AP - Taylor Swift has won just about every top music award there is this year, but the possibility of winning not just one, but eight Grammys, had the 19-year-old screaming for joy as the nominations were announced.
AP - Taylor Swift has won just about every top music award there is this year, but the possibility of winning not just one, but eight Grammys, had the 19-year-old screaming for joy as the nominations were announced.
AP - Taylor Swift has won just about every top music award there is this year, but the possibility of winning not just one, but eight Grammys, had the 19-year-old screaming for joy as the nominations were announced.
AP - Taylor Swift has won just about every top music award there is this year, but the possibility of winning not just one, but eight Grammys, had the 19-year-old screaming for joy as the nominations were announced.
AP - When a teenage Edgar Allan Poe moved to Boston to find work in 1827, he was eager to launch his literary career, re-establish his roots in the city of his birth and distance himself from his foster father in Richmond, Va.
AP - Michael Jackson videos or the next Spider-Man movie won't be among the titles that Sony Corp. releases in 3-D as it gears up to boost TV sales with that technology, Chief Executive Howard Stringer said Thursday.
AP - Michael Jackson videos or the next Spider-Man movie won't be among the titles that Sony Corp. releases in 3-D as it gears up to boost TV sales with that technology, Chief Executive Howard Stringer said Thursday.
There Will Be Three Names: Paul Thomas Anderson has lined up his next film, a period drama about the founding of a new religion. Philip Seymour Hoffman will play the "The Master," a charismatic intellectual who starts up a new religion in 1952. In time, he finds a young drifter named Freddie who eventually becomes The Master's right hand man. The film focuses on the relationship between the two as Freddie starts questioning the religion. Universal is withholding the final go ahead until it sees a finished script. Apparently they really want a line that looks good on a t-shirt. [Variety]
Music City Miracle: Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund and Leighton Meester will all star in Love Don't Let Me Down, a Shana Feste-written drama about a crew of country music misfits. Hudland will star as a young singer-songwriter who gets involved with a fallen country legend (Paltrow). Together, they embark on a tour to get her career back on track. McGraw will play Paltrow's husband/manager, Messter will play a beauty queen-turned-singer and Ford F-150 will play the pickup truck. [THR]
Truly, Madly, Creepy: True Blood is adding two new characters to its cast for next season. Theo Alexander (Ugly Betty) is coming on to play Talbot, an "intensely beautiful" vampire with a love of cooking and the boyfriend of the vampire king of Mississippi. Grant Bowler (also Ugly Betty) has also joined to play Coot, a werewolf leader of a biker gang. That's right, werewolf bikers. [THR]
Found: Harold Perrineau will star alongside Nicolas Cage, January Jones and Guy Pearce in Hungry Rabbit Jumps, the story of a high school teacher (Cage) who joins an underground vigilante group after his wife is brutally attacked. Perrineau will play an ex-cop turned principal who can't decide which side he's on. Hopefully this time he chooses the side that doesn't leave him on an exploding boat. [Variety]
Just a Sketch: Fox has lined up a new sketch comedy pilot from Merv Griffin Entertainment with Entourage's Kevin Connolly set to produce. Inside Jokes will be a half hour and aim to cram in more than a sketch a minute. The show will be hosted by Cameron Bender and feature Mary Scheer, Jay Phillips, Carrie Wiita, Paul Schackman and Lauren Rose Lewis. "It's pure comedy, straight jokes. Imagine cutting up a sitcom into a million different pieces. It's like a clip show," says Merv Griffin Entertainment TV president Roy Bank. Couldn't be any worse than Mad TV! [THR]
Indonesia's journalists Thursday vowed to defy a ban on the screening of Australian movie "Balibo", saying the film depicting alleged war crimes by Indonesian forces in East Timor is... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 2 Dec 2009 | 11:49 pm
East Timor-born actress, Bea Viegas, speaks at the July premiere of the film 'Balibo' in Melbourne. Indonesia's journalists have vowed to defy a ban on the screening of the Australian movie, saying that... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 2 Dec 2009 | 11:49 pm
If Grammys were rings, Beyoncé could end up with enough for all 10 fingers.
The diva leads the field heading into the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards with a whopping 10 nominations,...
"I started freaking out and jumping up and down," Swift said in a telephone interview Wednesday night after learning of her nominations, which included album of the year for her sophomore Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 2 Dec 2009 | 11:21 pm
In the video game Rogue Warrior, which came out this week, Mickey Rourke provides the voice for the trigger happy hero Dick Marcinko. And as anyone who's played a first person shooter game knows, the lines these characters have usually consist of grunts, curses and screams. Rogue Warrior is no exception. Only there's something a little different about this game. As the closing credits roll, an expletive-laden slow jam starts playing with lyrics composed entirely of Rourke's lines. The result is stunning. Rourke didn't win an Oscar for The Wrestler but the Academy should really figure out how to give him something for this.
Talk about a numbers game.
Sources tell us that alleged Tiger Woods mistress Jaimee Grubbs claimed to friends that the golf champ would change his phone number about once a...
(AP)
AP - MSNBC's Chris Matthews apologized on Wednesday for saying that President Barack Obama had traveled to an "enemy camp" at West Point to address the nation on the war in Afghanistan.
Miley Cyrus ain't no Taylor Swift. David Cook ain't no Carrie Underwood. Kanye West probably isn't happy. (What else is new?)
Here's a rundown of the shutouts, snubs and...
Beyoncé leads the hitmaker-packed field with 10 nominations heading into the 2010 Grammys. Taylor Swift is hot on her heels with eight nods, while Maxwell, Kanye West and the Black Eyed Peas...
They finally score an actual invitation, and then go and turn it down.
Tareq and Michaele Salahi, the couple who infamously got past the Secret Service to crash President Barack...
"Sad Wednesday" is still the worst day of the week for us So You Think You Can Dance fans, but this week, we're really only weeping for one of the eliminees. The...
If Tiger Woods and his wife Elin look really happy the next time you see them, it's probably because they've struck a deal that works out pretty nicely for both of them. According to the Chicago Sun Times, the terms of the deal are as follows: Tiger gets to remain married and Elin gets a seven-figure transfer into her personal bank account and a re-written pre-nup. Together, they get several-times-a-day marriage counseling. Everybody wins! [Chicago Sun-Times]
___ "This is very surreal for me. I'm not used to this. I've been gone for eight years. I've been throwing out my trash, buying my milk and living in basic obscurity." _ R&B crooner... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 2 Dec 2009 | 9:53 pm
When G.E. snatched up 20 percent of NBC Universal from Vivendi for $5.8 billion in preparation for its deal with Comcast, it looked like NBCU's value would come in at $29 billion. But tomorrow when the terms of the deal that will give Comcast a 51 percent stake in NBCU are announced, it will be valued at a much greater $37.25 billion. The biggest reason for the jump is the $7.25 billion value assigned to Comcast's cable channels (E!, Golf Channel, etc.), which will become part of the new company. Now that this is done, regulatory approval could take up to a year. Which means time is running out to stock up on Sheinhardt Wig Company t-shirts.
Now that Tiger Woods has confessed to "transgressions" against his wife, will he still have to pay any kind of price?
—Jayson, Montreal, via the Answer B!tch...
Democratic Senator Ruben Diaz was the only opponent to vocalize his dissent.
New Yorkers who watched the tears and emotions on display on the State Senate floor today might have concluded that the vote on same-sex marriage came down to ideology, religion, and conscience. In reality, the outcome — a lopsided 38-24 defeat for the gay rights movement — was the product of hard calculations and politics. The bottom line was this: The majority of the eight Democrats who voted "No" did so because they thought it would increase — or not harm — their chances of getting re-elected next year. And Republicans didn't see the point of sticking their necks out with a single vote for a bill that was doomed.
Given they live in one of the bluer states, anchored by a city with a long tradition of liberal activism, New Yorkers might have also assumed that their Senate would be more inclined to join the handful of other states where gay marriage is legal. But you can't make that kind of assumption when Albany politics are in play. On a macro level, the Democrats' fragile hold on the Senate — which had been under Republican control for decades — meant that any risk to even a small group of marginal Democratic members became a paramount concern. Republicans stuck together while Democrats balanced their ideological commitment to a progressive cause against their desire to prolong their power. In the end, the survival instinct triumphed.
It didn't help that the Democrats responsible for corralling the votes were less than suited to the job. Senator Tom Duane of Chelsea is the gray-haired lion of the local gay rights community. But as his meandering, choked speech on the floor suggested, his appeals to his resistant colleagues were emotional, and not aimed at their colder sense of prudence. The Senate leader, John Sampson, who endorsed the legislation only when he assumed his leadership role this year, has proven to be a skilled conciliator but not an enforcer. He and his aides were seen scrambling for votes minutes before the count. Governor Paterson is in such a weak position now that he'd have better luck herding cats than getting the Democrats to head in one direction or another. And Pat Lynch, the star Albany lobbyist for the bill, found her reach more limited in the Senate than it was in the Assembly.
