to a nature preserve on Staten Island. Now he's among friends, and next time he wants to go for a swim he won't have to go stag.
Young deer swims 2,000 yards in Hudson River from New Jersey to get to New York [NYDN]
Read more posts by Adam K. Raymond
Filed Under: oh deer, swimming the hudson
 guardian.co.uk | Post Office Reviving Santa Letters New York Times As first graders from Public School 33 in Chelsea gathered in the lobby of the James A. Farley Post Office on Eighth Avenue in Manhattan on Tuesday morning, they might not have realized that they were part of the return of a nearly ... Wilson County adults get fired up by parades as much as kids Milton and Pace parades kick off the holiday season Santa Claus belongs to everybody |
ABC's banishment of Ugly Betty to Friday night pretty much killed the show's ratings (it has lost 46 percent of its adult demo audience since returning for the fall season). But that's the past! The network has mercifully decided to save Betty from Friday night hell by moving the show to Wednesdays. It will take over the slot vacated by Eastwick in January. Don't forget to program that VCR! [Variety]
Read more posts by Adam K. Raymond
Filed Under: ch-ch-ch-changes, abc, eastwick, ugly betty
If, at some point in the past few months, you found yourself no longer a member of Facebook or MySpace, it might be because you're a registered sex offender. The two social networking behemoths have booted more than 3,500 sex offenders as a part of New York state's Electronic Security and Targeting of Online Predators Act. The law was championed by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who would like to see 17 other social networking sites do that same. Of course, NAMBLAspace is exempted.
Networking sites take action against sex offenders [7Online]
Read more posts by Adam K. Raymond
Filed Under: crackdowns, andrew cuomo, facebook, myspace, pervs
The Broadway production of Bye Bye Birdie, best known around these parts for uniting Bob Saget, John Stamos and Don Rickles for an impromptu comedy routine, will shut down on January 24, two weeks later than originally expected. Despite bad reviews, the show has attracted large audiences, just not large enough to keep it going into the spring. Maybe it was the singing. [Variety]
Read more posts by Adam K. Raymond
Filed Under: broadwaypocalypse, broadway, bye bye birdie, john stamos
Watch out, gleeks! As the club heads towards next week's big "Sectionals" showdown, Kurt (Chris Colfer) and company are starting to worry that success puts them at risk for extra jock...
Ralph Macchio had Reseda. Jaden Smith gets the Great Wall of China.
Assuming the studio didn't commission a body double (you know, like on the Pretty Woman poster),...
After 11 days of deliberations, the jury in John "Junior" Gotti's racketeering trial was still deadlocked today, leading a federal judge to declare a mistrial. This is the fourth mistrial for Gotti in five years. If convicted, he would have faced life in prison. Instead he'll get to go home for a few months until prosecutors try to convict him a fifth time. That one's supposed to be a charm, right? [NYP]
Read more posts by Adam K. Raymond
AP - "The Simpsons" is going to wrap up its 20th anniversary year of celebration with the help of filmmaker Morgan Spurlock.
Many apologies for the technical difficulties this afternoon. We should be back in action shortly. Or so we've been told.
AP - In Jim Sheridan's "Brothers," it feels like the film's three young stars are playing house.
The Boss recently sat down with Billboard and answered a few questions we've been wondering about ourselves. First, how does the E Street Band manage to play covers by request? As you may know, at one point during every show on his current never-ending tour, Springsteen will pluck a few held-up signs out of the audience bearing song requests, and the band will tear into them. Since they do a different one every night, we'd just assumed their tour manager planted special previously-rehearsed-song-request-sign-holding spies in the crowd. But no! Bruce claims that his crew is actually just a bunch of musicologists:
At the very end of the Magic tour … we started to take unusual requests and do songs that we'd never played before, just depending on the common memory that the band would have from everyone's individual playing experience as teenagers. We ended up with a system where we can jump on a lot pretty quick.
Well, there you go — Bruce Springsteen knows all the words to more classic rock and roll songs off the top of his head than you do.
Bruce Springsteen: The Billboard Cover Q&A [Billboard]
Read more posts by Amos Barshad
Filed Under: the boss, bruce springsteen, music
• Top Chef's Padma Lakshmi is naked on the cover of Page Six magazine, because all pregnant famous ladies have to pose naked sometime, it's a rite of passage. Check out her...
A few weeks back, the producers of Oleanna announced that they would be shutting down their Bill Pullman/Julia Stiles starring production in January. However, after a week that saw the show playing to only 32% of its audience capacity, producers have decided that they'll pull the plug on the show this coming Sunday instead. Surely there must be some way to pin some of the blame for this failure on Jeremy Piven, right? [Variety]
Read more posts by Mark Graham
Filed Under: broadwaypocalypse, bill pullman, david mamet, julia stiles, oleanna, theater
The new, revamped version of Scrubs premieres tonight, and you'll finally get to meet the new "next generation" cast, including one Dave Franco, who is not only a...
To your left is an officially licensed Hot Chip T-shirt. Yes, it's R. Kelly wearing a Devo Hat. No, we don't know why. And, of course, it's sold out. [TheTrilogyTapes via Pitchfork]
Read more posts by Amos Barshad
Filed Under: r. kelly, devo, hot chip, music, wtf
Reality is so not biting for Lisa Loeb right now.
