AP - The administrators of Michael Jackson's estate and a cadre of attorneys are seeking millions for managing the King of Pop's affairs after death, court documents filed Tuesday show.
AP - The administrators of Michael Jackson's estate and a cadre of attorneys are seeking millions for managing the King of Pop's affairs after death, court documents filed Tuesday show.
Reuters - Sony Pictures is in final discussions to option the English-language film rights to Stieg Larsson's posthumously published crime thriller trilogy, the Millennium Series. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 16 Dec 2009 | 12:07 am
Reuters - Nickelodeon has handed out a 26-episode pickup to veteran animated series "SpongeBob SquarePants." The new order brings the total number of episodes for the series to 178. The pickup comes on the heels of the SpongeBob "Truth or Square" 10th anniversary special, which drew 7.7 million total viewers on November 6. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 15 Dec 2009 | 11:42 pm
TORONTO - A Nazi-hunting revenge fantasy and an account of an Irish prison hunger strike are co-winners of the Toronto Film Critics Association's best picture award. Quentin... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 15 Dec 2009 | 11:37 pm
DETROIT (Billboard) - Heavy metal's Big Four -- Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax -- will ride together in 2010. In Europe, at least. Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 15 Dec 2009 | 11:33 pm
Tatted Up: Scott Rudin and Sony Pictures have secured the rights to Stieg Larsson's novel The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and the other two books in the author's Millennium Series. Steve Zaillian is in discussions to adapt the the book, which tells the story of a journalist and young female hacker who try to solve the case of a missing heiress. The book is an enormous hit in its homeland Sweden, where they devour murder mysteries like they devour fiskbullar! [THR]
Undercover Brother: Undercovers, J.J. Abrams' pilot for NBC, has cast its first actor. Gerald McRaney will play the boss of a married couple that works together as spies. The show is being described as Mr. & Mrs. Smith meets The Bourne Identity. Or, more accurately, Alias meets Hart to Hart meets Live! With Regis and Kelly! [THR]
Wolf Man:Joe Manganiello, of HIMYM and One Tree Hill fame, will play Alcide, the alpha wolf on next season's True Blood. In the book Alcide is summoned by Eric to help Sookie find Bill. He'll also, and this is just a guess, appear without a shirt. [THR]
Hair Hazard: The Golf Channel has given the greenlight to Donald J. Trump's Fabulous World of Golf. The show will feature actors, musicians, politicians, business execs and pro athletes competing against each other on the links. The golfers will be playing for charity and the chance to spend one night as Tiger Woods' wingman. [Variety]
Race Relations: Chris Columbus will produce a screen adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's bestselling novel The Help. Written and directed by Tate Taylor, the movie will revolve around black domestic servants and their rich white employers in Mississippi before the civil rights era. [Variety]
(Reuters) Reuters - "Titanic" director James Cameron releases his first dramatic feature in 12 years this weekend, and there's almost as much buzz about its costs as the film's groundbreaking motion-capture animation. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 15 Dec 2009 | 11:02 pm
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Titanic" director James Cameron releases his first dramatic feature in 12 years this weekend, and there's almost as much buzz about its costs as the... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 15 Dec 2009 | 11:02 pm
A couple days ago, when Citigroup reached its deal to pay back $20 billion of TARP funds, CEO Vikram Pandit sounded like a man who was pretty pleased with himself. "By any measure of financial strength, Citi is among the strongest banks in the industry," he said in statement.
Last night we found out part of the reason why he feels so good. Turns out the IRS issued an enormous tax exemption to Citigroup allowing it to retain $38 billion in tax breaks that would have declined in value. It's a move that the Washington Post says says could "easily outstrip [the] profits" taxpayers make from the sale of the government's Citigroup shares. Time to rage populists.
Citigroup gains massive tax break in deal with IRS [Washington Post] A Tax Break for Citigroup With Payback of Bailout [NYT]
The couple is no longer together.
Sources confirm that the two decided to end their relationship about two...
Wedding Banned, a rom-com starring Robin Williams as a desperate dad who kidnaps his daughter to keep her from getting married, has been given the ax by new Disney boss Rich Ross. Like all of the problems in this problematic world, the blame rests on the failure of Old Dogs. [Risky Business/THR]
It looks like getting humongous boobs is a small price to pay for cuteness.
Just five days after the birth of Kendra Wilkinson and Hank Baskett's son, Hank Baskett IV, the...
