Asked to chime in today on the best-of-the-decade mania, Jay-Z responded “Do I have a favorite album of the decade? Oh man, let's see. That's very difficult. The Blueprint would be my favorite.” And we hate to say it, but he's dead wrong — yes, The Blueprint is a great album, but it's not even the best Jay-Z album of the decade! That would be The Black Album. Now that might just be the best album of the decade. [MTV.co.uk]

Read more posts by Amos Barshad

Filed Under: wrong, jay-z, music

Source: Vulture | 3 Dec 2009 | 4:50 pm

Watch Phoenix Rock a Parisian Tour Bus

For the latest edition of La Blogotheques’ “The Take Away Shows,” Phoenix took to the streets, tour buses, and bridge underpasses of Paris to run through a few of their simple, impeccable pop songs. The reactions are fun — blank stares from seen-it-all tourists, head-bopping from members of a wedding party, fan gushing from a miniature-Eiffel-tower salesman — but the clips are mostly great for how understated and handsome they are, and how well they work as accompaniment to the tunes. Sometimes, it’s just about appreciating the prettiness.

Read more posts by Amos Barshad

Filed Under: right-click, france, music, phoenix

Source: Vulture | 3 Dec 2009 | 4:45 pm

Andrea Bocelli Sings “Time To Say Goodnight” To Elmo; My Body Weeps For a Baby

Look – I know. This video is 3 years old, around the same age as Elmo himself. But it has only now come to my attention, and I feel the need to bring it to those of you not fortunate enough to watch Sesame Street on the daily. It is a video of blind opera singer Andrea Bocelli singing “Time to Say Goodnight” to the tune of his famous operatic single. The words to the song are not what makes it. In fact, they’re almost lazy. (Though “Snorey” is inspired.) What makes this is watching tiny Elmo in his pajamas, falling asleep while a BLIND MAN SINGS HIM A LULLABY. The last 45 seconds will make you want to deliver a Tickle Me Elmo out your V and raise it as your own.

They need to make Andrea Bocelli a permanent fixture in the human Sesame Street cast. I’d love nothing more than to watch him and Gordon throw down. And as a bonus (and to make this current!), we’ve got video of our favorite lady of Daytime TV, Tyra Banks, interview the Muppets — including clips from an ALL MUPPET ADVICE SQUAD. Adorableness ahead, with thanks to Popeater.

Source: Best Week Ever | 3 Dec 2009 | 4:44 pm

Surprise! Few Surprises in Grammy Nominations - New York Times

Reuters

Surprise! Few Surprises in Grammy Nominations New York Times The latest on the arts, coverage of live events, critical reviews, multimedia extravaganzas and much more. Join the discussion. With sales of recorded music in a decade-long slide and the industry's promotional infrastructure of retail ... Grammys' ringing endorsement for ladiesBoston Herald Petersburg native earns Grammy nominationProgress Index Are The Grammys Skewing Younger With Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga Noms?MTV.com Tulsa World -The Spokesman Review -CMT.com all 1,957 news articles »

Source: Entertainment - Google News | 3 Dec 2009 | 4:39 pm

Romance on the Glee Set? Look Who's Talking!

It's hard enough to keep track of all the love quadrangles on Glee, but when you consider its stars' real-life romances, it gets harder than a two-sided jigsaw puzzle. But way...

Source: E! Online (US) - Top Stories | 3 Dec 2009 | 4:38 pm

Gossip Girl Sneak Peeks: Is Bart Bass the Ghost of Christmas Past?

The haters say that happy Chuck (Ed Westwick) and Blair (Leighton Meester) aren't as much fun as yearning, separate, smoky-sexy Chuck and Blair, but if you're a true Gossip Girl fan, how...

Source: E! Online (US) - Top Stories | 3 Dec 2009 | 4:35 pm

Review: 'Hawk' offers wireless skateboard control (AP)

AP - "Tony Hawk: Ride" ($120; Xbox360, Wii, PS3) is a groundbreaking video game that fits right in with the namesake skating legend's no-rough-edges appeal. It's a silky smooth experience with an inventive wireless skate deck controller and a friendly learning curve.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 3 Dec 2009 | 4:33 pm

Link Party: Taylor Swift Frolics in a Bikini

• Taylor Swift went on vacation and this is a video of her in short shorts and bikinis. Ahhh! So scandalous. Not really, actually, her wholesomeness always shines through. •...

Source: E! Online (US) - Top Stories | 3 Dec 2009 | 4:24 pm

Maggie Gyllenhaal's Paparazzi Run-In With TomKat

Maggie Gyllenhaal knows she and her husband, Peter Sarsgaard, aren't big-money targets for the paparazzi. In fact, they could come face-to-face with a pack of shutterbugs and still go...

Source: E! Online (US) - Top Stories | 3 Dec 2009 | 4:24 pm

Tiger Woods Sounding Much Sexier In This Voicemail Slow Jam Remix

The fine, musical people over at HalfDayToday have put together what is easily our most favoritest sexual slow jam to sex to since Colonel Abrams’ “Table For Two.” It’s The Tiger Woods Voicemail Slow Jam, and if you never thought Tiger was sexy before, a. we don’t blame you, and b. hold on to your panties, because all it’ll take is a warm fire, a bearskin rug, and this song played on repeat to become Tiger’s next conquest. We’re talking men and women here. This song has no sexual preference. It just wants to be sexual is all. “Name off your phone…”

THE WORLD RIGHT NOW:

Source: Best Week Ever | 3 Dec 2009 | 4:11 pm

Will France’s Proposed Photoshop Regulations Actually Make the State of Women’s Magazines Less Troublesome?

Boyer. This image has been retouched.

Valérie Boyer is the 47-year-old French Parliament member and mother of three who proposed a law that France label retouched advertising images as such. She worries about the pressure her 16- and 17-year-old daughters might feel to be thin, like models in magazines. From the New York Times:

It is a topic that consumes her. “If someone wants to make life a success, wants to feel good in their skin, wants to be part of society, one has to be thin or skinny, and then it’s not enough — one will have his body transformed with software that alters the image, so we enter a standardized and brainwashed world, and those who aren’t part of it are excluded from society.”

Are they? We know very few people who look like models. And they're not all outcasts whose best friends are Ben & Jerry's and Netflix. Ex-model Inès de La Fressange calls Boyer's proposal "demagogic and stupid," adding that labeling photos as retouched won't stop anorexia, which is a complicated psychological disease.

The proposal isn't perfect. Photographers note that certain camera lenses can create an illusion of reality even before digital retouching comes into play. The editor of French Marie Claire notes that all her readers know nowadays that every photo in women's magazines is retouched. French fashion photographer Dominique Issermann pointed out that in a well-known photo she took of Keira Knightley for a Chanel ad, she didn't enhance her breasts, as many thought, but filled out her thigh because it was too thin. Talk to any retoucher and they'll tell you, they spend a lot of time erasing bones on models — knee caps, rips, what have you — and filling them out where they are distractingly thin.