The '90s-era pop sensation and former star of E!'s #1 Single has welcomed her first child with hubby Roey...
How the mighty have fallen—at least for a night.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were spotted last night leaving La Dolce Vita restaurant in Beverly Hills, and must say, there was...
In September, Kanye West turned a plain, vocally ungifted country singer into the world's most celebrated pop star simply by cutting her off before she became long-winded — and now he's helped make another dream come true! Previously unknown director Fede Alvarez was toiling away on commercials in his native Uruguay before Kanye, on November 6, posted on his blog a YouTube video of Ataque de Pánico! (Panic Attack!), an awesome five-minute robot-apocalypse film Alvarez purportedly made for less than $500 (embedded here). Half a million views later, Alvarez has a team of superstar agents and a $30 million budget from Mandate Pictures to make an alien-invasion movie under the mentorship of Sam freaking Raimi (the deal is presumably modeled on the one that had Peter Jackson oversee Neill Blomkamp's District 9). Alvarez should probably send Kanye an all-caps thank-you card.
Panic Attack! [Kanye's Blog]
Hollywood in Panic Over New Helmer [BFDealMemo/Variety]
Hollywood has a 'Panic Attack!' [LAT]
Read more posts by Lane Brown
Filed Under: kanye, fede alvarez, kanye west, movies, sam raimi
Last night at 11 p.m., P. Diddy made a poetic debut on the Home Shopping Network to sell his fragrances. A lady with Kate Gosselin hair and eye shadow so blue you'd think she colored her face with a highlighter sat on a couch with Diddy for a couple of hours to tell him and His People how wonderful he and the things he makes are. A very excited Beverly called in and told Diddy, perched on a shaggy fur throw, that she had been waiting for this moment. "I wanted to put on your MySpace page please come to HSN!" she told him. And it's a good thing he did, because not only is HSN now cool, officially, but his stuff sold out in just sixteen minutes. That's a total of 5,600 Diddy fragrance products, costing around $60 each, with extra flex-pricing available for HSN cardholders. (It's the flex-pricing that really gives this channel flavor.)
But the best part of the evening was surely when Diane called.
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: home scary network, hsn, p diddy, sean combs, video
Yesterday, a letter written by Hugh "Skip" McGee, the head of Barclays investment-banking division (and formerly the Lehman Brothers i-banking head) to the headmaster at his son's school, the Kinkaid School in Houston, was leaked to Dealbreaker. The missive, which McGee claimed to have written on behalf of the “silent majority” of parents, described two incidents that apparently devastated his son, John Edward, a senior at the school.
The first and most recent was at the annual pep rally. According to Skip, John and his friends on the football team had intended to dress in drag and perform a cheer. The routine, Skip said, was "classic." The boys were all prepared: They had wigs. They had lipstick. "Teams of moms" had spent weeks sewing their skirts. And then at the last minute the school shut the whole thing down, saying the routine was illustrative of "negative gender stereotyping." This, Skip thought, was bullshit. LIBERAL bullshit.
And he knew just who was behind it: American Studies teacher Leslie Lovett. A teacher, he said, who was already notorious at the school for her "leftist invective." For instance!
Last year, Ms. Lovett suggested that Homecoming should be at a girls’ field hockey game rather than at a football game. She also complained that there were no women on the football team and poked her nose into the yearbook with nonsense issues that she has no business raising. So it should be no surprise that Ms. Lovett (Head of our Diversity Committee) is the aggrieved party who complained about the issue of “negative gender stereotyping.”
And it wasn't the first time Lovett had upset his John Edward, Skip said.
Last year, she commented to an 11th grade history class including my son that somehow both Lehman and Barclays made a bunch of money on the Lehman bankruptcy, and that all investment bankers were “sleazeballs” and dishonest. With tears in his eyes, John Ed called her out in front of the class and said his dad worked for Lehman Brothers and had been working around the clock trying to save 11,000 jobs and that she had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.
He ended the letter by demanding Lovett be fired. Clearly, allowing this ignorant, feminist harpie to stay would be tantamount to flushing the value system of the entire school down the toilet. After all, he warned, it only takes one rotten apple to spoil the bunch.
When a small group can force their agenda on the whole school, we have lost control of our school. In our rush to be “politically correct,” we have become obsessed about pacifying even the most extreme of views—even if they are far from representative of the core values and character of Kinkaid families and alumni. By standing for everything, we actually stand for nothing. What happened to our ability to laugh at ourselves and have fun? What happened to common sense and good judgment? Why is a married, heterosexual coach considered an oddity at Kinkaid? Why is a gay female coach telling high school girls on her team that she was disappointed in them for belonging to the spirit club (SOK) and that by doing so they are just pandering to the football team?
Speechless? Kinkaid is, too, or at least, they've yet to formulate a response. A somewhat befuddled-sounding spokesperson for the school told Daily Intel that that they don't know how the letter got out, that the teachers at the Kinkaid school are "of the highest caliber," and that "sometimes, parents get upset about things, and we try to work it out." Developing.