It was arguably gay rights money that gave Queens Senator Joseph Addabbo a decisive edge over an incumbent Republican last year, a victory key to the Democratic takeover. But Democratic leadership and gaylobbyists couldn't prevail upon the senator, who just watched conservative voting blocs in Howard Beach, Ozone Park, and other southern parts of his Queens district elect Eric Ulrich, a 24-year-old Republican opposed to gay marriage, to the City Council. Another Democrat thought to be in the yes camp, Hiram Monserrate , opted to throw a Hail Mary to salvage a political future upended by a domestic abuse trial. Facing a primary threat from a Democrat with strong gay support, Monserrate has sought to hitch himself to evangelical voters in his Queens district.
Three other Democratic no's, Bill Stachowski in Buffalo, Darrel Aubertine in the North Country, and Carl Kruger in Brooklyn, all took their cues from opposition in their districts. Republicans, meanwhile, played it safe, avoiding any conflicts with their base and the feisty local Conservative Party. The smaller-than-expected Democratic support for the bill smothered whatever gay marriage votes-of-conscience that might have emerged within their ranks. "There was no reason to expose themselves since it was clear it was going down in flames," says a marriage equality lobbyist. Gay marriage advocates were convinced that they had brought around four or more Republicans. But the GOP never changed their message: Those votes, the party had indicated, would only materialize if at least 29 Democrats backed the bill.
So what now? Among some supporters, there's despair. "This was a stunning and dramatic defeat. There is no other way to look at it. This was very damaging to the movement," says one lobbyist. Others are fixing their eyes on glimmers of optimism. Alan Van Capelle, the head of the Empire State Pride Agenda, says he was heartened by words uttered today Ruth Hassell-Thompson, a black lawmaker from the Bronx and Westchester who spoke movingly about the painful ordeals faced by her gay brother, and other minority members. "The fact that some of the most powerful speeches came from African-American and Latinos busted the myth that people of color don't support gay and lesbian couples," he said.
Activists, who had pressed hard for a vote without certainty of victory, say they don't regret their strategy. They now know the votes they have. And they're already pasting targets on the more vulnerable Democrats in the "No" column, like Senators George Onorato from Queens, Addabbo, and Stachowski. While gay rights donors poured millions into Democratic coffers, they say their best hope still lies in preserving Democratic control, which is under serious threat in next year's races. "If Republicans get in the majority were screwed anyway. There's not a chance in hell the bill would come to the floor," says Ethan Geto, a prominent gay political strategist. Proponents don't expect a vote next year. But if they can pick up three or four votes in next year's elections and keep Democrats in power, they could be back in action in 2011.
But that's a big if. Republicans see anti-incumbent and anti-tax fervor lifting them up next year. They expect gay donors to concentrate most of their resources on ousting Democrats in primaries, rather than Republicans in generals. And it's not clear if gay donors and major national groups like the Gill Action Fund will so focus their attention and money as aggressively in New York after their money yielded a one-sided defeat. Right now, in the immediate aftermath, the overwhelming sentiment among gay activists isn't one of hope — but anger. Says Geto: "It's beyond shame. It's egregious."
In the past few months Bank of America has approached at least four bigshot finance types about taking over as the company's CEO when Ken Lewis steps down at the end of the year. They all laughed in the bank's face. The problem: because BofA accepted bailout money it is subject to government limits on executive pay, and limits on pay is not something executives are keen on.
Well, that problem is now a thing of the past. The bank announced today that it will repay $45 billion in bailout money before the end of the year. Lewis said the repayment is proof that the bailout was a success: "It is a milestone indicating that public policy has succeeded in helping our industry and the economy begin to recover." There you have it. The bailout worked!
MSNBC's Chris Matthews apologized on Wednesday for saying that President Barack Obama had traveled to an "enemy camp" at West Point to address the nation on the war in Afghanistan. The... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 2 Dec 2009 | 8:24 pm
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - R&B singer Beyonce led the field of Grammy contenders with 10 nominations, followed by teen country sensation Taylor Swift with eight, organizers of the music... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 2 Dec 2009 | 8:20 pm
So far, Rachel Uchitel has done nothing but deny reports that she had an affair with Tiger Woods.
But the divorced Las Vegas nightclub exec has something else to say.
Uchitel...
Even after instituting new rules in the wake of simulatiogate, ABC has gone ahead and canceled two planned Adam Lambert performances. The first would have been on Jimmy Kimmel Live and the other on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. We're confident he'll get picked up for another New Year's show though. Especially if anyone is looking for a performer to pee on. [THR]
Senator Bernie Sanders said today that he will try to block Ben Bernanke's confirmation for a second term as head of the Federal Reserve. The Vermont Independent blames Bernanke for not doing enough to stop the economy from collapsing and not doing enough to make sure banks were on their best behavior after the bailout.
“In this country, there is profound disgust at what happened on Wall Street,” Sanders told the 'Times.' “People want a new direction and people are asking, where was the Fed? How did the Fed allow this to happen, when one of their mandates is to oversee the safety and soundness of the banking system?”
Sanders's plan is to place a hold on Bernanke's nomination when it reaches the Senate floor. In order to move ahead to a confirmation vote, the rest of the Senate will need to line up 60 votes in favor of Bernanke. That's not expected to be a problem. But the hold sholdn't be a complete waste. It will provide Sanders more time to harangue Bernanke, which makes for great TV.
The original Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie is getting remade without Joss Whedon. That we already knew. But now Fran Rubel Kuzui, the director of both the original and the forthcoming reboot, can forget about Alyson Hannigan reprising her role as Willow in his newfangled version. She told Cinemablend today that the reboot is a "very big mistake" and "Joss is the only reason that we would go back." Maybe Kuzui will take this opportunity to admit that this whole thing was a bad idea and walk away. Fingers crossed. [Cinemablend]
A general view of the Award during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival Awards Night Ceremony is seen in January, in Park City, Utah. Films about the war in Afghanistan and slain former Pakistan prime minister... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 2 Dec 2009 | 7:27 pm
White House Social Secretary Desirée Rogers hasn't been able to escape the barbs of the scribbling class, but thanks to separation of powers she won't have to listen to the House Homeland Security Committee complain about sari-wearing party crashers. Instead, the president is going to make her explain idioms to Joe Biden. [Caucus/NYT]
AP - There are a lot of subjects touched on in "This," but, at its heart, Melissa James Gibson's terrific new play examines how death can force one to embrace life.
Kalika Moquin is the latest woman to be linked to Tiger Woods, but she's definitely not a new addition to his alleged roster of females.
"They've been friends for three...
Front Page: Philip Seymour Hoffman attached to star in film -- "There Will Be Blood" writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson is working on his next project, a period drama to star Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Not only have Candy and Tori Spelling been mending fences, but it sounds like they're finally serious about keeping details of the reconciliation private.
I sat down with...
Front Page: Beyonce leads with 10 nominations -- R&B/pop diva Beyonce leads the field for the 52nd annual Grammy Awards, pulling down 10 nominations.
Over at Surf, New York's Emily Nussbaum assesses ABC's rebooted Scrubs and its most annoying new character: "We're only two episodes in, but though I don't exactly want Lucy to be stabbed during a Valentine's Day episode, I don't exactly not." [Surf]
Even though the decade doesn't technically end until the last day of December 2010, the media — ourselves included! — can't help but declare this to be the last month of the decade that many are now dubbing "The Naughties." As such, we have seen a plethora of "Best Of The Decade" lists make their way across our computer screens over the last six months and change, just as we imagine that they'll continue to do for the next few weeks. Being the nostalgic creatures that we are, we find ourselves sucked into reading nearly all of these lists, but the one that caught our eye today is the Hollywood Reporter's list of the ten most-watched television shows of the decade. Would it surprise you to find out that five of these ten programs originally aired way back in the year 2000?
Here's the list:
10) Spin City, 32.8 million (2000)
9) Everybody Loves Raymond, 32.9 million (2005)
8) Frasier, 33.7 million (2000)
7) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, 36 million (2000)
6) Grey's Anatomy Post-Super Bowl Show, 38 million (2006)
5) American Idol: Season Six, 38.1 Million (2007)
4) ER, 39.4 million (2000)
3) Joe Millionaire, 40 million (2003)
2) Survivor: Borneo, 51.7 million (2000)
1) Friends, 52.1 million (2004)
Purists out there will note the irony in the fact that we hadn't fully emerged from the last decade (technically speaking) when five of these programs — the Survivor finale, a big episode of ER, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, the Frasier finale, and Michael J. Fox's last episode of Spin City — originally aired. Of course, it's been well reported that television viewership has been fracturing over the course of the decade, thanks to the rise of cable TV and the internet. But what's even more interesting to us is that there is only one program on the list that made its series debut this decade and also can't be classified as reality television: the post-Super Bowl episode of Grey's Anatomy.