Though Boyer's proposals can't hurt, and may discourage overzealous retouching, Photoshopped pictures aren't the only problems women's magazines have.

“I buy tons of women’s magazines. I love fashion and I love life,” she said. “But it seems to me that as a matter of professional ethics, you have to warn people that the image of the body has been modified.”

It’s a matter of honesty, she insisted. “Do you think you have to lie in order to dream? We must treat the public as adults, and I think it’s a true feminist battle. I don’t understand why women’s magazines aren’t rallying to it.”

They're not rallying to it because the whole point of them is to make us think we need all the stuff they're trying to sell us in order to feel good about ourselves. Look at the stories. This month, Allure offers "Willpower 101: Easy Tricks for Weight Loss, Exercise, and Work." Cosmo asks, "Is Stress Turning You Into a Raging Bitch?" but will also tell us what colors will "Make a Man's Heart Race." Ironically, In Style will tell you "How to Look Amazing in Photos" (get retouched! Ha). Glamour will tell us how to "Eat, Drink, and Not Gain Weight." Elle will tell us, "How to Look Seriously Younger, Better, Hotter Than Everyone Else" at a reunion. Meanwhile, GQ will tell men about "The Best Stuff of '09 Cars! Clothes! Food!" (FOOD!) Details reads, "If You're Not Already Screwing Around, You Will Be." So women are fat, stressed, bitchy, and wrinkly, and if we want to please our men we better carefully examine his psyche and do and wear exactly the right things to keep him happy. Because don't you know? If he's not cheating on you now, he will be! Telling readers when photos are retouched won't have much effect on all that.

Point, Shoot, Retouch and Label? [NYT]

Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: photoshopped, chanel, ines de la fressange, keira knightley, valerie boyer

Source: The Cut | 3 Dec 2009 | 4:10 pm

Report: ABC Has Offered GMA Gig to Stephanopoulos

ABC/Disney TV president Anne Sweeney has made an offer to ABC's chief political correspondent, George Stephanopoulos, to take over the anchor chair that Diane Sawyer will leave empty when she departs Good Morning America for the network's evening World News program. Both Howard Kurtz in the Washington Post and Chris Ariens at TVNewser report that the deal is somewhat complicated, not a definite, and based on varying preferences on each side: Stephanopoulos hopes to be able to continue to host This Week, his Sunday political show, an aim which many at ABC think is unrealistic. Also, he would like the role to better reflect his political and news interests, and to skew away from much of the fluff in which Sawyer gamely participated.

There's also the fact that Stephanopoulos has lived and been a player in Washington, D.C., for over a decade, since he arrived there alongside Bill Clinton as a campaign staffer in 1992. A former communications director for Clinton, Stephanopoulos has long been near the heart of media and politics, and his desire to keep at least his toes in the thick of it through The Week could reflect reluctance to leave Washington as a whole. With his two daughters settled there, there may be a significant amount of inertia keeping him in place.

"We've made our timetable clear from the start, that this would be a four-month process," ABC spokesman Jeffrey Schneider told Kurtz. "We're still in that process, and we'll make an announcement as soon as we can." Meanwhile, Sawyer will take over for Charlie Gibson and start her own new gig on December 21.

ABC offers morning show to Stephanopoulos, sources say [WP]
George Stephanopoulos Offered 'Good Morning America' Job [TVNewser/Mediabistro]

Read more posts by Chris Rovzar

Filed Under: in other news, abc news, george stephanopoulos, good morning america, media

Source: Daily Intel | 3 Dec 2009 | 4:00 pm

Fox’s Newest Game Show Will Almost Certainly Crush Children’s Spirits

In the wake of the controversy generated by the groundbreaking awesomeness that was Kid Nation, television networks have understandably been reluctant to put children in a position to potentially embarrass themselves on prime time. Well, you just knew that some brave network would one day find themselves unable to resist an opportunity to humiliate pre-teens. That day has come and, of course, that network is Fox. They just gave the greenlight to a new game show called Our Little Genius, which will feature "a bunch of brilliant children proving just how smart they are." We're not sure how you feel about it, but we are enthralled that a whole new generation of "Quiz Kid" Donnie Smiths are about to enter society's ranks! [TV Week]

Read more posts by Mark Graham

Filed Under: wise up, fox, our little genius, quiz kid donnie smith, tv

Source: Vulture | 3 Dec 2009 | 4:00 pm

Box office incumbents stay strong

Front Page: Newcomers go up against holdovers 'Moon,' 'Blind' -- New releases will have a tough task eclipsing holdovers "New Moon" and "The Blind Side."

Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 3 Dec 2009 | 3:56 pm

Blake Lively Questions Career After Filming Weird Scene in 'Pippa Lee'

The "Gossip Girl" star says dream role came with one embarrassing scene.

Source: FOXNews.com | 3 Dec 2009 | 3:50 pm

Sandy Weill: ‘I’m Not Really Wanting of Objects’

Last night at the opening-night gala for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York reporter Jada Yuan came face to leathery face with Sandy Weill, the former Citigroup chairman who built the company into a struggling monster now supported by the U.S. government and then walked away with a billion-plus dollars and an absurdly generous package of perks he only recently gave up. Of course, it being a civilized event, she didn't want to inquire as to how guilty he felt about all of that, exactly, or to bring up the dirty business of politics, though Weill did reveal, in their brief but pleasant conversation, that he thinks Tim Geithner needs to "relax."

What do you want for the holidays?
Health and happiness for my family.

Anything else?
I’m not really wanting of objects.

I would think you’d be impossible to shop for.
I don’t know. I’m a little difficult.

Anything you’d get for Geithner?
I think he needs to relax. He should relax a little bit.

You’d give him a vacation?
Yeah. He’s a very smart guy and I think he’s done a lot before this administration and through it, but I think he has to be less tense.

Massage?
Maybe both [massage and vacation]. I think we’re lucky to have him.

Read more posts by Jada Yuan

Filed Under: party lines, business, citigroup, sandy weill

Source: Daily Intel | 3 Dec 2009 | 3:45 pm

Heavy-handed 'Lonely Hunter' travels to off-B'way (AP)

AP - It's difficult to translate a beloved novel for the stage, especially one with a lot of interior dialogue.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 3 Dec 2009 | 3:36 pm

Looking Sharp, Fergie

Fergie took a page out of Rihanna's playbook last night at the Grammy concert with her spiked shoulders.

Would you wear a dress with sharp prongs, or are you scared of impaling yourself (or your date)?

Read more posts by Amina Akhtar

Filed Under: look of the day, fergie

Source: The Cut | 3 Dec 2009 | 3:30 pm

Five things about Elin

You know Elin Nordegren is married to Tiger Woods -- but what else do you know about her?
Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 3 Dec 2009 | 3:23 pm

Stone accused of assault

Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood was arrested on suspicion of domestic assault.
Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 3 Dec 2009 | 3:16 pm

Britney Spears' Bizarre Birthday Date Night

It was all about bull-riding and boots for Spears' 28th

Source: FOXNews.com | 3 Dec 2009 | 3:16 pm

Italian Vogue Appears to Have Devoted the December Cover to Twitter

Neato, Italian Vogue. Neat-o.