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: white men with money, business, crybabies, houston, john edward mcgee, skip mcgee, texas
In February, the circus known as Fashion Week will take place in the Bryant Park tents for the last time before moving to Damrosch Park in Lincoln Center. And New York's fashion community is taking full advantage of the location, with a full calendar of events. Ruth Finley, who makes the fashion calendar, says the fall 2010 season of shows will be at least as busy as last season's record-breaking 299 shows and presentations. Hell, they may as well run the place into the ground, because it's the last time they'll need it! And fashion people are probably keen to take full advantage of the convenience of the Tents, because when the shows move to Damrosch, no one will want to stage or go to anything because it's all the way on 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam.
It is bound to be quite a trek to 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues, but Lincoln Center has already made strategic moves to make the fashion crowd feel right at home. Next month, Vogue alum Stephanie Winston Wolkoff will start in her new role as Lincoln Center’s director, fashion week. She will be the liaison between Lincoln Center and the fashion industry, including designers, retailers, the Council of Fashion Designers of America and IMG Fashion, which organizes Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.
Well, that sort of clears up what she's doing — convincing everyone that really, that extra twenty-some odd blocks will not actually kill us. It will make us stronger.
Bryant Park's Last Hurrah [WWD]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: is fashion week upon us already?, damrosch park, fall 2010, fashion week, stephanie winston wolkoff
After the one-two punch of the recession and the dissolution of Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme, businesses are a little off their game down in Palm Beach — most of them, at least, except for consignment stores, which the Post today tells us are experiencing unprecedented success. From the Post's Mark Ellwood:
One storeowner told me how a regular consigner, the wife of a multimillionaire in pre-Madoff times, had arrived a few months ago, her arms loaded with gowns. "I told her to bring some back tomorrow, and not to worry, but she looked at me and said ‘I won’t even have a car then, they’re taking it.’"
That's sort of a sad story. Not as empathetic are anecdotes like these: "Lots of people who would have donated [to charity] last year are now consigning," says one consignment-store owner. "They’d have given the stuff to their maids, but now they bring it in here and don’t want their maids to know they’ve taken it out of the house." Aw, and just like that, our sympathy goes up in smoke.
Post-Madoff, Palm Beach is a secondhand clothing mecca [NYP]
Read more posts by Chris Rovzar
Filed Under: made-off, bernard madoff, palm beach, the greatest depression, white women with and without money
Last night, Jessica Simpson went to watch her little sister Ashlee Simpson-Wentz's Broadway debut swathed in a dress that resembled tinfoil more closely than it did a disco ball.
How do you feel about the boatneck style?
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: look of the day, jessica simpson
Important fact No. 1: For the fourth year in a row, the Killers have released a single on World AIDS Day, with all digital-sale profits going to benefit the (RED) organization and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS in Africa. Important fact No. 2: The single is good! The song’s called “Happy Birthday Guadalupe,” and has Latin horns and guitar, plus a few grade-school-level Spanish lyrics sprinkled in, but for the most part that just adds to the celebratory vibe. No, it’s not actually about Christmas, but since the title lass (a “Mexican angel,” we’re told) is getting the full brunt of Brandon Flowers well-wishing, it left us feeling festive anyways. (One other thing this song is not about: Our Lady of Guadalupe, who appeared to Saint Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac somewhere between December 9 and December 12, 1531.) Also working in its favor is that “Guadalupe” features guest vocals from Mariachi El Bronx, the all-mariachi alter ego of L.A. punk rockers the Bronx, and though the accompanying video doesn’t have an actual appearance by the Killers, it does have Luke Perry.
Read more posts by Amos Barshad
Filed Under: right-click, music, the killers
By next fall, you'll be able to buy MNG by Mango at JCPenney. The retailer announced plans to sell the Spain-based line in 75 stores and online starting in fall 2010, and to expand to all 600 stores by the following year, which widens the buyer base from the twelve stand-alone outlets Mango operates in the U.S. right now. Perhaps this is just another part of the JCPenney master plan to become more fashionable and less "middle America," as the retailer also recently announced it will exclusively sell the Liz Claiborne line next season and the Olsen Twins' Olsenboye collection in 2010. And Penney's could use something like this to boost profits, which dropped 78 percent in the third quarter of this year.
JCPenney to Bring Mango's European Runway Fast Fashion at Affordable Prices to JCPenney Customers [Official site]
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: penney pinching, jcpenney, liz claiborne, mango, olsenboye, shopping
The rose-cut, pear-shaped amber and tourmaline earrings Michelle Obama wore to the State Dinner last week are by Bochic. Though they were not custom made for her, they are handmade and one-of-a-kind. A Bochic representative reveals, "They were part of a group of jewelry picked out by her stylist several months ago." Bochic prefers not to reveal the price of this particular pair of earrings because of their vast private client base, but their earrings start at $5,000. They were a nice complement to the dress, which was handmade over three weeks by 40 people in India.