This just goes to show that while the television industry has been increasingly successful at developing shows with strong creative p.o.v.'s that play to niche audiences (think The Sopranos, think The Wire, think Mad Men), television's most creative minds have been unable to develop a scripted program that really hits the national zeitgeist in a way that they used to in previous decades.
So what does that mean for the future of television? Not much, we suppose, because advances in ratings data have enabled television networks and advertisers to rely on demographic data as a way to sell programs instead of the old way where mass viewership was the only thing that mattered. Still, as members of the thirtysomething generation (I'm speaking for only myself here, not for your other, far younger Vulture editor), we miss the old days where millions of Americans shared mass cultural experiences via television, all of which led to lengthy watercooler conversations the next day at work. Then again, most companies we know no longer even have the budgets for watercoolers in the workplace. So maybe it doesn't matter, after all!
• Rupert Murdoch is hoping to give the Times a run for its money. The mogul plans to put $15 million into the NYC edition of the Wall Street Journal. [NYO] • ABC still hasn't said who's replacing Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America, which has led to some "puzzlement and frustration" among staffers. [LAT] • Why is Comcast planning to keep Jeff Zucker on as NBC Universal's CEO after it takes control of the company? There are no easy explanations, alas. [NYT] • The Times may "prune" its collection of 70 blogs to cut expenses. [NYO] • Sam Zell has stepped down as CEO of Tribune; he'll remain chairman. [NYT] • The lineup for Sundance 2010 was announced today. [Vulture, NYT] • Tiger Woods' spicy extracurricular activities would have come out two years ago if the National Enquirer hadn't cut a deal with the golfer. Allegedly. [NYP]
• Poor Anderson Cooper's CNN ratings continue to sink. [BI] • Lou Dobbs denies ever talking to CNBC about joining the business network. But he wouldn't be opposed to working at Fox News, unsurprisingly. [HuffPo] • Former BusinessWeek editor Steve Adler has lined up a new gig. [AP] • The former publisher of Gourmet is joining Marie Claire. [FB] • Lady Gaga appears on the cover of the January issue of Elle; in an interview she says she doesn't want to just another "sexy pop star." Clearly. [Elle] • An interview with weatherman (and now mystery author) Al Roker. [OTV] • Google is making some concessions to appease disgruntled publishers. [AP] • Daily Beast staffers love their jobs per Daily Beast boss Barry Diller. [Reuters] • NBC's Christmas tree lighting will go on tomorrow, thankfully. [Wrap] • The "terrorist" who appeared in Brüno is filing a suit against Sacha Baron Cohen and NBC. The reason? He's not actually a terrorist, it turns out. [WSJ]
The youth of America are quickly running out of role models. First Tiger Woods went and tarnished his wholesome image in the eyes of millions of adoring toddlers. Now, it seems Miley Cyrus may be subconsciously turning kids in to mini drunken sailors with her new singing Hannah Montana Christmas Doll according to a local NBC affiliate:
When first listening to the song I thought the mom was just a delusional, drug-addled hillbilly. However, upon second listen, I think she may have a point. That doll is definitely dropping some F-bombs.
The mom still might be a drug-addled hillbilly for letting her three-year-old daughter idolize allegedly racist jail bait at such a young age. I guess it’s not a total loss, though. That girl will certainly grow up with some good ol’ American enthusiasm for how f***ing awesome pie is.
Should a band be penalized for sounding too much like themselves? It’s a stock question that Hot Chip’s new single “One Life Stand” — the title track off their new album, out February 8 — has us pondering. We adored the Brits’ 2006 album The Warning, then tuned out after last year’s similar follow-up, Made in the Dark. Now “One Life Stand” has broken our Hot Chip furlough, and we’re remembering how much we liked these guys in the first place. An ode to everlasting devotion from front man Alexis Taylor, it features a coldly efficient verse breaking over and over into a lilting, joyful chorus; yes, it’s a formula the Chip’s employed before, but here it’s as effective as ever. Bonus: This time, there are steel drums in the background.
Nick Reding's extraordinary Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town is a long-form look at how methamphetamine warped the fabric of Oelwein, Iowa (pop. 6,000). Brown's heartbreaking Shake the Devil Off: A True Story of the Murder that Rocked New Orleans unpacks the strange, tragic life of a 28-year-old New Orleans resident, Katrina survivor, and veteran of Iraq and Kosovo who killed himself after dismembering his girlfriend. We connected the two authors, suggested a few questions, and turned them loose for a candid, sprawling discussion on their books, crime writing, and the state of nonfiction publishing.
Brown: Why did you focus on Oelwein, Iowa?
Reding: In a way, it's not as much about meth as it was about small-town America. Meth was the lens. A nearby town was actually a much juicier place than Oelwein. There, the sheriff’s brother was in on the trafficking and there was this really wealthy, powerful ranching family with one kid running for state senate and another who was a hard-core meth addict and small-time trafficker. In some ways, it's better that it didn’t happen there because I think I would’ve gotten so taken up with the sinister crime element in that town, where in Oelwein I was more just into the idea of people’s everyday lives. How did you start, Ethan? When you write these books based on criminal cases, do you get in them before they go to trial?
Brown: I like the idea of walking a story back. With this book, there is the horrific murder-suicide that got insane amounts of coverage, down here and internationally, because of how strange it was. The couple lived above a voodoo shop in New Orleans, so it had this New Orleans detail that everyone just went nuts over. Even in the months afterward, people would dress up as the dismembered girl in New Orleans for Halloween.
Reding: Really?
Brown: Oh yeah. There was a Mardi Gras float satirizing the crime. It entered absurd, cartoonish territory right away. I was here right after it happened. Particularly after Katrina, New Orleans is such a small place, with just about 300,000 people, so I heard all this gossip: He served in Iraq, he served in Kosovo. There were rumors that he had big disciplinary problems and possibly even rumors of war crimes. I thought, wow, there's more here than what's being covered. So let me try and walk the story back, beginning with Zack Bowen's birth, and try and figure out what happened. What in his past would indicate why he would do something like this? I was pretty sure that I would find a number of things — abusive relationships, or disciplinary problems — and then none of these things panned out at all.
Reding: None?
Brown: Yeah, none of them. The short version is that he enlisted in the military to get health-care benefits for his wife and his kids. He was basically a hippie bartender in New Orleans and he enlisted in 2000, in that last moment of peace. He was deployed to Kosovo in 2001 and involved in the Iraq invasion of 2003.
Reding: So he turned out to be kind of a good guy who had gone mad or something?
Brown: Extraordinarily overburdened by circumstances, I think. One thing tough about the book is that New Orleans is the kind of place where New Orleanians will kill you if you get anything wrong — especially if you're not from there. Was it the same in Oelwein?
Reding: I had to get things right in Oelwein, but I didn’t realize the vehemence of the reaction. I got death threats and all kinds of shit for putting the fucking softball field on the wrong side of Highway 150. After the book was finished, we scheduled a town-hall meeting in our brand-new library. As it got closer and closer and I got more e-mails and phone calls and I thought, "Fucking-A, man, I do not want to go up to this place." But I went. For the very first question, this girl said, “Why did you do this to us?”
Brown: Really?
Reding: Meaning, "Thanks, now everybody in the country thinks that we’re this shithole meth haven." I was totally unprepared for that. And people that live in these middling sort of cities like San Jose would tell me what a jerk I was for writing anything negative about this small town. They didn’t even live in a fucking small town! With you, it seems like people in New Orleans might get mad, whereas with Oelwein there were people in the rest of the country that were mad at me for having written about this small town.
Brown: I was basically so petrified that I had several smart New Orleans media people vet the manuscript before it was out.
Reding: I should’ve had the gal at the gas station in Oelwein vet mine.
Brown: If, in your case, the question was, “Why did you do this to us?” the question to me was, “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Some critics essentially said that I gave a kind of image makeover to a murderer. I was totally taken aback. I mean, it had surprised me that this was not a monstrous person. But the fact that that’s what I came up with doesn’t mean that’s what I intended to write. Of course, recently there's been an explosion of studies and newspaper articles about the Army's suicide rates, or numbers showing that PTSD rates are off the charts, or Iraq veterans that are involved in homicide cases.
Reding: It's impossible not to read reviews. The worst though is the fucking Amazon people, man. But had it not been for any of that Amazon stuff I don’t think I would’ve had anybody react to my first book. So I guess I should be happy. I’m glad I’m not fucking Beyoncé or something. I don't know how Britney deals with it, honestly.
Brown: The business side of this is tough. What's next for you?