The cover of this month's Italian Vogue is a collage of models taking pictures of themselves, as though they are Twitpic-ing. Gisele even makes an appearance, but, sadly, she has chosen not to photograph her baby bump. An editorial inside is rumored to also have been shot in the same Twitpic style. Twitter has been good to models. Tyra Banks has had America's Next Top Model for years, and at last the rest have a medium to show the world that they, too, can take pictures. [Fashionologie]

Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: cover girls, gisele bundchen, italian vogue, models, twitter

Source: The Cut | 3 Dec 2009 | 3:10 pm

Fuld Feels the Pinch [The Disgraced]

Former Lehman Brothers CEO Dick Fuld has been out of sight for months now. (He's been spending much of his time holed up at his house in Idaho.) His problems, howver, continue, it seems. Over the past year, he's unloaded part of his art collection, sold off his apartment on Park Avenue, and given up his memberships at several high-priced country clubs. And yet he's now a bit behind on the $212,000 property tax bill for his house in Florida— the one, as we first reported, that he flipped to his wife for next to nothing last November. [TDB]

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 3 Dec 2009 | 2:58 pm

GLEE RECAP: Hush Little Baby, Don’t Say A Word. Mama’s Gonna Buy You a – Wait, You Don’t Exist.

A lot happened on last night’s episode of Glee. Well, at least in the last half. But rather than give you a straight up recap, we’d instead like to offer up our 10 favorite GIF’s from last night’s episode, courtesy of the mysterious Glee GIF-master Fight-the-sky.

10. Rachel Is Glee’s Max Fisher. In a literal yearbook page taken from the classic Wes Anderson movie, Rushmore, we are shown Rachel’s somewhat unsurprising penchant for extracurricular activities. Including the Rennaisance Club:

Who are big fans. And the Black Student Union:

The show really needs to get those actors involved somehow, because those expressions are worth in the hundreds of millions.

9. The Glee Kids Have Non-Sexual Matress Orgy. What happens when a bunch of sexually charged teenagers put on loose-fitting pajama pants and find themselves surrounded by mattresses?

Well, if those kids are on Glee, they break out into a super gay dance routine!

Also, if the Emmys ever (finally) begin handing out awards for “Most Satisfying GIFs,” you can be sure Mercedes will be lugging around that trophy for years to come:

8. The Piano Player Is Still Amazing. Who is this mysterious man? He brings so much to the table and asks for literally nothing in return.

7. Mr. Schue Finds Out Sh*t Just Got Real. This episode wasn’t so much about the music as it was about the ~drama. Specifically, Will Schuester rooting around in his drawers for a regular ol’ pocket square, and finding instead his wife’s fake pregnancy belly. We have to hand it to her: The excuse about using it to try on clothes was inspired — exactly the kind of thing only a maniacal bitch could concoct. Note that you can barely tell the difference between the following two Gifs:

A.

B.

6. Mr. Schue looks hot when he’s angry. Look, Will’s a handsome guy, right? But let’s face it: All season, he’s been kind of a pee-blank-ess-ess-why about things. Something which can really detract from a man’s appearance. But whoo chile not toNIGHT. Check out his white hot rage here:

And his Twilighty Vampire Fangs Here (~Team Will!~):

He even brought that ish out on Sue! (Who deserved it as much as anyone.)

5. But Even Better When He Cries. Well, if you thought he looked good above, buckle the aitch up. Because nothing is a bigger turn on than a big, musical theater loving schoolteacher spilling hot blood angers of lost youth. This scene was the final nail in the “Matthew Morrison Is 2009’s Best Discovery” Coffin. (A bad analogy, but you catch your drift.)

4. Principal Figgins Is Actually The Most Amazing. Sorry, piano playing dude, but Princy Figgz stole our heart from episode 1 onwards.

3. Sue Sylvester Is More Venemous Now Than Ever Before. Find out a woman has a sister with down syndrome, and one starts to think that maybe said woman will learn to soften up. But not Sue. Though she has always been nothing short of the worst (and, as a result, best), last night her venom was poppin’ out of every stressed, taut pore. Thankfully, Quinn had her little way with her at the episode’s end, but really, are we supposed to believe that costume really fit? Please.

2. This Bitch Is Hopefully Gone. I mean, really.

1. Puck Is Still Stealing Scenes. The guy doesn’t even have to have any lines to steal whatever scene his landing strip is featured in.

Next week is the last episode of Glee FOR MANY MANY MONTHS to come! We are, as a result, depressed. On the bright side, oer-em-gee are Will and Emma gonna finally kiss? Will the Glee club win sectionals?! We imagine certain storylines will be left hanging, such as Finn finding out about the real baby daddy, and Mercedes and Kurt hooking up (JGay), but it would be fabulous if they could just toss us a single bone before the blackness of a Glee-less winter descends upon us.

Let us know your hopes for next week’s fakey season finale, and your thoughts on last night’s episode!

Source: Best Week Ever | 3 Dec 2009 | 2:54 pm

National Geographic Adventure Closes

Staff at the National Geographic Society's Adventure magazine were alerted this morning to the news that the title — which just celebrated its tenth anniversary earlier this year — would be shutting down. Advertising was down nearly 60 percent this quarter compared to last year, which was one of the biggest declines in the industry. "Given the current advertising environment and the opportunities we see in emerging digital platforms, we think the time is right to transition the Adventure brand," said magazine-group president John Griffin in a statement. The brand will continue on in a "multi-platform" model in the form of their annual awards, "newsstand editions, books, e-magazines, mobile applications, and a robust Web site," the company said in a statement. But the company also said that there will be seventeen layoffs associated with this shift — that's the entire staff. "The official release from the company says that the brand will continue, but no one associated with the editorial content at the brand right now is going to be around," said a source from the company. "I don't think they quite know what to do." The eliminated staffers have two weeks left on payroll. They'll be accompanied out the door even by well-respected editor-in-chief John Rasmus, who launched the title in 1999 and had previously helmed Outside and Men's Journal. Other titles at the company, like Traveler and even the flagship National Geographic, are also down in ad pages, but the company says they are in no danger of shuttering.

National Geographic Adventure to Stop Publishing [Media Decoder/NYT]
National Geographic Kills Print Edition of Adventure [Folio]

Read more posts by Chris Rovzar

Filed Under: media deathwatch, media, media metamorphoses, national geographic, national geographic adventure

Source: Daily Intel | 3 Dec 2009 | 2:50 pm

Meet the New Girl: Lisanne de Jong

Lisanne de Jong (Elite) at Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti.

Lisanne de Jong might look like the average blonde-haired, blue-eyed newbie that floods the industry season after season, but this rookie is to be taken seriously. After signing with Elite New York earlier this year, the statuesque Dutch teen hit all of casting director Russell Marsh's spring shows in New York: BCBG Max Azria, Hervé Léger, Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti, and Max Azria. In Milan she was placed on exclusive for Prada, and then walked for Miu Miu and Balenciaga in Paris. Booking top runway shows is great, but booking campaigns is what sets a newcomer and rising star apart. Say hello to the newest face of Balenciaga, shot by Steven Meisel; Celine, shot by Jurgen Teller; and Burberry eyewear. Looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of this one.