Related: The Michelle Obama Look Book
Michelle Obama Wears Naeem Khan and Desirée Rogers Wears Comme des Garçons to State Dinner
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: mobama watch, bling, bochic, michelle obama
As a measure of how murky the financial dealings of former State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno were, the jury on his corruption trial says they've reached a verdict on two of the counts so far, but are deadlocked on the other six. They sent a note to Judge Gary Sharpe asking for help. The judge urged them to press on, but was probably disheartened by what they asked earlier in the day. Not only are they stymied by the murkiness of Bruno's mixture of politics and business interests, now they're stymied by the legal process itself! “May we have some further clarification," they asked, "about ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ versus ‘beyond a shadow of a doubt’?” Those are some fine defense lawyers Bruno's got.
Jury Said to Reach Partial Verdict in Bruno Corruption Case [City Room/NYT]
Read more posts by Chris Rovzar
Filed Under: oh albany!, courts, joe bruno, juries, politics, state senate
Just kidding, this isn't the Too Big to Fail author's car. Even the words of wunderkinds do not buy Porsches. The above Cayenne Turbo belongs to a Morgan Stanley vice-president, who the reporter says had the plates made "as a joke" after the crash. (It's better than someone at Citigroup doing it, which would not be nearly as hilarious.) We have it on good authority that Sorkin did get "2 Big 2 Fail" tattooed on his ass, though. [via Clusterstock]
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: sorkinfreude, andrew ross sorkin, business, photo op, too big too fail
Sorry to go overboard with this Tiger Woods ordeal (who do I think I am, THE MEDIA??? AWWWW SHEEEEEETTTTT I went there!), but the following video was too amazing not to post.
Here’s a Chinese tv station’s computer re-enactment of the Tiger Woods incdient — it’s like Grand Theft Auto, but with more rampant speculation and more Buick endorsements at stake. Be sure to stay tuned to 0:55 for Elin’s T-1000-esque car chase:
(via Deadspin)
Jewelry designer Loree Rodkin has built her empire on the corner of Goth Street and Glam Boulevard: medieval crosses, bejeweled skulls, delicate tracery earrings (Michelle Obama wore a pair on inauguration night). So it might be expected that when she launched a scent line, it would be in that same vein, evoking the inside of a church, or Comme des Garçon's genius "Incense" fragrances, or the wind blowing across the moors. Not so much. The line, which includes perfumes, room sprays, candles, and soaps ($54 to $120), is more Beverly Hills Republican than Transylvania Romantic (although the only place you can buy it right now is the upscale erotica shop Coco de Mer on Melrose Avenue, but it's making its way east.) We took deep whiffs of the six (rather similar) fragrances — named, in George Foreman style, "Gothic I," "Gothic II," "Gothic III," and so on to "Gothic VI." Here, a breakdown of what we expected and what the Goth family turned out to be.
How They Look
What We Expected: A black lacquer box emblazoned with skulls and crossbones. Of course.
What We Got: A good-looking but slightly conservative mock-crocodile box, with little suede pouches containing the miniature roll-ons.
How They Smell
What We Expected: Something intriguing, but not so complicated it defies everyday wear. Bergamot, with some citrus to keep it light, and florals for femininity’s sake.
What We Got: With the exception of Gothic I (a soft, approachable, vanilla-y blend), the Gothics are an intense group, woozy with patchouli, and incense, and reminiscent of mom's Opium days.
Where You'd Wear It
What We Expected: A club, lounge, or any place where the dress code requires black, leather, and tons of studs.
What We Got: Dinner with your boyfriend's parents.
Who It Makes Us Think Of
What We Expected: Angelina in thigh-high Louboutins
What We Got: Barbara Walters in knee-length tweed
Loree Rodkin Fragrances [Official site]
Read more posts by Aja Mangum
Filed Under: first sniff, beauty, beauty marks, fragrances, loree rodkin
Are you sitting down with your socks welded to your feet so they don’t get KNOCKED THE EFF OFF??? If not, then TOO BAD.
Check out this ESPN.com headline about the Tiger Woods crash:
So Tiger Woods was responsible for Tiger Woods crashing his car into a tree?
This news comes as a huge sigh of relief to both the tree and its family.
AFP - A French court on Tuesday approved drastic cutbacks for the fashion house Christian Lacroix, which will lose nearly all its staff and shut its main clothes designing activities.
Meeting that special someone on the World Wide Web just got .00001% less skeevy! Attorney General Andrew Cuomo reports that as part of a new state law enacted last year, some 3,500 sex offenders have been booted off of Facebook and MySpace, including 659 people who live in New York City. [NBC]
After graduating with a fashion degree from Baylor University, Alabama native Jodi Arnold packed up her sketchbook and took off for Brooklyn. The neighborhood stuck — the designer has lived in Prospect Heights for fifteen years, culling inspiration from exhibits at the nearby Brooklyn Museum. Though she launched the Mint by Jodi Arnold label almost a decade ago, she just unveiled her first stand-alone store this fall (56 University Pl., at 10th St.; 347-270-8610). The West Village shop is a combination retail store and community space — Arnold can often be found manning the register on weekends, and she hosts regular art and photography exhibits and mixers. (It was originally conceived as a 56-day pop-up shop through Christmas Eve, but she’s in talks to sign a long-term lease.) This March, Arnold introduces her first collaborative line with the Limited. We chatted with the designer about Japanese architecture and finding design inspiration in Michael Jackson and Biggie Smalls.