Reding: What I want to write is kind of an immigration story, and everybody in publishing is convinced that immigration is this taboo word that nobody will buy. Yet anyone I ever talk to that’s not in publishing seems to think that’s a great topic.
Brown: There is such a vast gulf between publishing and what people actually want to read about. And the list of supposedly taboo things is actually quite long, from drugs to immigration. There's a huge class bias, you know?
Reding: I think you’re absolutely right about the class thing, and the regional predilections are so obvious that they are considered to be invisible. An example: So the book got on the cover of The New York Times Book Review and I called my editor and told him and he said, “Well, you know it will be a critical darling, but it won’t sell.” And he had been saying all along that it won’t sell and I thought, what in the fuck is the matter with you? Are you kidding me? If it’s gonna sell, it’s gonna sell. Every newspaper in the country has reviewed it. Then it was sold out on Amazon for six weeks, and the reason is they refused to print books. I kept saying to him, "You could be selling so many books in Des Moines, Iowa, in Lincoln, Nebraska in Denver, Colorado, all these places, where people read, where there are great independent bookstores," and they kept saying, "No, mostly I think we’re going to push this in L.A. and New York." I thought, you dumb fuckers. Meth is not a problem in New York except for in the gay community, but it’s a problem everywhere else. But there was this feeling: "Well, yeah, but people out there don’t really read."
Brown: I found the most voracious readers to be outside of New York. My readings in New Orleans have been great. In New York, forget it: People want a free drink and then they’ll leave.
You can see the hook-and-eye face thing larger on Dazed Digital. We kept it small because we're not in such a creepy mood.
Lucy McRae and Dutch Bart Hess are a design duo who describe their work as "an instinctual stalking of fashion, architecture, performance, and the body." What does that mean? They have a complicated way of explaining it to Dazed Digital, but in short, they make amazing-looking things to wear for the men and women of this world for whom there is more to life than trying to look skinny. They also experiment with what they call "low-tech plastic surgery."
For a Gallery in Holland we put on a 'Low-tech plastic surgery' performance where we glued Hooks and Eyes to the faces of visitors. We were able to redefine the landscape of the face by altering the appearance of cheekbones or emphasizing the lips, creating an analogue version of plastic surgery. We are available for Christmas parties, Barmitsvah's, weddings and baby showers!
Oooh! That is a neat, yet non-flashy and therefore recession-friendly, thing to do at your holiday party (no one has to know how much they cost). Or you can hide them in the coat room and foist them on people you dislike (but invited out of obligation) to get them to leave faster.
Out of the cable-news networks, viewers overwhelmingly chose to watch President Obama's speech last night on Fox News: 4.55 million people tuned in, almost half of what the largest broadcast network pulled in for the speech (NBC at 10.5 million) and almost catching up to the regular Fox Network's 5.1 million. It blew CNN and MSNBC out of the water with their 2.35 million and 1.56 million, respectively. But the most interesting numbers came immediately after the speech, when a full 663,000 additional people tuned in to Fox to hear the reactions to the speech. It's official: When it comes to reacting to President Obama, everyone wants to watch Fox News. Now they just need to develop parallel programming where they can heckle him directly during his speeches, like Alexis Stewart does to her mom on Whatever, Martha!
Men: You can smell good and be manly. Those things are not mutually exclusive. To further explain this idea, Lafco NY/Santa Maria Novella is holding a hip, sort of self-help seminar tomorrow with Martial Vivot on hand to give custom shaves, and Marina Sersale and Sebastián Alvarez Murena (who created the easy-to-wear Mediterranean-inspired unisex scent line Eau d'Italie) will provide examples of guy-friendly smells. And there'll be beer! Coronas and snacks from Falai will be provided. 285 Lafayette St., nr. Jersey St.; 212-274-0629; 12/3 (6–9).
Congratulations are in order for Meredith Baxter nee Birney, better known as the WASPy mom from Family Ties and the Queen of the MFTVMs (Made for TV Movies), who announced via The Today Show, People Magazine and The Advocate that she is a lesbian, or, more specifically, “Lesbian Mom.” What would Alex P. Keaton make of all this? Well, if Baxter’s own children are any indication, he’d probably be totally fine with it (all while rolling across a room in an office chair and running his fingers through his hair, obvs.) He’d also be 40 and likely divorced himself, so really, who is he to judge?
So, to celebrate Baxter’s Coming Out as a Lesbian Day, we’ve put together our 6 favorite clips featuring one of the most famous faces of the 1980s. We even threw in some Bonus Hasselhoff. And thank you most of all to Meredith, whose courage today reminds us all that she has been part of some of the most hilarious Made for TV situations of the last century.
6. Maniac Socialite Wife in Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story. No, we’ve never seen this movie. But part 5, which we just happen to randomly click on, makes us want to sit through the entire thing on repeat. Forgetting the fact for a moment that Baxter resembles a younger, much whiter Grace Jones, she also has completely lost her d mind. From the Youtube description:
This made for tv docudrama stars Meredith Baxter-Birney as Betty Broderick, a former San Diego socialite convicted of the November 5, 1989 murder of her former husband Dan Broderick and his second wife, Linda Kolkena. After sixteen years of marriage and four children, Betty Broderick’s high-powered attorney husband, Dan Broderick decides to leave her for Linda Kolkena with whom he’s been having an affair. Hurt by his betrayal and feeling helpless against his legal expertise, Betty begins a campaign of vandalism and verbal assault. Her rage consumes her and ultimately leads to a terrible and violent act.
5. Venereal Diseases and Babies PSA. Has this problem been officially eradicated? Because it sounds pretty scary. If, indeed, babies are still being born wearing gonorrhea pants, then NBC needs to get this ish back on primetime stat. They can even use the one Meredith tapes so many years ago — it’s topical again! Though, to be fair, this still doesn’t beat Bea Arthur & horse urine.
So much more goodness ahead. Trust.
4. The Family Ties Theme Song. One of the best themes of all time, no doubt about it. And as far as Family Ties dad Michael Gross is concerned, we think comedian Julie Klausnersaid it best via Twitter: “So you guys know, Michael Gross is NOT gay. The only beard in his life is the one that used to be on his famous face!” Strangely, even in their family painting, Michael Gross looks much more psyched to be part of their loving embrace than Meredith does, no? Hindsight, people. Hindsight.
3. Extreme-Close-Up Preference by L’Oreal Ad. If only the project had been called “Sexual Preference by L’Oreal,” we could have cleared this whole Baxter confusion up ages ago. Also is this commercial how HDTV was invented? Mr. De Mille for the loss.
2. Modeling with David Hasselhoff. We literally have no other reason to post this other than a HILARIOUS cameo by David Hasselhoff. At the end. Worth sitting through, believe me, he looks like he just came back from Jupiter.
1. “Kate’s Secret” is that She Binge Eats with No Pants On. I can’t tell if this is a TV movie about binge eating or a promo for next season of The Biggest Loser. I know it is 10 minutes long and all, but it is so so so worth sitting through the entire thing: Shoving donuts into her face at the supermarket, eating cake with her hands and guzzling milk, binging on pizza in her truck with on pants on while serial killer music plays all the while. We feel, for all of the reasons presented above, that this is Meredith’s finest hour. After today’s admission, of course. Enjoy.
Swine flu is terribly infectious. That you knew. But were you aware that loneliness can spread among groups of people just as easily? That's what a bunch of researchers are reporting, so the next time you board a plane, you may want to avoid the dude hacking up a lung as well as the man weeping into his hands. [Reuters]
Name: Mike Daisey Age: 36 Neighborhood: Carroll Gardens
Occupation: Monologuist. The New York premiere of his show The Last Cargo Cult begins previews tomorrow at the Public Theater.
Who's your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
A toss-up between Nikola Tesla and Peter Parker.
What's the best meal you've eaten in New York?
My wife's Christmas Eve feast of red borscht, fresh pierogi, and wild salmon.
In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
I tell stories.
Would you still live here on a $35,000 salary?
I will do everything in my power to never have a salary.
What's the last thing you saw on Broadway?
The American Theater vomiting up narcissism and obsessive self-regard.
Do you give money to panhandlers?
If they have a really good story.
What's your drink?
Gin and tonic, the drink of empire.
How often do you prepare your own meals?
Never.
What's your favorite medication?
A double gin and tonic.
What's hanging above your sofa?
The shrunken heads of my enemies strung on a gilded chain.
How much is too much to spend on a haircut?
No more than 15 percent of the amortized cost of the hair itself.
When's bedtime?
If at my leisure, 5 a.m. Sadly, I am often required to conform to our culture's insane whims.
Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?
I prefer New New Times Square, after the Robot Wars, once the supercharged monkey-virus bombs used north of 34th Street made Times Square a wasteland filled only with decaying Disney signage and broken dreams.
What do you think of Donald Trump?