Model Profile: Lisanne de Jong

For more model info and photos, check out our Model Manual.

Read more posts by James Lim

Filed Under: model tracker, lisanne de jong, models

Source: The Cut | 3 Dec 2009 | 2:45 pm

Stevie Wonder Named UN Messenger Of Peace, Staring Into Distances

Yep, really:

Hehehe…looking off to the right. Oh Stevie Wonder, you’re the Stevie Wonderest!

To quote Noah Garfinkel upon seeing this photo, “…is this Applebee’s?”

Source: Best Week Ever | 3 Dec 2009 | 2:40 pm

Bookie Goes Bust [Bankruptcies]

Off-Track Betting, the quasi-public agency that has provided so much joy to this city's population of gambling-addicted, alcoholic miscreants—and turned more than a few neighborhoods into cesspools in the process—has filed for bankruptcy protection and now plans to scale back operations. [NYT]

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 3 Dec 2009 | 2:39 pm

How Many Times Did You Google ‘Bluffin’ With My Muffin’ in 2009?

According to some data just released by Google, more people searched the Internet for the lyrics to Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" than any other song this year. Rounding out the top five were Beyoncé's "Halo," Taylor Swift's "Love Story," Miley Cyrus's "The Climb," and Jay Sean's "Down." As for us, well, we're still trying to figure out what Thomas Mars is saying on "Lisztomania." [Google Zeitgeist via Maura]

Read more posts by Mark Graham

Filed Under: apropos of nothing, lady gaga, music

Source: Vulture | 3 Dec 2009 | 2:30 pm

Pat Kiernan Is Fearless [Anchormen]

"Man cleavage—plunging necklines slit open to reveal chest hair, pectoral muscles, maybe more—is back," today's Wall Street Journal reported. How did Pat Kiernan, the beloved and normally buttoned-up NY1 anchor and host of "In the Papers" respond? He showed off his stuff, naturally. [NY1]

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 3 Dec 2009 | 2:22 pm

Hey, Men, Get Your Boobs Out!

A look from Yigal Azrouël's spring 2010 show, Ed Westwick, and True Blood's Mehcad Brooks.

Step aside, Blake Lively. Men have breasts, too, and they are whipping them out with a vengeance. Man cleavage, dubbed "heavage" by the Telegraph's Hilary Alexander, is on the rise, reports The Wall Street Journal. Now, heavage is nothing new. As early as the twenties actor Douglas Fairbanks Sr. had his upper breasts and middle chest routinely on display in his films. But the Journal argues that man cleavage hasn't been this prominent since the seventies (John Travolta, Saturday Night Fever). And man boobs — but not man nipples (mipples?) — were all over the spring 2010 runways, namely those of Yigal Azrouël and Michael Bastian.

Bastian says heavage is coming back because trendy male models have gone from waifish twigs to hulking, lumpy, manly men with breasts most deserving of a little airing out. But also, as we've noted repeatedly, designers are in love with the idea of clothes that aren't actually clothes. The spring runways were filled with models in panties instead of pants, bras instead of shirts, and low-cut tops for men — all merely an extension of gradually working our way toward a world in which a nudist way of life is the norm.

Also, hipsters and wannabe-hipsters have been buying the deep-Vs at American Apparel for years, and if any store matters to street fashion it's that one, whatever your feelings may be about it. It is possible that men are embracing heavage out of lady-cleavage envy. They don't want us to forget they have boobs, too!

Brad Wieners, editor-in-chief of Men's Journal magazine, believes that the magazine has made guys feel more comfortable about wearing more fitted clothes and styles that show that they work out. Mr. Wieners notes that for a recent cover shoot, actor Alec Baldwin donned a shirt open at the collar, subtly revealing chest hair. "He's not Burt Reynolds," says the editor. "But he's letting you know he's got a chest."

And, ladies, we could possibly learn a thing or two about putting the girls on display from men. Currently (and seeing how crazy men are with their fashion these days, this could certainly change), women stand a greater risk of abusing their breasts and walking out of the house with them on indecent display. It's not fair: The fashion industry keeps making those giant waist belts that can push a girl's boobs up to her eyeballs. Men don't really have this option. But they are meticulous about what they show and don't show.

The latest resurrection of man cleavage does raise a not-so insignificant issue: to wax or not? For a number of years, any male chest hair was considered a fashion don't, but very recently a thin thatch has become quite acceptable. The low-cut look "is better if you have a little chest hair," says Tyler Thoreson, a New York-based men's style consultant. "It's not about showing off chest hair, it's about it peeking out a little bit."

...Robert Caponi, a 32-year-old musician in Greensboro, N.C., isn't taking any chances. In order to get the hair-to-skin ratio just right, he shaves his chest every two weeks or so -- a regimen that helps him to feel comfortable in one of the six deep V-neck shirts he owns. Not all styles fit the bill. After purchasing a wide scoop neck recently, he declared it simply too revealing. "I looked in the mirror and I was disgusted," he says.

Now, men could learn a thing or two from women and ogling, because while they have their boys out, we will probably never be as blatant about staring at them as this.

More Men Have Something They Want to Get Off Their Chests -- Their Shirts [WSJ]

Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: boobs or lose, designers, heavage, men are the new women, michael bastian, spring 2010, yigal azrouel

Source: The Cut | 3 Dec 2009 | 2:20 pm

‘In Short, You Are the Definition of a Moral Hazard’

The ignorance of Congress on matters financial has been a well-trod meme this year, one that lawmakers are surely aware of. And so when Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke arrived on the Hill for his confirmation hearing today, he found himself sitting in front of lawmakers who had done their homework and were ready to show off their smarts. Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, for one, had clearly spent some time on Google, and at one point gleefully rattled off a number of the more embarrassing Bernanke quotes from 2007 ("the impact on the broader economy and financial markets of the problems in the subprime markets seems likely to be contained") and 2008 ("I don't anticipate any serious problems of that sort among the large, internationally active banks that make up a very substantial part of our banking system"). Senator Bob Corker laid into the Fed chairman about his oversight — or lack thereof — at Citigroup, which he called an "absolute disaster" and a "prime example" of an institution the Fed should've watched out for. And even Senate Banking Committee chair Chris Dodd, after expressing his support for the former Princeton professor, chastised him for the recent report from the TARP inspector general, which indicated he had been a wimp in not forcing big banks to take a haircut on AIG.

This, Bernanke, who spent much of the four-hour hearing apologizing, protested:

"Most of the firms were foreign. We had no authority over them," he says. When Dodd points out that Bernanke is chairman of the Federal Reserve, Bernanke responds: "I don't abuse my supervisory power."

"Apparently not in this case," Dodd says.