What was your vision for the Limited collaboration?
My real challenge was how to put a beautiful embellishment on a garment at this price point (shirts are $58 to $68 and dresses hover around $120). I didn’t want it to look like watered-down versions of what we do in the Jodi Arnold collection.
What’s the inspiration behind your label?
I have this sort of effortlessly cool girl in my head. The holiday collection is all about spontaneity: The prints are unconstructed and asymmetric, and some of the embroidery looks like paint falling down a canvas. The spring collection is a mash-up: high and low, stripes and plaids, boy and girl — I was listening to the Michael Jackson and Biggie Smalls mix in the studio.
A look from the 2009 holiday collection.Photo courtesy of Jodi Arnold.
Who are your favorite designers?
I love the architect Zaha Hadid. I’m influenced by all kinds of art forms, but particularly architectural designs. I recently took a trip to Tokyo, and their architects are like gods there; people really respect and appreciate them. In New York, sometimes it feels like buildings are thrown up without any thought.
What’s the first designer item you bought?
A Lurex sweater from Halston in 1990. I wore it to the clubs in the East Village all the time.
Where do you like to shop in New York?
I love Maryam Nassir Zadeh on the Lower East Side. She has such interesting things, whether they’re clothes or not. And my favorite bookstore is powerHouse Books in Dumbo.
How would you describe your personal style?
I like things to be easy. I love just a pair of jeans, a beautiful pair of shoes, and an interesting top. I’ll pair J.Crew jeans with my own sweaters.
What trends are you appreciating right now?
That everything looks so mix-and-match right now: high and low, masculine and feminine.
Any trends you hate?
Probably the eighties trend and the really tough kinds of stuff — studs and all that. Once you see it at Forever 21 and H&M, you know it’s time to move on.
What’s one item you’re saving to buy?
Maybe a new dog. I have two really old cocker spaniels, Rudy and Winnie. My business partner has two pharaoh hounds, and they’re so lovable.
What’s something every woman should have in her closet?
Even more than a pair of shoes, I’d say a good vacuum cleaner. There’s nothing worse than trying to sweep a hardwood floor.
What’s something you never leave the house without?
Kissing my two cocker spaniels.
Read more posts by Lauren Murrow
Filed Under: tastemakers, maryam nassir zadeh, mint by jodi arnold, powerhouse books, the limited
If Rachel Uchitel is going to turn down the part the nation has given her as the harlot whose sand trap Tiger Woods has shanked into, well then someone must stand up and claim the part. The gossip cycle demands new flesh! Thankfully, a Los Angeles cocktail waitress with the Dickensian name of Jaimee Grubbs has stepped up to fill the role, informing Us Weekly that she not only had a "steamy 31-month fling" with the golfer, she has text messages, voice mails, and photos to prove it. Which she'll need, because between her name and her absurdly unconvincing vitae (she appeared on Vh1's Tool Academy, and also claims to be 24, which, going by her picture, no), her story seems so fake that we almost feel like Woods's people planted it in order to discredit the entire affair. We wish. That would be such a better ending to this story than what is probably the real one, which is that Woods brushed by Grubbs's butt once during a promo at Hawaiian Tropic Zone.
Exclusive: Second Woman Claims Affair With Tiger Woods [Us]
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: the most important people in the world,
Man, 2012’s gonna be a rough year. First Mount Rushmore is gonna explode in a tsunami, or something, and then Alec Baldwin is gonna retire from acting:
Men’s Journal quoted Baldwin as saying it was “pretty much it for him” after “30 Rock”, “in a couple of years or so”. He told Playboy Magazine this year he was “done” with his career in 2012 and would retire at “30 Rock”’s wrap party.
Great. That gives us two more years before we lose one of the, like, three good mainstream tv comedies on the air. And we’re losing Alec Baldwin, one of the funnier and most universally likable personas in Hollywood. Why can’t the article be about this dude?
Baldwin’s self-critique goes deeper:
“I consider my entire movie career a complete failure,” he told Men’s Journal. “The goal of movie-making is to star in a film where your performance drives the film, and the film is either a soaring critical or commercial success, and I never had that.”
Ouch. Did he write his own asinine Youtube comment about himself? Why so glum, future host of the Oscars and winner of as many Emmys as seasons he decides to remain on 30 Rock? Does this also mean no more SNL guest appearances?