I think the fact that he is being talked about here is part of the triumph of his ubiquitousness.
What do you hate most about living in New York?
New York isn't really my problem — I often just hate being alive. But New York does fetishize inconvenience, which makes it almost impossible to live here ... though that's also its subtle narcotic.
Who is your mortal enemy?
There are so, so many, and life is short. The important thing is that, for now, I am winning.
When's the last time you drove a car?
On the West Coast, where they have customs that require such things.
How has the Wall Street crash affected you?
It caused me to move to an island in the South Pacific where the value of money is not universally accepted, and then come back to my culture and tell a story about that place and our own relationship with money.
Times, Post, or Daily News? Times for actual news and real work, and only online. The Post when I'm at my favorite diner for the vile delight of its antics, and only in print. I have never heard of this "Daily News" you speak of.
Where do you go to be alone?
I perform. From the stage I can get an enormous amount of thinking done.
What makes someone a New Yorker?
Like all the best titles, it is self-evident and reflexive: You'll know you're a New Yorker when you know it.
Reuters - Actress Liv Ullmann's numerous film collaborations with Ingmar Bergman serve her well in her staging of "A Streetcar Named Desire," which has just landed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music for a limited engagement after sold-out runs in Sydney and Washington. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 2 Dec 2009 | 3:10 pm
J.D. Elquist, a blogger and designer, is really inspired by Americana. Like, really. He cites Gatsby and JFK as sources of influence. "I'm really inspired by ... think JFK on his boat back in the day." If that's not varied enough for you, he's also into the short-pants look made famous by Thom Browne. And bow ties — not Lanvin bow ties, but Pee-wee Herman bow ties. Now that's Americana, people. Find out more about his style by watching the video.
Despite the crappy market and presumably against the advice of their parents, independent filmmakers have miraculously shot enough movies to fill out Sundance's 2010 competition lineup, which was announced this afternoon. You want James Franco as Allen Ginsberg? How about Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams as a married couple in a told-out-of-order relationship drama? You got 'em!
DRAMATIC COMPETITION
"Blue Valentine" - Directed by Derek Cianfrance, written by Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis, a portrait of an American marriage that charts the evolution of a relationship over time. With Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Mike Vogel, John Doman.
"Douchebag" - Directed by Drake Doremus, written by Lindsay Stidham, Doremus, Jonathan Schwartz and Andrew Dickler, in which a man about to be married takes his younger brother on a wild goose chase to find the latter's fifth-grade girlfriend. Features Dickler, Ben York Jones, Marguerite Moreau, Nicole Vicius, Amy Ferguson, Wendi McClendon-Covey.
"The Dry Land" - Directed and written by Ryan Piers Williams, in which a returning U.S. soldier tries to reconcile his experiences overseas with his life in Texas. With America Ferrera, Wilmer Valderrama, Ethan Suplee, June Diane Raphael, Melissa Leo.
"Happythankyoumoreplease" - Directed and written by Josh Radnor, about six New Yorkers negotiating love, friendship and gratitude when they're too old to be precocious and not yet fully adults. Stars Malin Akerman, Radnor, Kate Mara, Zoe Kazan, Tony Hale, Pablo Schreiber, Michael Algieri.
"Hesher" - Directed by Spencer Susser, written by Susser and David Michod from a story by Brian Charles Frank, in which a mysterious, anarchical trickster enters the lives of a family dealing with a painful loss. Toplines Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Natalie Portman, Devin Brochu, Piper Laurie, John Carroll Lynch.
"Holy Rollers" - Directed by Kevin Tyler Asch, written by Antonio Macia, concerning a young Hasidic man in the throes of money, power and opportunity who becomes an international Ecstasy smuggler. With Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha, Danny A. Abeckaser, Ari Graynor, Jason Fuchs.
"Howl" - Directed and written by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, a "nonfiction drama" about how Allen Ginsberg created the eponymous poem and the subsequent landmark obscenity trial. Stars James Franco, David Strathairn, Jon Hamm, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeff Daniels.
"The Imperialists Are Still Alive!" - Directed and written by Zeina Durra, about how a French Manhattanite continues her work as an artist in the wake of the sudden abduction of her childhood sweetheart and a blooming love affair. Toplines Elodie Bouchez, Jose Maria de Tavira, Karim Saleh Karolina Muller, Marianna Kulukundis, Rita Ackerman.
"Lovers of Hate" - Directed and written by Bryan Poyser, about how the reunion of estranged brothers is undermined when the woman they both love chooses one over the other. With Chris Doubek, Heather Kafka, Alex Karpovsky, Zach Green.
"Night Catches Us" - Directed and written by Tanya Hamilton, which focuses on the eventful return of a young man to the race-torn Philadelphia neighborhood where he grew up during the Black Power movement. Features Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, Jamie Hector, Wendell Pierce, Jamara Griffin.
"Obselidia" - Directed and written by Diane Bell, about the amorous awakening of a lonely librarian with a beguiling cinema projectionist in Death Valley. Toplines Gaynor Howe, Michael Piccirilli, Frank Hoyt Taylor.
"Skateland" - Directed by Anthony Burns, and written by Burns, Brandon Freeman and Heath Freeman, in which dramatic events in early '80s small-town Texas force a 19-year-old skating rink manager to see his life in a new light. With Shiloh Fernandez, A.J. Buckley, Ashley Greene, Brett Cullen, Ellen Hollman, Heath Freeman.
"Sympathy for Delicious" - Directed by Mark Ruffalo and written by Christopher Thornton, which centers on a newly paralyzed DJ who gets more than he bargained for when he seeks out the world of faith healing. Stars Orlando Bloom, Ruffalo, Juliette Lewis, Laura Linney, John Carroll Lynch.
"3 Backyards" - Directed and written by Eric Mendelsohn, in which a quiet suburban town becomes intense emotional terrain for three residents on one strange day. Toplines Embeth Davidtz, Edie Falco, Elias Koteas, Rachel Resheff, Kathryn Erbe, Danai Gurira.
"Welcome to the Rileys" - Directed by Jake Scott, about a damaged man who seeks salvation by caring for a wayward young woman during a business trip to New Orleans. Stars James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart, Melissa Leo.
"Winter's Bone" - Directed by Debra Granik and written by Granik and Anne Rosellini, which focuses on the dangerous efforts of an Ozard Mountain girl to track down her drug-dealer father while keeping her family intact. With Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Lauren Sweetser, Kevin Breznahan, Isaiah Stone.
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
"Bhutto" - Directed by Duane Baughman and Johnny O'Hara, written by O'Hara, a look at the life of the assassinated former Pakistani prime minister.
"Casino Jack and the United States of Money" - Directed by Alex Gibney, an investigation into the world of imprisoned super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his cronies.
"Family Affair" - Directed by Chico Colvard, which examines resilience, survival and the capacity to accomodate a parent's past crimes on the road to satisfying the longing for family.
"Freedom Riders" - Directed by Stanley Nelson, about civil rights activists who challenged segregation in the South in 1961.
"Gas Land" - Directed by Josh Fox, which looks at toxic streams, dying livestock, flammable sinks and people with weakened health in the vicinity of natural gas drilling.
"I'm Pat ------- Tillman" - Directed by Amir Bar-Lev, which focuses on the efforts of the family of the pro football star to take on the U.S. government after he was killed by "friendly fire" in Afghanistan in 2004.
"Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child" - Directed by Tamra Davis, a portrait of the celebrated '80s artist.
"Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work" - Directed by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, a forthright glimpse into the life and comedic process of the veteran comedian.
"Lucky" - Directed by Jeffrey Blitz, which examines what happens when ordinary people hit the lottery jackpot.
"My Perestroika" - Directed by Robin Hessman, an analysis of the transition of the U.S.S.R. as seen through the lives of five Muscovites who came of age at the time of communism's collapse.
"The Oath" - Directed by Laura Poitras, lensed in Yemen, about two men whose fateful encounter in 1996 led them to Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden, 9/11, Guantanamo and the U.S. Supreme Court.
"Restrepo" - Directed by Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington, for which the two filmmakers accompanied the Second Platoon in a crucial valley to reveal the soldiers' intense labor, fights and camaraderie as they take on the Taliban.
"A Small Act" - Directed by Jennifer Arnold, which spotlights how a young Kenyan, whose life was dramatically changed when a Swedish stranger sponsored his education, later reciprocates by founding his own scholarship program.
"Smash His Camera" - Directed by Leon Gast, which uses the story of notorious paparazzo Ron Galella to examine issues such as the right to privacy, freedom of the press and celebrity worship.
"12th and Delaware" - Directed by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing, a look at how the abortion battle continues in unexpected ways on an unassuming corner in the U.S.
"Waiting for Superman" - Directed by Davis Guggenheim, which uses multiple interlocking stories to analyze the crisis in U.S. public education.
WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION
"All That I Love" (Poland) - Directed and written by Jacek Borcuch, about four small-town teenagers who form a punk rock band in 1981 during the growth of the Solidarity movement. With Mateusz Kosciukiewicz, Jakub Gierszal, Mateusz Banasiuk, Olga Frycz, Igor Obloza. North American premiere.
"Animal Kingdom" (Australia) - Directed and written by David Michod, which centers upon a 17-year-old boy who, in the wake of his mother's death, is thrust precariously between a criminal family and a detectives who hopes to save him. Stars Guy Pearce, Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Luke Ford, Jacki Weaver, James Frecheville. World premiere.
"Boy" (New Zealand) - Directed and written by Taika Waititi, a study of how two young brothers reconciles fantasy with reality when their father returns home after many years. Features Waititi, James Rolleston, Te Aho Eketone. World premiere.
"Four Lions" (U.K.) - Directed by Chris Morris, written by Morris, Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, a comedy about some self-styled British jihadis. With Chris Wilson, Kevin Eldon. World premiere.
"Grown Up Movie Star" (Canada) - Directed and written by Adriana Maggs, which spins on a teenage girl left to care for her rural father when her mother runs away. Features Shawn Doyle, Tatiana Maslany, Jonny Harris, Mark O'Brien, Andy Jones, Julia Kennedy. U.S. premiere.
"The Man Next Door" (Argentina), written and directed by Mariano Cohn and Gaston Duprat, about two neighbors who clash over a wall separating their properties. With Rafael Spregelburd, Daniel Araoz, Eugenia Alonso, Ines Budassi, Lorenza Acuna. International premiere.
"Me Too" (Spain) - Directed by Alvaro Pastor and Antonio Naharro, about the unconventional relationship between a 34-year-old college-educated man with Down syndrome and his free-spirited co-worker. With Pablo Pineda, Lola Duenas, Antonio Naharro, Isabel Garcia Lorca, Pedro Alvarez Ossorio. International premiere.
"Nuummioq" (Greenland) - Directed by Otto Rosing and Torben Bech, written by Bech, a contemporary story of how a young man pieces together aspects of his past and gets on with his life while journeying through Greenland's imposing landscapes. Stars Lars Rosing, Angunnguaq Larsen, Julie Berthelsen, Morten Rose, Makka Kleist, Mariu Olsen. World premiere.
"Peepli Live" (India) - Directed and written by Anusha Rizvi, a satire about the media frenzy created when an impoverished farmer announces that he'll commit suicide so his family can receive government compensation. Toplines Riz Ahmed, Arsher Ali, Nigel Lindsay, Kayvan Novak.
"Son of Babylon" (Iraq) - Directed and written by Mohamed Al Daradji, the tale of a young Kurdish boy and his grandmother as they travel through Iraq searching for the remains of their father/son in the wake of Saddam Hussein's fall from power. With Yasser Talib, Shazda Hussein, Bashir Al-Majid. International premiere.
"Southern District" (Bolivia) - Directed and written by Juan Carlos Valdivia, a look at social change that envelopes an upper-class family in La Paz, Bolivia. Toplines Ninon del Castillo, Pascual Loayza, Nicolas Fernandez, Juan Pablo Koria, Mariana Vargas. North American premiere.
"The Temptation of St. Tony" (Estonia) - Directed and written by Veiko Ounpuu, which centers upon a mid-level manager with an aversion to being "good" who confronts life mysteries as he loses his grasp on his once-quiet life. Features Taavi Eelmaa, Rain Tolk, Tiina Tauraite, Katarina Lauk, Raivo E. Tamm. World premiere.
"Undertow" (Colombia-France-Germany-Peru) - Directed and written by Javier Fuentes-Leon, an offbeat ghost story in which a married fisherman on the Peruvian seaside tries to reconcile his devotion to his male lover within the town's rigid traditions. Stars Cristian Mercado, Manolo Cardona, Tatiana Astengo. North American premiere.
"Vegetarian" (South Korea) - Directed and written by Lim Woo-seong, about a housewife whose strange dreams and resulting meat aversion cause trouble with her husband and attract the interest of her artist brother-in-law. Toplines Chea Min-seo, Kim Hyun-sung, Kim Yeo-jin, Kim Young-jae. International premiere.
WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
"Enemies of the People" (Cambodia-U.K.) - Directed by Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, which recounts the shocking revelations that ensue when a young journalist whose family was killed by the Khmer Rouge befriends the perpetrators of the Killing Fields genocide. World premiere.
"A Film Unfinished" (Germany-Israel) - Directed by Yael Hersonski, in which film found in Nazi archives reveals the means used to stage Warsaw ghetto life. World premiere.
"Fix Me" (France-Palestinian Territories-Switzerland) - Directed by Raed Andoni, in which Andoni seeks different forms of help for a relentless headache in his hometown of Ramallah. International premiere.
"His and Hers" (Ireland) - Directed by Ken Wardrop, in which 70 Irish women offer insights into the relationships between women and men. World premiere.
"Kick in Iran" (Germany) - Directed by Fatima Geza Abdollahyan, about the struggles of the first female Taekwondo fighter from Iran to qualify for the Olympic Games. World premiere.
"Last Train Home" (Canada) - Directed by Fan Lixin, which focuses on the ordeals of a Chinese migrant worker who, along with many others, tries to reunite with a distant family. U.S. premiere.
"The Red Chapel" (Denmark) - Directed by Mads Bruegger, about a journalist without scruples, a self-proclaimed spastic and a comedian travel to North Korea under the guise of a cultural exchange visit to challenge the totalitarian regime. U.S. premiere.
"Russian Lessons" (Georgia-Germany-Norway) - Directed by Olga Konskaya and Andrei Nekrasov, which looks into ethnic cleansing in Georgia revealed by an investigation of Russian actions during the 2008 war. World premiere.
"Secrets of the Tribe" (Brazil) - Directed by Jose Padiha, which examines the scandal and infighting within the academic anthropology community regarding the representation and exploitation of indigenous Indian in the Amazon Basin. World premiere.
"Sins of My Father" (Argentina-Colombia) - Directed by Nicolas Entel, which delves into the life and times of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar through the eyes of his son, who fled Colombia to lead his own life. North American premiere.
"Space Tourists" (Switzerland) - Directed by Christian Frei, a humorous look at billionaires who pay large sums to travel into outer space for fun. North American premiere.
"Waste Land" (U.K.) - Directed by Lucy Walker, which reveals how lives are transformed when international artist Vik Muniz collaborates with garbage picker in the world's largest landfill in Rio de Janeiro. World premiere.
English cricketer Michael Vaughan stands in front of his painting created by batting cricket balls covered in paint onto a canvas in London. Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 2 Dec 2009 | 2:42 pm
Spirit, the discount airline with pluck, has decided that it's not too soon to make jokes about Tiger Woods's mysterious car crash and subsequent publicity meltdown. In honor of the golf legend, they're advertising an "Eye of the Tiger" sale on their website, which features many flights to and from (you guessed it) Florida. The moving graphic shows a tiger driving an SUV (funny in any situation) into a fire hydrant (a little less funny), all the while wearing one of Woods's trademark black caps (hilarious!). Sure, it's no Chinese CGI Reenactment, but we give them an A for effort.
FRAGRANCE
• Fragrance distributor Selective Beauty filed a $20.2 million lawsuit against Liz Claiborne Inc. claiming that Claiborne's recent decision to license its fragrances to Elizabeth Arden contributed to the distributor's bankruptcy. Selective used to distribute Juicy Couture, Usher, and other fragrances, and claims that if Claiborne didn't exit the partnership, they would still be in business. [WWD]
• Diddy launched a new limited-edition fragrance for men named I Am King of the Night, a follow-up to his I Am King fragrance, which recently sold out on HSN. The new scent is available at Macy's for $74. [Now Smell This]
SKIN
• Donatella Versace and her daughter, Allegra, go shopping for eye cream and anti-aging serums together. They bought over $250 worth of ReVive products at the Liberty store in London. [In Style UK]
Before even getting into this post, I should mention that I myself use an LG phone — the Lotus, to be exact — a small, purple, square clamshell with a full keyboard that looks exactly like birth control. Gratefully, it seems to make calls pretty well, and does wonders controlling my reproductive cycle. But now I have a whole new reason to cradle my phone to sleep: LG has put out a series of ads featuring noneotherthan the King of Acting himself, Jon Lovitz James Lipton, host of Inside the Actor’s Studio.
In the ads, Lipton watches over some young, unsuspecting teen, and then creepily removes his beard and places it on their face so that they may make the correct decision. And in our favorite out of the series, which you can see over at AdFreak, Lipton questions a young man’s decision to send photos of his “junk.” Only, “junk” is said so dramatically that merely hearing his lips utter the term filled me with pure decadent joy. That’s a gift only Lipton can give, and something that makes me want to rebuy my phone all over again. And no, they didn’t pay me to say that.