In an appearance on CNBC today, Mayor Bloomberg said congestion pricing could make an unwelcome return this spring as the MTA tries to shore up its funding crisis. "Come March, they're going to have to balance a budget, and I think any kind of revenue source is going to be on the table, and it may in fact still get done," Bloomberg said. "If we had done congestion pricing two years ago, perhaps they wouldn't be in this situation." [NYDN]
Remember back in the nineties when all the cool kids were super self righteous about not watching TV? Like even owning one meant you were some kind of drooling philistine. Where are cool kids now, huh? Probably watching TV. According to something called the State of the Media Democracy report, 34 percent of Americans say TV is their favorite medium of entertainment delivery. The Internet came in second (largely because of things like this), music third and books were fourth. And then came movies, those things you used to watch before reality TV was invented.
Study: Interest in TV viewing on the rise [THR]
LOS ANGELES - Fitness pioneer Jack LaLanne is recovering from heart valve surgery at his home in Morro Bay. LaLanne's publicist, Ariel Hankin, said Tuesday that the 95-year-old ... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 15 Dec 2009 | 8:38 pm
AP - A man is in custody in California on accusations that he violated a restraining order preventing him from coming within 100 yards of actress Jennifer Garner and her family.
Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell plan to team up tomorrow to introduce a bill that would reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act, a depression-era law that forced the separation of commercial banks and investment banks. The law was repealed in 1999 by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which many blame for the great economic collapse. House Majority leader Steny Hoyer is also talking up a return of Glass-Steagall. Today he said renewing the law "is certainly under discussion," and added, "As someone who voted to repeal Glass-Steagall, maybe that was a mistake."
An Odd Post-Crash Couple [Newsweek]
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Grammy Award-winner Brian Setzer was unable to complete a performance in Albuquerque and was briefly hospitalized because of dehydration, high altitude sickness and... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 15 Dec 2009 | 8:11 pm
The House passed a bill today aimed at limiting the volume of TV commercials. The CALM Act, which was introduced by Representative Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), would prohibit commercials from being "excessively noisy or strident." Currently, the only rule governing commercial volume limits them from going louder than the loudest part of the show they accompany, a loophole that allows Luke Wilson to be played at explosion-worthy volumes. The bill now goes to the Senate, where there's not really much going on.
US moves to ban 'excessively noisy' TV advertisements [BBC]
Why does the movie industry even give out awards anymore? It's not like anybody cares what they think. New Moon was the biggest phenomenon of 2009, and the critics can't stand...
Former City Councilman and money launderer Miguel Martinez was sentenced to five years in prison today for swiping $106,000 from the city budget. The money, which was supposed to go to community groups, was laundered through nonprofits before Martinez siphoned it off for himself. The 39-year-old Democrat said he was "remorseful and shamed" by what he did. He added, "If I could change time, I would do things differently." Especially the things he did to get caught.
• A look around Provocateur, the new club by ex-Stereo partners Mike Satsky and Brian Gefter that opens this week at the Gansevoort hotel. [GS] • The latest in the Tavern on the Green saga: It's possible the landmark will be forced to shut down completely on Jan. 1 unless the mayor intervenes. [NYP] • It looks like street cart sushi is not coming to NYC anytime soon. Alas. [ML] • Speaking of food carts, let this be a lesson to never cut in line for falafel. • Gourmet's collection of 3,500 cookbooks has a new home at NYU. [NYT] • On Regis and Kelly today Anderson Cooper professed "his love for a bakery called 'Milk' [sic] next to a Japanese [sic] restaurant called Momofuku." [SE]
Charles Barkley is apparently out of Tiger Woods' Fave 5.
The notoriously outspoken retired NBA star said Tuesday that Woods has changed his cell phone number and some of his more...
Eighties heartthrob and nineties soap star Rick Springfield is writing a memoir! It's going to be "extremely candid," which means, we hope, we'll find out if he ever landed Jessie's girl. [AP]
Front Page: Pair must pact on retransmission rights before Dec. 31 -- The gloves are off and knuckles are getting bloody in the increasingly public battle between Time Warner Cable and Fox over retransmission consent rights for Fox's 27 TV stations and its 150-plus affiliate stations.
The United Homeless Organization has continued operating uninterrupted since Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's suit calling the group a big fraud. That ends today following a court order that calls for UHO to remove its tables and the jugs that sit atop them from city sidewalks. Now the UHO's president has to find a new way to pay for his cable, trips to Cleveland and Weight Watchers. [City Room/NYT]
AP - "So You Think You Can Dance" producer Nigel Lythgoe won't predict which dancer will end up the winner on Wednesday's season finale. But he's confident that guest star Adam Lambert is going to be well-behaved.
We know where Robert Pattinson was today.
Across the street from our offices—at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art!
But he wasn't exactly checking out any...
Not only does the True Blood lead get to canoodle with the likes of Alex Skarsgård's vampire...
One of US legendary trumpeter Miles Davis' trumpets, used in his landmark album "Kind of Blue", and a saxophone, presented during "We want Miles", an exhibition on the 1926-1991 life of Davis. US lawmakers... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 15 Dec 2009 | 4:53 pm
Erin Andrews is ready to send her peeper to the pokey.