Maybe we’ll get lucky and Baldwin’s retirement announcement will just be another huge, indescribable meta-joke, only funny this time? You better sign Steve Carell to a 10-year extension while you still can, NBC…
Tiger Woods might want to hide his golf clubs: Us Weekly reports another woman had an affair with the golfer. Jaimee Grubbs, a 24-year-old cocktail waitress from LA— and one-time reality show contestant, naturally—tells the tabloid she had a 31-month fling with Woods (during which time they had "20 sexual encounters"), and she has the voicemails and text messages to prove it. [Us, NYDN]
FRAGRANCE
• A Paris court fined eBay $2.6 million for failing to stop the trade of Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy fragrances and cosmetics on the French eBay website. LVMH says that this decision signifies an important step in the fight for lawful online practices. [WWD]
HAIR
• American Idol judge Simon Cowell reportedly gets his hands waxed. He also openly confessed to getting Botox, saying "I’ve had Botox, but, then again, pretty much everyone I know has, except Cheryl Cole." [NYDN]
• Ashlee Simpson made a severe haircolor change, going from strawberry red to jet black for her role in Broadway's Chicago play. Do you like the update? [Girls in the Beauty Department/Glamour]
• Rachel Roy uses Nivea hand cream to style her hair. [Spoiled Pretty]
PLASTIC SURGERY
• With the new health-care plan introducing a 5 percent tax on elective cosmetic surgeries, a proposal nicknamed the Bo-tax, doctors predict a rise in medical tourism (traveling elsewhere to get plastic surgery). [NYT]
MAKEUP
• Du Juan's makeup collection for Yue-Sai Cosmetics is named the Shooting Star collection and includes two pieces, an eye-shadow quad and a 24-karat face-and-body sparkle. The collection is going to launch first in China, with possible plans to come to the United States next year. [Beauty Counter/Style.com]
• Alicia Silverstone teamed up with ecoTOOLS to create a set of five cosmetic bags that are all ecofriendly. They land in Walgreens and Target stores this month. [Beauty Girl Musings]
NAILS
• The Nail Queen 2009 Awards were held in Tokyo yesterday as part of the Toyo Nail Expo. The annual event drew 50,000 visitors. [HuffPo]
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: beauty marks, alicia silverstone, ashlee simpson, beauty, du juan, ebay, fragrance, hair, louis vuitton moet hennessy, lvmh, makeup, nail queen awards, nails, plastic surgery, rachel roy, simon cowell
Fashion Wire Daily - The Oscar buzz was "Up in the Air" on Monday night, Nov. 30, as George Clooney led the high-flying audience at the premiere of his latest film. Already being carried on a cloud of hot buzz in Hollywood, "Up in the Air" is Jason Reitman's latest film, following his much-applauded "Juno," and he was one excited guy as the crowd jammed the Mann Village theater in Westwood.
Dear Rihanna,
That you have triumphed this year is clear. Sure, Lady Gaga exploded with all those No. 1 hits and leotards and that weird teacup. But you overcame and spoke courageously about an abusive relationship, released a new album cleverly titled Rated R, and somehow turned strips of toilet paper into a performance outfit that was actually reasonably supportive. Your love of spikes has not gone undocumented, but recently we've noticed your growing affinity for placing increasingly scary ones on your shoulders. Clearly you're an independent woman who needs neither the shoulders of others to lean on nor others leaning on your shoulders. But frankly, we're concerned, because one day a moth could fly in front of your face and you could whip your head to the side suddenly and get an earring stuck on those things. And then you could be walking around bleeding from the lobe, and okay, Gaga made that look fantastic at this year's Video Music Awards, but we'll still write you blogletters without the spikes. You enjoy pantsless looks — why not try some fur or feathered (faux if you must) garters? When it comes to fashion, safety first, please. Karl Lagerfeld will tell you that.
Xoxo,
The Cut
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: letters to celebrities, divas, rihanna
Ivanka Trump recently had a fairy tale wedding. Now she'll help you have one, too! Ivanka's jewelry company has teamed up with her dad's chain of hotels to offer "The Quintessential New York Proposal." And it's quite a package. Purchase a ring from Ivanka's "Bridal Bar" ("prices starting at $800"!) and you'll receive a complimentary one-night stay at the Trump International Hotel & Tower or, if you prefer, Trump Soho, the as-yet unfinished monstrosity that the Trumps have erected in Soho. But that's not all there is to it:
During their stay the happy couple will enjoy champagne upon arrival and one dozen long stemmed roses in-room as well as a romantic three-course dinner and bottle of champagne at Trump New York's world-class signature restaurant, Jean-Georges or Trump SoHo's famed Quattro Gastronomia Italiana. Additionally, the following morning the soon-to-be Mr. & Mrs. will indulge with continental breakfast in bed.
Needless to say, Ivanka is only in a position to make this unprecedented offer because she's been through the process herself, and she appreciates how stressful it can be to take that big step in a relationship:
"We understand how challenging it can be for men to not only shop for a ring, but plan the perfect way to pop the question", said Ivanka. We are offering the ultimate experience to relieve any stress our clients may feel and make the process enjoyable as well as offer a comprehensive education. We will plan everything; all he has to do is ask!
Almost everything! Finding that cute, 28-year-old billionaire willing to marry you is on you.
Correspondence We Actually Received [Fashion Week Daily]
I’m looking at you, CBS… and you, handsome soap opera actor who is not giving out really bad advice. Unless, of course, that pap smear was performed with a diamond-studded engagement speculum, and this man was the Gyno… in which case it would indeed be a very Merry Christmas after all. (Whispered: And the answer is yes…)
Does that mean I get 8 Pap Smears for Hanukkah? YAYAY. Sadly, this is my doctor. But don’t feel bad guys — are you forgetting about last year’s CBS prostate massage? As long as you’re not on Taint Nicholas’ naughty list, you should be good to go.