Of course, with the exception of Jim Bunning — the Kentucky senator who loathes the Fed in general and is seeking to block Bernanke's appointment breathed fire at the Fed chairman ("You are the definition of a moral hazard. I will do everything I can to stop your nomination and drag out this process as long as I can") — most of these guys will end up voting for Bernanke in the end, because overall he has done a good job and, well, let's face it, they'd probably rather have these talks with him than with Larry Summers. In the end, this was really just about putting him on notice, Meet the Parents–style. So now you know, Ben. They're. Watching. You.

Bernanke Tells Senators Fed ‘Should Have Done More’ [NYT]
Live Blog: Bernanke Under Fire in the Senate [WSJ]
Jim Bunning's Full Amazing Statement [WSJ]

Read more posts by Jessica Pressler

Filed Under: ben bernanke, business, congress, fools on the hill, politics, wise beard

Source: Daily Intel | 3 Dec 2009 | 2:19 pm

Search Warrants Served at Yahoo, Google in Erin Andrews Stalker Case

Search warrants have been served at Yahoo and Google in connection with an Illinois man accused of secretly recording nude videos of ESPN repoter Erin Andrews.

Source: FOXNews.com | 3 Dec 2009 | 2:10 pm

Battleship Director Peter Berg Explains the Right Way to Make a Board-Game Movie

This summer, as we watched plotless board game and childhood toy after plotless board game and childhood toy get optioned by Hollywood (this needs to be pointed out just once more — they’re making a View-Master movie), we wondered just how the hell filmmakers would manage these adaptations. Now we’re getting some damn answers. This week, Peter Berg, director of Battleship, talked to reporters about his crazy-sounding movie.

So, yes, it'll be a big naval-warfare movie, only the enemy won't be an opposing country, but rather water bug–like aliens called the Regents; they come to earth to build something mysterious, and in the process mix it up with a five-ship fleet. Luckily, according to CHUD, “their weapons are ballistics-based” and “while their boats are inserted into Earth's atmosphere through flight, once they get to the water they stay on the water.”

This is our second-favorite part:

The Regents will in some way render the Navy's high tech inoperable. Falling back on old school methods, our heroes must track and destroy the alien fleet with whatever tools they have, including trial and error. Just like in the game.

This is our favorite part:

Someone will say 'You sank my battleship!' in the movie. In fact, Berg is adamant that it has to be there.

Of course, this is far crazier than what we came up with.

FIGHT THE SHIP: PETER BERG TALKS BATTLESHIP [CHUD via Videogum]

Read more posts by Amos Barshad

Filed Under: wtf, battleship, movies, peter berg

Source: Vulture | 3 Dec 2009 | 2:00 pm

Fake Socialites, Real Consequences [Scandal]

With politicians and pundits calling for blood, it was only a matter of time before there'd be some serious fallout from last week's crashing of the White House state dinner. Now there is. Three Secret Service officers were placed on administrative leave today over the security breach. And more trouble is brewing for Tareq and Michaele Salahi. Not only could they be forced to testify before the House Homeland Security committee, the couple's super-suspicious charity is now under investigation by the state of Virginia. Good work, Bravo. [ABC, WP]

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 3 Dec 2009 | 1:56 pm

Fine Line of Distinction Between Extortion and a Payoff

Rumors of a payoff are swirling around the Tiger Woods scandal, but the case isn't a perfect comparison with the affair scandal involving David Letterman -- that allegedly involves extortion, but Fox News' legal expert says the Woods scenario is perfectly legal

Source: FOXNews.com | 3 Dec 2009 | 1:54 pm

Using Fat for Breast Implants Safe; Chanel No. 5 Will Get You a Date

Katy Perry.

PLASTIC SURGERY
• The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports that using liposuctioned fat for breast augmentation is safe, reversing its twenty-year stance against the procedure. Doctors previously had expressed concern that the calcium deposits that can occur from the procedure would lead to incorrectly read mammograms. [NYT]

HAIR
• Katy Perry debuted new short bangs at the Grammy nominations last night. What do you think of the look? [Girls in the Beauty Department/Glamour]

• New hair-care line HerCut takes a new approach to hair products, sorting them by haircut rather than hair type. The line offers formulas for bobs, long layers, blunt cuts, shag cuts, and pixie cuts. It's available on Sephora.com now and will reach stores in February. [Fashionista]

FRAGRANCE
• A British survey found that Chanel No. 5 is the scent most likely to attract a mate. Superdrug's poll of 3,000 women found that one in ten testers were able to find a date while wearing the perfume. [Grazia UK]

• Cartier is releasing a set of luxury fragrances dubbed Les Heures du Parfum (translation: the Hours of Perfume). The first five, out of a future total of thirteen, are out now and include I ("the Promising Hour"), VI ("the Shining Hour"), X ("the Crazy Hour"), XII ("the Mysterious Hour"), and XIII ("the Thirteenth Hour"). The company plans to release two each year in non-chronological order. [Independent UK]

• Jennifer Lopez plans to launch J Lo Blue Glow in February, to compliment J Lo Glow. The fruity, floral fragrance will also be available in a body lotion. [Now Smell This]

SKIN
• There's a new website called popthatzit.com, featuring various photos and videos of people popping their own (and others') pimples. Keep these things to yourselves, kids. [Beauty Blogging Junkie]

Read more posts by Alexandra Martell

Filed Under: beauty marks, beauty, cartier, chanel, fragrance, hair, jennifer lopez, katy perry, plasitc surgery, skin

Source: The Cut | 3 Dec 2009 | 1:50 pm

So Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen Were Hanging Out in Park Slope ...

It's thought that Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Miles Davis have all spent time in the extra-wide townhouse on Eighth Avenue in Park Slope that is now up for sale. The giant home was most recently owned by rock photographer David Gahr, and boasts a whopping eleven bedrooms, great light, an unrenovated roof deck, and many original fixtures. It'll need some updating, but because of the size — it's on a rare spacious corner lot — the price tag might just seem like a steal.

Read more posts by S. Jhoanna Robledo

Filed Under: walk-through, real estate, video, videos

Source: Daily Intel | 3 Dec 2009 | 1:45 pm

Took You Long Enough To Make A Tiger Woods “Cheetah” Joke, NY Post

Continuing our ongoing coverage of the New York Post’s Tiger Woods pun headlines — by far the most exciting element to this story — the Post today finally stepped it up and crossed the threshold we’ve been expecting for three days now…

They finally made a CHEETAH joke:

Wow, Tiger actually admitted that he was a “Cheetah?” Nice to see he’s got his sense of humor with him through this ordeal. Also, impressive real picture of Tiger after the accident, Post! Rare double-scoop going here.

Who knew that Tiger looked so much like Little Mac after losing a fight?

Source: Best Week Ever | 3 Dec 2009 | 1:41 pm

We Love ... Ruffian

Brian Wolk and Claude Morais, the dynamic design duo behind the label Ruffian, are quietly creating couture-esque clothing right here in New York. With a salonlike showroom and cozy sofas to match, these two are designing discreetly chic pieces we all want to own. Their special collection for Anthropologie now makes their genius affordable.