Ahead, a commercial where Lipton says “Pussywillow” for your fellas out there.
While thanking the volunteers who helped put up the White House Christmas decorations, the First Lady wore a bright-turquoise dress that we can't help but think clashed with the brand-new Christmas tree and coordinating wreaths. But her matching earrings were so pretty. See the full look in the Michelle Obama Look Book.
On 38th Street and Fifth Avenue, juniors' label XOXO has erected holiday windows where you can watch women changing clothes. They don't strip past their underwear, but they do walk around in bras and panties. And guess what! The people this display is attracting, mostly, aren't their target clients, but men who — get this — want to leer at women walking around in panties. Times are hard, sure, but surely women in underwear are not the only solution to a slow shopping season. A CNN reporter investigated the situation.
You can see some holiday windows that are actually about the holidays in our slideshow.
According to data released today by the New York City Department of Health, Olivia—yes, Olivia—was the most popular girls name with white women in 2008. It's time for a recount! [NYDN]
That’s right: Old Dogs posted an incredible 6% rating, earning just four non-negative reviews out of SEVENTY-EIGHT.
Just how impressively bad is this feat? Well — compare it to the film’s phonetically similar predecessor:
How far do you have to reach to find a comparably badly-reviewed film? You have to reach into the depths of “Go-to, stock ‘bad movie’ reference” territory:
Granted, Old Dogs isn’t quite this guy. Or this guy. But still, when that’s how far you have to stretch to find a more widely disliked movie than your own, then, well, making movies probably should not be your profession.
Hank Paulson eats people like you for breakfast. He never met a striped bass he wouldn't dispassionately shove a hook into and call dinner. But show him a bird in peril and the former Treasury Secretary and Goldman Sachs CEO breaks like a little girl. From Bethany McLean's story in the new Vanity Fair:
"Paulson is a walking set of contradictions. A fiercely competitive man, he is also an avid conservationist who freaked out when birds would fly into the glass windows of 85 Broad."
"Freaked out"! What does that mean? Did he crawl out onto the ledge, gather the little guys up in his rough manly hands, nurse them back to health with an eyedropper, holding it close to his Rolex, the ticking of which would remind the small creatures of the beating of their mothers' hearts? In fatal situations, did Paulson subject the entire staff to a funeral, complete with organs and the reading of the psalm? Were there tears? Asked for elaboration, a person close to the former Treasury secretary tells us that Paulson's love for birds runs deep, and that he in fact "instilled a lot of environmentally responsible policies with the firm's real estate and other infrastructure" (i.e. installed bird-safe glass to keep the little guys safe) — but "freaked out" is an exaggeration. Or, at least, it's unlikely that he ever lost control of his emotions entirely. "Hank Paulson is like Chuck Norris. His tears are the cure for cancer. Too bad he's never cried."
Erin Kleinberg never imagined she'd thank Mischa Barton for her design career. But when Kleinberg bumped into the actress five years ago at a Toronto H&M ("back when she was O.C. cool, not all dried up," she says), she gave Barton one of her homemade scarf-inspired tops. Kleinberg didn't think anything of it — she was only 19 — until paparazzi snapped Barton wearing it the very next week. Kleinberg basked in the free exposure, and immediately took on the I'm Young and Have Nothing to Lose attitude, cold-calling stores while simultaneously studying journalism at the University of Western Ontario. Her Barton-inspired hustle landed her an order from Holt Renfrew. "Sometimes I come across as crazy, but it worked. You need to make it happen for yourself," the 24-year-old says. After graduating, she was actually on her way to becoming a stylist in New York (she interned for Alexandra White at W, where she also befriended former Lauren Conrad rival Emily Weiss) until the recession left her jobless and back in her hometown of Toronto. That's when she turned to design full-time. "It worked the first time — I had the product, marketed it, and now I want to do it again."
She officially relaunched her line for fall 2008, and the celebrity set quickly latched on to her line of comfy, embellished tees, tanks, and tops that are ecofriendly (she uses fabric made out of wood-pulp cellulose). Everyone from Taylor Momsen to Jessica Simpson to Blake Lively has worn a piece by Erin Kleinberg, and by using connections she made while at W, Shanae Grimes, Theodora Richards, and Vanessa Traina have all appeared in her seasonal look books. The fall collection incorporates medieval inspiration with hardware, chains, and buttons, and features soft colors like aviator blue, raspberry, and heather gray. The spring collection is notably brighter and fresher, with mesh overlays and loose, boxy tops, as well as her first attempt at bottoms, with shorts and skirts. "I never wanted to be a designer. But I have a talent for making this work," she says, noting that she works out of her bookkeeper/mother's basement in Toronto. "I'm not Rodarte — I'm not trying to make these beautiful pieces of art. I'm a business person. I want to make easy pieces that are a little bit different. The price point is there. And that's the reason I've been successful with this economy." Last year, Barneys New York picked up her first collection exclusively, and 80 stores now carry the line around the world, including Blue & Cream, Intermix, and Zoe in New York, and she is a featured designer on Fadmashion.com. Check out the fall collection and a preview of the new spring line in the slideshow.
So much for New York's reputation as one of the most liberal and accepting states in the nation. The State Senate defeated a bill that would have legalized same-sex marriage this afternoon after Democrats were unable to convince a single Republican senator to vote for the measure. [NYT]
Yesterday, Claridge's unveiled the Dior Christmas tree that John Galliano designed for their lobby. Designer Henry Holland attended the fancy party for the tree (nothing can happen in fashion without a party) and tweeted, "Dior party in a private room and there is more dead animals in here than people."
Looking nothing like a typical Christmas tree, the practically limbless shrub is twenty-feet high and not actually a shrub at all, but a statue composed of papier-mâche, paper, and polystyrene. The inspiration was snow scenes with a tropical twist, which explains the leopard, parrot, and dragonfly adornments. For the unveiling, Galliano handpicked twenty spectacular Dior gowns from the archive to display alongside it. What this tree lacks in tinsel, glittery dangling things, and overall treeness, it makes up for in couture. See the gowns in the slideshow.
Top row: Stephen Nilsen, Adriana Medina, Caroline Sabas. Bottom row: Stephen Nilsen, Claude Dir, and Marypierre Julien.
Anthropologie cannot put a foot wrong these days. We’ve already all bought the oversize flannel shirts, the tunics, the plaid coats, the charming housewares. Now, Urban Outfitters’ sister store is stepping up its already-not-too-shabby beauty game with some serious collaborations. The first, with ritzy Paris fragrance-maker Givaudan, is a collection of six scents made by five perfumers (Stephen Nilsen, Adriana Medina, Marypierre Julien, Caroline Sabas, and Claude Dir — trust us, in the beauty world they’re Stella McCartney) called A Rather Novel Collection. The perfumers took their inspiration from teas from around the world, and while all the scents smell heavenly, we couldn’t tear ourselves away from “Cape of Good Hope” by Claude Dir. The backstory is a little complicated (workers loading wooden chests filled with Rooibos tea in South Africa during 1498, etc.), but the juice — a delicious mix of red tea leaves, gardenia, and Madagascar vanilla — is just ... mmm. This is exactly what fragrance should be: thought-provoking, complex, and made with the utmost care.
$48; available through 2010 at Anthropologie, 50 Rockefeller Plz., nr. 50th St.; 212-246-0386.
Now you can enlarge your breasts and not waste any precious silicone or saline in the process. Gaining new-found popularity among plastic surgeons are boob augmentations that involve liposuctioning fat from one's thighs or buttocks and then injecting it into breasts. You really can save the earth and make the world more aesthetically pleasing at the same time! [NYT]
Gettin’ pretty specific there, Prince of Persia — the movie not only involves Jake Gyllenhaal, it also contains courage? How about slapping a damn spoiler alert on that thing?
Any other thrilling specific details you wanna give away in your next poster? How bout the twist that Jake Gyllenhaal and Courage were brothers the whole time?
Glad they went with the motivational poster motif, though, over their original idea:
Did scandal-plagued publicist/alleged voicemail hacker Ali Wise just lose a job she only started a couple of weeks ago? A tipster tells us that in recent weeks Wise has been doing unofficial PR for good friend Stacey Bendet's clothing line, Alice + Olivia.
Unfortunately, Ali's efforts on Bendet's behalf haven't been well received by the celebs and Hollywood publicists she's been reaching out to, which is hardly surprising given the legal mess in which Wise finds herself and the social pariah she's become. (Wise, we hear, was involved in wrangling A-listers to turn up at Bendet's pop-up shop launch a few weeks back. Or at least that's what she tried to do.)