Solange Magnano, the 1994 Miss Argentina winner, died on Sunday after complications from a gluteoplasty cosmetic-surgery procedure she got in Buenos Aires last week. A friend said the 38-year-old got injections for a rounder butt because she thought it was "no big deal," but the liquid went into her lungs and brain, and she ultimately died from a pulmonary embolism (when blood supply to the main artery of the lung is blocked). She is survived by her husband and her 8-year-old twins. That's scary stuff. [Sky News]
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: not so fantastic plastic, argentina, beauty, beauty marks, solange magnano
Is Lou Dobbs giving up on his dream of one day becoming a U.S. Senator or President of the United States? Is his effort to convince people that he really loves the people of Mexico failing him? Or is he just looking for a platform to spout nonsense as he gears up for a campaign? None of that is clear at the moment, but the New York Times reports that Dobbs is in talks to join CNBC, either as host of a primetime program or a commentator for the business network. [NYT]
You can watch the AnnaLynne clip here. Dork convo starts about 2/3 of the way in.
A quick reminder to AnnaLynne McCord, and to all actresses, models, and hot chicks in general:
YOU CAN’T BE DORKS.
While you may enjoy things that in some way overlap with what society traditionally deems as dorky, you are still a hot chick and can have sex with any number of men at will, thus granting you access to any social circle and preventing you from ever being legitimately socially awkward, no matter how you behave. Pretending to act like you’re a nerd because you don’t want to come off as an arrogant actress who knows she’s hot isn’t fooling anyone.
So what makes Hottie McModelson such a “dork,” you ask?
When asked to explain what makes her an “uber-dork,” McCord tells Conan that — NERD ALERT!!!!!!!! — she’s a huge fan of the Star Wars movies. That’s it. Sorry to burst your thin nerdbubble, hot actress lady, but liking the Star Wars movies — three of the highest-grossing, most mainstream, and widely beloved films in cinematic history — does not in any way, shape, or form make you even close to being a dork, let alone an uber-dork, or an uber-anything, other than an uber-still a hot actress who happens to like a movie that all people like.
If you’re reading Knights of the Old Republic graphic novels and pointing out chronological inconsistencies, then yes, that might qualify you to use the term “dork” in describing yourself, but even then, when you frickin’ look like this, dudes will line up to f*** you no matter how much fan fiction you write. In fact, they’ll f*** you as you’re writing it. And probably finish quicker because of it.
To actually be a “dork” implies some degree of social ineptitude or embrace of aspects of culture that may not be considered cool or mainstream, but which in turn unite those social outcasts in their own small way. Hot chicks co-opting the term “dork” to make themselves appear more adorable because they watched a movie that grossed a billion dollars undermines the entire concept of the term, and insults actual dorks Middle Earth-wide.
Bottom line, let’s just drop the pretense; you can still be a likable hot actress without having to act like you don’t know you’re a hot actress. We’ll save the term “dork” for this dude.
 In Entertainment (blog) | 'Victoria's Secret Fashion Show' Runway Los Angeles Times Heid Klum -- five weeks post baby -- actually modeled in the annual Victoria's Secret fashion show in New York. Granted, she wore a purple corset and huge poufs of tulle to disguise her baby belly. She says she still has 20 pounds to lose but try as we ... Models compete for Victoria's Secret runway spot Victoria's Secret Beauties Steam Up NYC Runway Victoria's Secret Hopes Annual TV Fashion Show Sparks Sales |
Do be careful before chastising any senior Goldman Sachs execs you happen to come across. Alice Schroeder of Bloomberg News reports beleaguered bankers at the firm have been loading up on firearms recently and "are now equipped to defend themselves if there is a populist uprising against the bank." En garde! [Bloomberg; photo: VF.com]
A new PETA advertisement featuring model Joanna Krupa wearing nothing but a crucifix is "totally inappropriate" and exploitative of Christian symbols, critics say.
AP - Julie Powell's new book is not for the squeamish, in more ways than one.
It’s World AIDS Day 2009, and to raise awareness about the condition in a frank and uncompromising manner, here’s two happy condoms in South Korea holding up a sign that says AIDS:
Not that I’d expect an AIDS Awareness campaign to be grim and sad, and as long as this is drawing attention to the disease I’m all for it, but still, the condoms seem maybe, like……7% too happy about AIDS?