The ESPN reporter turned up in federal court in Los Angeles this afternoon to watch as her No. 1 fan, Michael David Barrett,...
Reuters takes a moment to remind us that some of the world's most famous and successful designers living today are (gasp) in their 70s. Ralph Lauren is 70; Giorgio Armani is 75; Karl Lagerfeld is 76. So shouldn't they be retiring and enjoying the golden years on their yachts and private islands, writing books and breeding rare dogs? And shouldn't they be preparing their teams for their departure? Yes and yes, but a fashion label is a very personal thing that's hard to give up. Would you just want to pass off your Facebook page to someone else after those years and years of updates and tagging and friending, having tailored it perfectly to your vision? Of course not. Someone could ruin it.
There are many examples of this in fashion, such as Emanuel Ungaro, which has struggled to find its footing since its founder departed. Or Gianfranco Ferré, which, though now back on its feet with designers Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi, suffered an embarrassing fall 2008 season when Lars Nilsson was fired just days before the runway show. Tom Ford still talks about how miserable he was at Yves St. Laurent when he took over in 1999 and the label's founder complained that he didn't respect his vision (Ford is not mentioned in the corporate-history section of YSL's site, despite spending four years there).
Fear of similar situations isn't all that keeps designers from retiring:
"Few people are able to let go ... Sometimes, it is just out of vanity," said Jean-Jacques Picart, fashion adviser to Bernard Arnault, head of the world's biggest luxury group LVMH (LVMH.PA), referring to long-standing founding designers.
Lauren, de la Renta, and Armani won't say a word about who could possibly replace them. If they did, their label would be associated with another name, perhaps resulting in a distasteful fame-sharing situation. Chanel offered this:
"Karl Lagerfeld is the creative director of Chanel and enjoys a long-term contract which is absolutely not put into question," the fashion house told Reuters in an e-mailed statement. "His succession is not on the agenda."
Lagerfeld has said he's against retiring and plans to work forever, which may be possible since he might not be human.
However, other people close to the maison say it is inconceivable that Chanel is not thinking about his succession.
Most fashion houses have several candidates in mind for the day when their top designer leaves but they keep the name secret to prevent their potential new recruit from being poached.
We don't like the idea of Chanel without Karl. Who wants to buy Chanel designed by some hot young thing? Not us. Not like we buy it, because we blog for a living, but still.
A new survey involving 1,000 women in Britain finds that women are much more likely to remember the first pair of shoes they bought than the name of the first guy they kissed. [Telegraph via The Cut]
Oh, for the days when the worst scrape Greg Brady had to contend with was that time his brother broke a vase while playing basketball in the house.
Sadly, the problems Barry Williams now...
Just when Eliot Spitzer started to feel sufficiently healed to poke his head back into politics after his prostitution scandal, cautiously upgrading his "weighing" of a run for the low-key (but still important!) position of city comptroller to a "strongly considering," his past is coming back to haunt him. And his past is flamboyant.
Kristin Davis, the madam who claimed Spitzer as a client and who was arrested as part of a prostitution roundup in the wake of his scandal, has announced her intention to run against him. "I am just as qualified for the position of comptroller than [sic] Spitzer," she writes on her website. Plus, she has the most important ingredient in politics: passion.
She continues:
Many of my friends have asked me why I have gotten so "political". Sitting in Rikers for four months gives you a lot of time to think. I thought a lot about the unfairness of our system and the total incompetence of our elected officials who can't even pass a gay marriage bill ... and I decided to start speaking out. I spent months wondering if one person speaking out can make a difference. I believe it can.
We don't know if Ms. Davis really has a future in politics, but we do know one thing: This would make an excellent B-grade movie.
"I don't want to change the world, I'm just looking for a new England."
There are lots of things we still don't understand about England: Why they've never figured to put fluoride in their water supply, why the Queen bothered to give an audience to Lady Gaga, and why their pubs are always packed full of people at noon on weekdays. However, there is one other alien thing about their culture that we have put in tremendous effort to understand throughout the course of our lifetimes: their sense of humour. We grew up being utterly perplexed by Benny Hill and Monty Python every time they would come on our television sets, but by the time we got to college, our sensibilities had refined themselves to the point that we finally started to "get" their jokes. And through the years, we have done our best to keep a pulse on groundbreaking British comedy series like The Office, Fawlty Towers, The Fast Show, Absolutely Fabulous, The Mighty Boosh, and Spaced. But when we found out today that an 8-year-old comedienne named Ramona Marquez just won the Best Female Newcomer award at the British Comedy Awards, we found ourselves once again feeling, how do you say, gobsmacked.