But now Bendet has announced that a seasoned (and scandal-free) publicist is joining the company: Susannah Draper—Tory Burch's former public relations director—who will be starting at Alice + Olivia as vice president of communications next week. Does this mean Wise's services will no longer be needed? Let's hope Bendet finds something for Wise to do. Starting over as a clipboard bitch won't be much fun. But those legal bills need to get paid somehow, especially if Wise is going to do without the reality TV cash that could be coming her way right about now.
Forbes Magazine estimated that the 33-year-old has earned over a billion dollars, with the majority of his income stemming from sponsorships and endorsements.
Laying off as many as one in four Forbes writers and editors a few weeks ago hasn't been enough to stanch the flow of red ink, it seems. The magazine is now reportedly close to selling its historic headquarters on lower Fifth Avenue for $55 million, which is nearly a third of what it was hoping to get for the building two years ago. [NYP] Update: Forbes is now denying the report in today's Post.
Front Page: Festival to feature a few changes on the old formula -- "No matter what's happening in the industry, people are going to keep making films," opined John Cooper optimistically as he revealed the lineup for his first year edition of the Sundance Film Festival as director.
Who would’ve thought the New York Post — a tabloid obsessed with sex, scandal, celebrity, gossip, sports, and wacky pun headlines — would be getting such a kick out of the Tiger Woods story?? I know the story involves sex, scandal, celebrity, gossip and sports, but as for the pun headlines, this situation presents a unique and highly difficult dilemma:
“Tiger” puns or Golf puns? So many possibilities, how’s a pun-loving tabloid to choose???
Eh, let’s just go with everything:
And still so many possibilities for the days to come…
TIGER CHEAT MAGAZINE
GROWL PLAY
ONE JOKE UNDER CAR
NOT OUT OF THE WOODS YET
TIGER SHOWS HIS STRIPS
SHEER CON
TIGER HAD SEX WITH MULTIPLE TIGRESSES
Other Tiger pun headlines? Leave ‘em in the comments.
Whitney Port walking home after paying a visit to a salon in the West Village ... Lindsay Lohan catching a flight at JFK ... Morgan Freeman leaving his hotel ... Naomi Watts walking with her mom in SoHo ... Matt Damon filming scenes for The Adjustment Bureau in Madison Square Park ... Jessica Simpson leaving the Ritz-Carlton in Midtown ... Jessica Szohr walking to the set of Gossip Girl on the Upper West Side ... Audrina Patridge crossing the street ... Josh Duhamel jogging ... Michael Buble leaving ABC after an appearance on Regis & Kelly ... Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz leaving the Ambassador Theatre on West 49th Street ... and Cate Blanchett walking with her sons.
Back in September, we reported that Dan Loeb had been sued by the moving company that helped the hedge fund tycoon and his wife settle into their $45 million apartment at 15 Central Park West. The Observer has a follow-up to the story and reports the suit has been settled. The prickly financier agreed to pay $82,500 to make the case go away—a bit less than the $98,699 the moving company was demanding—mostly because Loeb couldn't stand the idea of wasting any more of his precious time sitting in court. [NYO, previously]
When it comes to golf, Andrew Giuliani is no Tiger Woods, clearly. The son of the former mayor, who has said he plans to pursue a career as a professional golfer (and who appears to have inherited his dad's fashion sense), was bounced out of a competition sponsored by the Golf Channel yesterday. At least his father should be able to give him some wise counsel on how to deal with the agony of defeat, right? [NYP]
Front Page: 'Talent' singer's 'Dream' nabs top spot -- Scottish singer Susan Boyle is tops on the U.S. album chart this week, entering at No. 1 with the grandest debut of the year.
Now, Talbot is back, alongside the Steelers’ Hines Ward, to fight over the new Pittsburgh sports cereal “City Of Champions Crunch,” in a commercial with production values that truly embody the word “Champion.” If this commercial got any more local, it would literally take place inside your pancreas:
Who are those people in the background? And how many takes did they shoot to end up with this? Why do they have cereal in an office? Why is Talbot wearing gloves—–[BLOOD SHOOTS OUT OF EYES, FALLS UNCONSCIOUS]
Following the death of a former Miss Argentina after complications arising from plastic surgery, questions are being raised about the risks of cosmetic surgery.
Well, the ess has hit the eff for Tiger Woods today. First, his wife breaks his face with a golf club, in what is now known as the “It Was A Car Accident. JK, She Beat Me” Incident. Then, it was time to do some damage control, Tiger-style. US Weekly has obtained a voicemail left by Tiger, sounding as hilariously Caucasian and nervous as ever, asking his paramour to remove her name from the outgoing voicemail message and replacing with a simpler, less accusatory phone number. One can only assume the answering machine sounded like this “Hello, You Have Reached (different, slut voice) I’m Doing Your Husband (robot commences) Please leave a message after the tone.”
Anyway, this voicemail pretty much defines the term “Busted.” And speaking of which, where are his PR people throughout all of this? Is anyone controlling anything? Can’t NIKE help out in some way?
Gonna be on a plane any time this coming January? Then brace yourself for Tim Allen’s directorial debut, Crazy On The Outside, a semi-autobiographical film about a man played by Tim Allen who gets out of prison only to star in a movie you don’t want to see. Between this movie and the upcoming Wild Hogs sequel, Allen is this close to officially forfeiting the ability to hold over everyone’s heads that he starred in the Toy Story movies.
Apparently the majority of Tim Allen’s direction on this film was just “Hey younger actress, now you make out with me…”
General view of the Louvre's "Cour Napoleon" taken in Paris. Many of Paris's most popular museums and tourist sites including the Musee d'Orsay and the Arc de Triomphe are closed as staff strike to protest... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 2 Dec 2009 | 9:15 am
Many of the most popular museums and tourist sites in Paris, including the Musee d'Orsay and the Arc de Triomphe, pictured, have closed after staff went on strike to protest against planned job cuts. Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 2 Dec 2009 | 9:15 am
Reuters - Photo blogger Tommy Ton used to wait outside exclusive venues for fashionistas to arrive and leave catwalk shows, but at the latest Dolce & Gabbana womenswear run this season, he proudly sat in the front row.
If Grammys were rings, Beyoncé could end up with enough for all 10 fingers.
The diva leads the field heading into the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards with a whopping 10 nominations,...
Talk about a numbers game.
Sources tell us that alleged Tiger Woods mistress Jaimee Grubbs claimed to friends that the golf champ would change his phone number about once a...
Miley Cyrus ain't no Taylor Swift. David Cook ain't no Carrie Underwood. Kanye West probably isn't happy. (What else is new?)
Here's a rundown of the shutouts, snubs and...
Beyoncé leads the hitmaker-packed field with 10 nominations heading into the 2010 Grammys. Taylor Swift is hot on her heels with eight nods, while Maxwell, Kanye West and the Black Eyed Peas...
They finally score an actual invitation, and then go and turn it down.
Tareq and Michaele Salahi, the couple who infamously got past the Secret Service to crash President Barack...
"Sad Wednesday" is still the worst day of the week for us So You Think You Can Dance fans, but this week, we're really only weeping for one of the eliminees. The...
Now that Tiger Woods has confessed to "transgressions" against his wife, will he still have to pay any kind of price?
—Jayson, Montreal, via the Answer B!tch...
So far, Rachel Uchitel has done nothing but deny reports that she had an affair with Tiger Woods.
But the divorced Las Vegas nightclub exec has something else to say.
Uchitel...
Kalika Moquin is the latest woman to be linked to Tiger Woods, but she's definitely not a new addition to his alleged roster of females.
"They've been friends for three...
Not only have Candy and Tori Spelling been mending fences, but it sounds like they're finally serious about keeping details of the reconciliation private.
I sat down with...
Congratulations are in order for Meredith Baxter nee Birney, better known as the WASPy mom from Family Ties and the Queen of the MFTVMs (Made for TV Movies), who announced via 
Before even getting into this post, I should mention that I myself use an LG phone — the Lotus, to be exact — a small, purple, square clamshell with a full keyboard that looks exactly like birth control. Gratefully, it seems to make calls pretty well, and does wonders controlling my reproductive cycle. But now I have a whole new reason to cradle my phone to sleep: LG has put out a series of ads featuring noneotherthan the 
Did scandal-plagued publicist/alleged voicemail hacker 
Well, the ess has hit the eff for Tiger Woods today. First, his wife breaks his face with a golf club, in what is now known as the “It Was A Car Accident. JK, She Beat Me” Incident. Then, it was time to do some damage control, Tiger-style. US Weekly has obtained a voicemail left by Tiger, sounding as hilariously Caucasian and nervous as ever, asking his paramour to remove her name from the outgoing voicemail message and replacing with a simpler, less accusatory phone number. One can only assume the answering machine sounded like this “Hello, You Have Reached (different, slut voice) I’m Doing Your Husband (robot commences) Please leave a message after the tone.”