Let’s keep AIDS Day rolling with some more pictures of happy, interactive condom people:
• Louis Cappelli, the rather colorful real estate developer who's been called "the Donald Trump of Westchester," has found a buyer for the 13-room duplex at 515 Park Avenue he owns with his second wife, bit actress Kylie Travis. The 6,500-square-foot, six-bedroom spread on the building's 27th and 28th floors, which the couple bought for $15 million in 2002, was listed for $29.5 million when it went into contract last week. [Cityfile, BHS]
• Japanese filmmaker Keiko Ibi has gone into contract to sell her 7th-floor condo at 15 CPW. The one-bedroom pad, which Ibi listed for $3.75 million in June, had been most recently listed for $3.485 million. [Cityfile, BHS]
• Clifford Brokaw, a Goldman Sachs alum and now a managing director at Corsair Capital, has paid $2.9 million for a third-floor apartment at 907 Fifth Avenue. Brokaw and his wife Lea Carpenter scored a deal, too. The one-bedroom pad went on the market for $4.4 million in May 2008. [Cityfile]
Barneys creative director, fashion guru, window dresser extraordinaire, and author Simon Doonan has been tapped by the Obamas to decorate the White House for the holidays. Best Christmas in DC ever? Quite possibly! Provided he steers clear of blood spatter this time around, that is! [NYT]
Last night, Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs appeared on one of the best TV stations on our dials, the Home Shopping Network, to help move some T.J. Maxx overstock — i.e. colognes, perfumes and bathrobes from his Sean John line. The setting was perfect. There was Puffy, as relaxed as ever in a finely tailored suit, relaxing in HSN’s reimagined “Pimp Pad.” By his side, one of HSN’s Stepford Wives, this time a classy Kate Gosselin who did most of the shilling while Sean did the backstroke through his coin pool by her side.
Each of the following videos we present to you here has their own special moments, but we’d like to kick things off with something quite curious. During Puffy’s quite moving “King and Queen” speech, a loud bang rings out from off camera. While it could easily have been something as innocent as a display of Christmas Cat Sweaters collapsing to the ground, we can’t help but feel a sinister suspicion that someone tried to off Puffy in his most relaxed and unguarded state: Selling things on the Home Shopping Network. Listen to the first 1:30 of the following video to see the events transpire, or the entire thing if you’re willing to part with $57 for “I Am King” cologne.
The next video, romantically entitled “Sean Diddy Combs Ultra Plush Fleece Robe,” Diddy takes a call from a fan named CLINIQUE who clearly lives inside a computer monitor (at 3:16). She gets her flirt on with him (as anyone would), put it’s at 3:50 where HILARITY ENSUES!! Diddy is literally a rere genius from space (his proof is in his answer):
“Mmm. I Like It.” — Clinique Also one of the robe colors is “Gunmetal,” which is genius.
Ahead, Puffy puts the moves on his co-host…
Sean is a genius on many levels, mainly with the women. Watch as he puts the move on Kate Gossy. He asks her out — and she says yes! Also, adorable southern lady (read: hoarder) calls in at around 5:30, and Puffpuff remains a perfect gentleman.
Most people who show up at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade have to press up against thousands of other people to catch a glimpse of the spectacle; some have been known to turn up before sunrise to snag a choice spot. But some lucky folks got really lucky this year. Who, you ask? People like Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein and hedge fund mogul Dan Loeb, that's who.
It seems the NYPD designated that one block would be off-limits to the hoi polloi during the parade—the pricey bit of turf in front of 15 Central Park West and the Trump International Hotel:
One side street, however, was off-limits to them: West 61st between Broadway and Central Park West. Police officers stretched sawhorses across the street at Broadway to make sure no one entered. No one, that is, except a privileged few who passed muster with concierges who served as gatekeepers.
You have to understand the topography of that portion of 61st Street. On the south side sits the Trump International Hotel and Tower, where room rates on Monday began at $595 a night, taxes not included. On the north side is 15 Central Park West, a new aerie for the gigarich that extends to 62nd Street. Condos there have sold for as much as $45 million.
15 Central Park West is home to some of the richest residents of the city, of course, people like Blankfein and Loeb, as well as former Citigroup chairman Sandy Weill, hedge funder Dan Och, Denzel Washington, and Sting. People who, if they'd wanted to, could have rented a helicopter to watch the parade from the crowd-free skies overhead. So why were they given special treatment?
A NYPD sergeant first informed Clyde Haberman of the Times that it was done as part of a "counter-terrorism" measure. But then Paul Browne, the NYPD's mouthpiece, offered another explanation:
The Police Department's chief spokesman, Paul J. Browne, said that "the area was designated a viewing space for persons with disabilities."
Maybe overpaying for an apartment at the height of the real estate bubble is now considered a disability? Let's hope so. Blankfein sure could use a break on his monthly Metrocard!
A Public Street Turned Private on Macy Day [NYT]
AP - On rare occasions, putting a novel through the Hollywood wringer does the story a real service.
First, there was Chris O’Donnell, who starred in the hit* (*JK) 1999 movie The Bachelor. A slight visual reminder:
Now, 10 years later… The Bachelor is back. Only now, he’s Italian. And loved by other men. Starring Tom Cruise, we present the probable poster for The Gay Italian Bachelor:
Looks like he’s about to get gored by a man horn. The caper continues ahead…
Just when it looks like Tom is about to escape with his lady…
The man finally get within reach-around distance. And aww… they just wanted to pet the guy!
Can you blame them? It’s long been a dream of mine to gently pet Tom Cruise.
The former vice presidential candidate is the subject of new book ' Help! Mom! Radicals Are Ruining My Country!'
AFP - French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy said Tuesday she had witnessed first-hand the toll that AIDS took on the fashion industry in the 1980s and spoke about her brother's death from the disease.
Rachel Uchitel gives exclusive interview to the New York Post about rumored affair with the golf great
The Hulk is ready to finally put his first marriage behind him
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