Here are five reasons why we love Ruffian:

1. The Beige cashmere overcoat with double ruffle collar is spectacular and won't break the bank.
2. Love the racy, lacy tights with hand seaming.
3. Even the home stuff is fab. The platinum ombré glasses looks like they are heirlooms from Lalique.
4. Can't wait for their new affordable men's line for Macy's coming this spring.
5. They are just the cutest and coolest guys. We're mad for them!

The Lacy Floral Tights in dark gray are $38. The New Standard Overcoat is $328. The Platinum Ombré Water Glass is $18. The collection also includes a Champagne coupe, martini glass, and wine glass. Mise en Scene by Ruffian is available at Anthropologie at Rockefeller Center (50 Rockefeller Plaza, 212-246-0386) and Anthropologie in Soho (375 W. Broadway, 212-343-7070).

Read more posts by Harriet Mays Powell

Filed Under: we love, anthropologie, ruffian

Source: The Cut | 3 Dec 2009 | 1:25 pm

2009: That Really Happened?! Remixxx!

On December 8, 2009, VH1 will be doing what VH1 does best: Looking back on the year that was, and then slurring, loudly, “WTF?” It’s VH1’s 2009: That Really Happened?! And you have to admit, 2009 was pretttttty effed. From Twitter to Twilight and Speidi to Susan Boyle to Balloon Boy to the Gosselins to Michael Jackson dying* (*and everyone else). 2009 was this. (In other words, a rap song from 1991.)

DJ Steve Porter — who you might know as the genius behind the Slap Chop Remix — has strung together some of the most delusional, shocking, confusing and infuriating moments of the year in this 2009: That Really Happened?! Remixxx!, a song made all the better by Christian Bale’s Rant. (Yes, that happened this year.) Watch in amazement, sing it later today, and make sure to catch the one-hour year-end special “2009: That Really Happened!?!” premiering on VH1 Tuesday, December 8 at 9 PM.

• VH1 TV Shows
• Music Videos
• Celebrity Photos
• News & Gossip

Source: Best Week Ever | 3 Dec 2009 | 1:17 pm

Michaelmania Hits Miami [Art]

Art Basel Miami kicked off today and everyone who's anyone in the art world—from dealers to collectors to professional party-hoppers—has now headed south and Miami is now even more awash with air kisses and insincere compliments. (If you're in town and looking to crash a good party, head over to the event that Peter Brant, Aby Rosen and Alberto Mugrabi are hosting this evening; it's expected to be one of the fair's highlights.) 

Don't assume, though, the high-minded art set has been immune to one of the cheesiest cultural trends to sweep the country in recent months.

One of the most popular works this year which is on display at dealer Jeffrey Deitch's booth is a painting by Kehinde Wiley entitled "Equestrian Portrait of King Philip II," and is "a Rubens riff that replaces the roundfaced Spanish monarch with Michael Jackson."

Spotted at Art Basel Miami: Michael Jackson on Horseback [Unbeige]
You're Not Invited To Art Basel’s Most Exclusive Party [AFC]

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 3 Dec 2009 | 1:02 pm

Christian Louboutin Inspires Style.com to Curse in a Headline

Most blogs we look at wouldn't use the word "ass" in a headline, so our curiosity was most piqued when we noticed it in big bold letters at the top of a Style.com post. Apparently Christian Louboutin, that shoe designer who is so terrifically quotable, told them, “The women in Colombia are so sexy. I had no idea how much Colombia is driven by dancing. They are really into boobs, the ass, dancing.” And so their headline: "Christian Louboutin, Ass Man?" Welcome to the dark side, ladies! [Style File/Style.com]

Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: the loubinator, christian louboutin, designers, quotables

Source: The Cut | 3 Dec 2009 | 12:50 pm

Striking workers at the entrance of the Louvre museum

Workers on strike stand under the Louvre museum Pyramide entrance in Paris. Called by all seven unions representing culture ministry employees, the open-ended strike is to protest government plans to drastically...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 3 Dec 2009 | 12:28 pm

Union banners atthe entrance of the Louvre museum

Trade-unions banners are displayed in front of the Louvre museum Pyramide entrance in Paris as a strike by Paris museum staff to protest government plans to drastically trim the civil service by replacing...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 3 Dec 2009 | 12:28 pm

The Deep Dark Past of Rachel Uchitel [Mistresses]

Rachel Uchitel, the New York-based club promoter who is believed to have had an affair with Tiger Woods, was supposed to give a press conference today along with her publicity-seeking attorney Gloria Allred. But she abruptly canceled it this morning. Is she waiting for a news outlet to cut her a big check? Or is she keeping quiet because—as TMZ suggests—Woods may make it worth her while to stay silent? That's all up in the air at the moment. But if you're wondering what would lead a woman down the path of tabloid infamy, this may shed a little light on the underlying psychology. 

Clearly, with a father like this—not to mention the loss of her first husband on 9/11—it would be a surprise if Uchitel weren't seriously screwed up at this point. From the Anchorage Daily News in 1990:

Bob Uchitel, a prominent boom-era dreamer and promoter who retreated from the spotlight he once loved and became a recluse in recent years, was found dead at his south Anchorage estate Tuesday morning of an apparent cocaine overdose.

A caretaker found his body on the living room floor surrounded by blood- spattered walls and a shattered glass coffee table. Uchitel had been dead since Sunday, police said.

An investigation turned up no signs of violence. Anchorage Police Lt. Shirley Warner said Uchitel apparently suffered a drug-induced seizure and bled from his cocaine-damaged nose before he died.

That's just the beginning of the tale. You can read the full story here.

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 3 Dec 2009 | 12:21 pm

Lily Allen Wants to Quit Music to Open a Clothing-Rental Boutique

Chanel face Lily Allen told a radio show in the U.K. that she wants to take a two-year sabbatical from her music career to open a boutique with her sister. How Savannah and Sienna Miller of them! She wants to call it Lucy in Disguise, and rather than sell clothes, rent them. These clothing-rental businesses are proliferating (we blame the Sex and the City movie and Jennifer Hudson's gaudy bags), but how in-demand are they, really? Renting clothes is not on our list of things to do. You? [Elle UK]

Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: inevitable things, lily allen

Source: The Cut | 3 Dec 2009 | 12:20 pm

Worst Seatmate Ever [Travel]

Think you've ever had a really uncomfortable flight? Just be thankful you've never been forced to sit next to this guy. [NYP]

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 3 Dec 2009 | 12:06 pm

Sundance unveils complete lineup

Front Page: Premieres, Next, Midnight programs announced -- New films directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michael Winterbottom, Nicole Holofcener and Joel Schumacher, and starring such thesps as Ben Affleck, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds and Adrien Brody, mark the lineups of the Premieres, Midnight and other noncompetitive sections of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 3 Dec 2009 | 12:00 pm

The Full Rodarte for Target Look Book, With Prices

Rodarte's Target collection will be in stores from December 20 through January 31 (you can grab some of it early at Target's Manhattan holiday pop-up shop). Despite the retailer's best efforts to keep the line top secret, many of the looks have already leaked onto the Internet. However, the look book, which is finally out, offers a clear, comprehensive look at the entire collection, with prices. (Those lace tights are $12.99. Who knew?) Check it out in the slideshow.

Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: targeted, designers, rodarte, slideshow, target

Source: The Cut | 3 Dec 2009 | 11:50 am

ABC cans another Lambert gig

For the second time, ABC has cancelled an appearance by the onetime "American Idol" favorite.
Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 3 Dec 2009 | 11:43 am

Turkish-German director Fatih Akin

Prominent Turkish-German director Fatih Akin, seen here in September 2009, said Thursday he would not bring his new film to Switzerland in protest against a referendum vote that banned the construction...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 3 Dec 2009 | 11:42 am

TOP CHEF FINALE RECAP: Grape Job, Bravo Producers

This is a Recap of the Top Chef Season 6 Finale Part 1, in Napa Valley. If you haven’t seen the episode, this recap will spoil the results for you like a bottle of wine gets spoiled if you leave it out. Or maybe it’ll just age finely. Better read and find out.

– It’s Finale time! And if you thought Las Vegas was something to behold, wait’ll you see the chefs congregating at a quaint train station inside a Thomas Kinkade “Autumn” painting. The chefs are really gonna have to ROLL THE GRAPES if they want to win the JACKPOTWINE!

– The final Quickfire of the season is based on the old mantra, if you want to be a truly great chef, you’re gonna have to learn to cook on a train. This is true about all chefs, not just chefs who work on trains.

– I was hoping the Quickfire would end when the train just arrived at Tom. The train slows and it’s just him standing in the middle of the tracks with his arms crossed going “Time’s up!”

– Michael Voltaggio wins the Quickfire with his not on the nose at all dish of grilled grapes on grape vines in grape sauce with a grape glaze, and side of grapes in grape reduction, served in a cask of grape juice and rolled to the judges by Violet Beauregarde She’s a blueberry, but it was as close as Michael could come in the time restrictions.

– For his victory, Michael wins an all-new 2010 Third-Generation Toyota Prius. He celebrates by saying “I have won an all-new 2010 Third-Generation Toyota Prius. This pleases me greatly because I am a hu-man.”

– Bravo really got creative with the product shots in the finale, showing Jen use her Sprint phone to watch video of Michael and Kevin eating Alexia Waffle Fries. Michael then seals the phone in a Glad bag, drops it in a bucket of Swanson broth and drives over it in his Prius while busting an impromptu freestyle rap about the greatness of GE.

After the jump, the shadiest Elimination Challenge of the season:

– For the Elimination Challenge, the chefs have to cook one vegetarian dish and one protein dish using exclusively ingredients local to the Napa area. This gives Kevin an advantage because, as he says, he’s used to working with local ingredients in Atlanta, which makes a lot of sense: Having experience with the specific Napa ingredients isn’t as important as just having cooked any food in the past using ingredients near where you’re cooking them.

– Did you notice that the chefs were drinking “Quickfire” wine at their waiting table? Was this an Easter Egg secretly slipped into that scene by Paul Thomas Anderson, the episode’s guest director?

– The Bravo DVR-buster was the best one of the season, easily; I rewound the part where the chefs open the door to the wine cellar and Tony Terlato is just standing there creepily like a phantom three times. Terlato then delivers his stirring proclamation that he believes “wine and food go together.” No wonder he’s the mayor of Napa or whatever! The previous owner believed wine goes with winos.

– When Michael Chiarello complimented the chefs for “Really capturing the spirit of Napa,” my friend quickly added, “Meaning, cooking weird food for many white people.” To which I imagine Michael responded through the tv, “You got it.”

– During the judges’ deliberations, the chefs get to sit in an actual room and not the usual solitary confinement cell for misbehaving Glad Bags.

– The Judges, meanwhile, are sitting in Donkey Kong’s closet:

– At Judges Table, Michael even manages to slip in the word “Shite” and Bravo doesn’t bleep it. What the fork?

– As for the results, I think we’ve witnessed the first significant ‘obvious Bravo producer meddle’ of the season. When the judges ate Bryan’s dish — and I rewound and watched this scene again after the verdict — Michael Chiarello compliments the texture of the ravioli, then Tom calls Bryan’s sauce “bland,” and Padma says it could’ve used some crushed black pepper, to which Tom agrees. Padma then says about his protein dish, “Is it just me or does this need salt too?” and Tom says “Nope, you’re right, it does.” And that’s it, that’s the end of the Bryan food sequence. This results in him winning? Did the editors cut out five minutes of the judges saying “But all in all, everything was really delicious.” If Robin had turned in two dishes that lacked frickin’ salt and pepper, Tom would’ve haughtily lectured her at Judges Table about the importance of never overlooking simple seasoning, and how chefs this far along in the competition should never make that mistake, and called her the C-word five times.

– While eating Jen’s dish, the judges agree that it’s really salty, but Tom proceeds to rave about the beautiful “duckiness” of her duck to the agreement of the other judges. Then later, when Jen reveals that she chose to confit the duck after the kitchen coals were too cool, Tom suddenly reacts as though he’s offended by her decision to waver on the duck preparation, even though he clearly had enjoyed the dish before knowing this information. It just seemed like they instantly leaped on her technique shift as a reason to decide to eliminate her, thus keeping the Brothers non-rivalry that Bravo thinks we care about intact.

– I’m glad Michael didn’t win, though, after his blatant, smug Top Chef politicking when he was all “I usually am all about bells and whistles but in this challenge, I had to discover the magic inside your wonderful Napa food and boy was I impressed!” Nice try, Dr. Smugglestein.

– The best editing moment of the night came when Tom complimented Kevin’s vegetarian dish, saying “Some of your competitors probably looked at your dish and thought, it’s a roasted beet, big deal…” and Bravo immediately cut to Michael with a sound effect. They then CGI’d him raising his fist and shaking it and yelling “DAAAAMMNNNNN YOUUUUUU SIMPLEEEEE!!!!”

– Bottom line, maybe Jen did deserve to go, but based on the judges’ initial reactions to the food, either Bravo did a terrible job of editing the footage accurately (or deliberately made it misleading so you thought, as I did, that Bryan might be in trouble), or the judges and producers very intentionally rationalized themselves into believing that Jen deserved to go home to keep their desired Top Three intact. Not that Kevin, Bryan, and Michael don’t all deserve to be in the finale, but still, it was the most shenanigany episode of an otherwise well-judged season.

– So the Superfinale will be the Voltaggio Brothers and Kevin; even Helen Keller saw that one coming. And no, that’s not a lame joke about her lack of senses, I just mean that she was born and died prior to having any concept of television, let alone reality television, and thus her being able to predict the results of this season would be preposterous, but yet she still did.

What do you think, Top Chef peeps? Did Jen deserve to go home, or was there some Bravo producer meddling goin’ on in the valley? Who do you like in the Finals? Leave your episode thoughts and predictions in the comments.

Source: Best Week Ever | 3 Dec 2009 | 11:39 am

Tom Ford Leans to the Left [Fashion]

Fashion designer (and now "soulful" filmmaker) Tom Ford has worn the same signature uniform for years now, a custom-made black suit accompanied by a white dress shirt that's almost always unbuttoned halfway down his chest. Occasionally, he'll wear the tea-colored sunglasses he's long been fond of; and you'll never, ever find him baring his teeth in photographs. But that isn't the meticulous designer's only quirk: He always tips his head to the left "to highlight his best side." [NYT] 

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 3 Dec 2009 | 11:38 am

PETA Clearly Supports Beastiality, Right?

Why else would they place all these innocent dogs under a gigantic naked silicone angel?

This is Joanna Krupa, some slut we’ve never heard of but who apparently has posed in Playboy and in the equal titillating Dancing with the Stars (if only Bergeron would drop trou…) Krupa, a practicing Catholic herself, is shocked to learn that Catholics don’t approve of the ad or her wax job. She had this piece of prostitute wisdom to impart:

“As a practicing Catholic, I am shocked that the Catholic League is speaking out against my PETA ads, which I am very proud of. I’m doing what the Catholic Church should be doing, working to stop senseless suffering of animals, the most defenseless of God’s creations.”

Wow, this girl like really like animals. And good news for her… they seem to be responding! Especially this guy, heretofore known as “Lipstick Jones”:

Source: Best Week Ever | 3 Dec 2009 | 11:35 am

Aretha Franklin Stars in “The Gospel Grizzly”

Aretha Franklin has a message to PETA, and that message reads “Who’s PETA?” Only it’s sung, loud, from the heavens, because this is Aretha we’re talking about:

“Are You There God? It’s Me, Yogi.”

But the best part about this clearly very warm coat that must have taken an entire family of porridge-eaters to make isn’t even the coat. It’s the rest of the ensemble…

Specifically…

THE PURSE

BRILLZ. The umbrella ain’t bad either…

God forbid one of his almight creatures gets rain on it, for real. Also, as my friend Stephen L. mentioned, it appears as though she’s trying to escape from a giant vagina. Discuss.

Source: Best Week Ever | 3 Dec 2009 | 11:26 am

Spotted [Out & About]

Amy Poehler and Will Arnett walking in Soho with their son Archie ... Jude Law getting in a car outside his apartment in the Village ... Jessica Simpson walking in Midtown ... Hugh Jackman carrying daughter Ava home from school ... Catherine Zeta-Jones leaving her apartment building with her dog ... Christy Turlington taking daughter Grace home from school ... Cate Blanchett pushing her son in a stroller ... Meg Ryan walking in the Village ... Taylor Momsen filming scenes for Gossip Girl ... Naomi Watts walking into Whole Foods with son Alexander ... Adam Brody and Dianna Agron taking a coffee break on the set of their new movie on Long Island ... Lo Bosworth leaving her hotel ... and Matthew Broderick walking son James to school.

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 3 Dec 2009 | 11:12 am

Close-up of a music sheet

Close-up of a music sheet. Thieves on Thursday stole a laptop computer from Hungarian conductor Zoltan Kocsis containing his version of Arnold Schoenberg's unfinished opera "Moses und Aron", MTI news agency...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 3 Dec 2009 | 11:02 am

Stevie Wonder named UN 'Messenger of Peace'

Singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder has a new title on his resume: United Nations Messenger of Peace.
Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 3 Dec 2009 | 10:58 am

Polanski set to be freed on bail

Filmmaker Roman Polanski is expected to be released on bail Friday as he fights extradition to the U.S.
Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 3 Dec 2009 | 10:53 am

'Amazing Race' heads for Vegas finale

It takes one hour to fly from Los Angeles, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada, but why take the easy route when you can squeeze in stops in Asia, the Middle East and Europe along the way?
Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 3 Dec 2009 | 10:48 am

Surprising Greek film winning fans abroad

For Greek cinema, the shadow of auteur Theo Angelopoulos has cast long over the blue sky of the Cote d'Azur in Cannes.
Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 3 Dec 2009 | 10:25 am

NBR's best: 'Up in the Air'

Front Page: Top ten includes 'Star Trek,' 'Basterds' -- The National Board of Review gave "Up in the Air" multiple awards, including best film of the year.

Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 3 Dec 2009 | 10:00 am

Tony Shalhoub Poses Next To His New, Almost Correctly-Spelled Palms Caricature

Congratulations Tony Shalhoub for earning a caricature on the I guess famed walls of The Palm steakhouse in Manhattan, and for being charitable enough to pose next to your caricature even though they clearly spelled it “SHALOUB” and added a teeny little “H” at the last second:

No word on whether the Palms’ artist or the designated celebrity spellchecker was beaten to death for disrespecting the Shalhoub, but we’re guessing both. At least based on how wryly Monk is smiling in that last pic:

Source: Best Week Ever | 3 Dec 2009 | 8:30 am

Natalie Portman with Jim Sheridan and Tobey Maguire

Natalie Portman, Irish director Jim Sheridan and Tobey Maguire at the screening of "Brothers" in New York City in November. Despite a career which has included a string of critical hits such as "My Left...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 3 Dec 2009 | 8:29 am

The album sold more than 701,000 copies in the US in its first week

Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle's debut album "I Dreamed a Dream" has shot straight to the top of the US charts, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 3 Dec 2009 | 8:20 am

Review: Wambaugh's `Hollywood Moon' best in series (AP)

AP - "Hollywood Moon" (Little, Brown, 344 pages, $26.99) by Joseph Wambaugh: "Hollywood Moon" is the third novel in Joseph Wambaugh's series about the denizens of the Los Angeles Police Department's Hollywood Division — and it is by far the best.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 3 Dec 2009 | 7:45 am

Taylor Swift and Beyonce Are Grammy Nomination Queens

Taylor Swift's haul of eight nods was only second to Beyonce, who got 10.

Source: FOXNews.com | 3 Dec 2009 | 7:04 am

Strokes frontman: 'I was hung over'

Julian Casablancas talks about his time with the band and the new tricks up his black leather jacket sleeve.
Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 3 Dec 2009 | 6:03 am

Rolling Stone's All-Time Greats

The Rock & Roll Gift Guide More than 100 of the season's hottest, loudest, weirdest and rockingest music gear, gadgets and toys. Plus: Enter to win a Gibson guitar and other prizes.

Source: Rolling Stone: Features | 3 Dec 2009 | 5:56 am

Beyonce, Swift lead Grammy noms

The Grammy stage is set for a redux of one of the most infamous moments in music award show history.
Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 3 Dec 2009 | 3:24 am

Comcast, GE unveil NBC U deal

Front Page: Zucker to become CEO of new entity -- After three months of fevered speculation, giant cable company Comcast and industrial behemoth General Electric announced early Thursday a definitive agreement to form a joint venture combining GE's NBC Universal with Comcast's entertainment assets.

Source: Variety.com - Front Page | 3 Dec 2009 | 2:50 am