Now, we have nothing against little ol' Ramona; she seems like a perfectly precocious little lady. Apparently she's on a show called Outnumbered, which also won the Best Sitcom award at the same ceremony. But it does make us wonder a bit about the overall level of comedic talent in Great Britain when an 8-year-old is named as the country's most promising comedienne. After all, it's not like we branded Jonathan Lipnicki as our nation's greatest hope to take Lenny Bruce's mantle after he cracked everyone up in Jerry Maguire, now did we? Either way, we wish nothing but the best for young Miss Marquez and sincerely hope that she doesn't run into Lenny Henry's daughter in a dark alleyway.
Oh yeah, before we forget, here's a clip! Is she the next Amy Poehler or the next Melanie Hutsell? You decide!
Okay, we know we just did a Lil Wayne post, but bear with us — the guy’s got a lot going on today! He was in a New York City court room this morning, where he was given a sentencing date of February 9 for the charge of attempted criminal possession. (What, “attempted” isn’t gully enough for you? Okay, how about this: He’s also on the hook for drug possession in Arizona because his tour bus was found with 105 grams of marijuana, 29 grams of cocaine, 41 grams of ecstasy — and a gun.) That means he’ll be starting his yearlong prison term just a week or so after the release of Rebirth, now set for February 1. But — SEGUE — we may not have to wait until then to hear it. According to Billboard, the album’s constant delays so confused Amazon that they totally screwed up and sent 500 preordered copies out this week (one of Rebirth’s many announced release dates was today). Surely one of those 500 lucky customers knows how to use the Internet? [AP, Billboard]
Ever since Raj Rajaratnam was arrested in October for allegedly operating a vast insider trading ring, lawyers for the hedge fund founder have been busy pointing out flaws in the government's case. Now they'll get to see how it plays with a jury. A federal grand jury formally charged Rajaratnam with five counts of conspiracy and six counts of securities fraud this afternoon. [BN]
Women in Japan are turning to collagen-enhanced foods in hopes of fighting wrinkles. The popular wrinkle filler is showing up in things like yogurt, teas, cocktails, and most recently, cheesecake. However, experts note that consuming such foods might fill you out, but they won't fill in any wrinkles. [Editor's Blog/W]
Prosecutors say a TV producer accused of trying to blackmail David Letterman said he needed money to visit his son and would mask the transaction as a business deal.
The Golden Globes may be the most laid-back of the awards shows, but just because its nominated stars don't have to thank the Academy (sadly, "I'd like to thank the Hollywood Foreign...
Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam has maintained his innocence since the SEC charged him with insider trading in October. Now he and alleged accomplice Danielle Chiesi, an analyst and reported cougar, are facing criminal charges: A federal grand jury in New York today charged them each with several counts of conspiracy and securities fraud. [WSJ]
Rachel Rachel Roy, the very eponymous diffusion line of the designer, is hitting Macy's next month, and we got to preview some of the new spring pieces. Staying on trend with this season's love of legs, Roy made a pair of black silk shorts that will be a wardrobe staple come summer, perfect to wear with just about anything. The collection's accessories are a highlight, as well, a pair of strappy blue-and-green canvas sandals are ideal for a night out, and a long, lariat chain is the perfect accent to a basic top. The spring 2010 Rachel line will arrive at Macy's in mid-January, with items trickling in through March.
Rachel Rachel Roy at Macy's, 151 W. 34th St., at Broadway; 212-695-4400
Many thanks to the faithful reader in Australia who directed us to this article in The Cairns Post which has some totally vital info on the whereabouts of media mogul Barry Diller's $200 million sailboat, EOS. It's located in lovely Cairns right now—as you probably could have guessed—along with Diller's crew of "two chefs, three engineers, nine deck crew and captains and stewardesses." But it won't be docked there for long! The paper reports that Diller will be climbing aboard the 304-foot beast in January when it sets sail for the Solomon Islands. [The Cairns Post]
This Brooklyn-based artist (who also happens to be a trained musician) is now presenting a batch of photographs in which she uses light and her experience with video and projection to create woozy images of spaces in which the outdoors meld with the indoors in perplexing ways. They're like postcards from the underworld, or freeze frames of uneasy dreams. Her show is at AC Institute through January 23.
Evangelist Oral Roberts died today of complications from pneumonia. He was 91. Despite his vast influence — he built a multi-million-dollar ministry and has a university named after him — his death is unlikely to cause a resurgence of the name "Oral" on the list of the nation's top baby names. [NYT]
As far as decades go, the naughties are destined to go down as one of the most depressing in American history. Looking for proof? Of all the rock bands who released albums in the last ten years, Americans bought more copies of Nickelback's records than any other group. Yes, that's right, the very same band that penned the lyric "You look so much cuter with something in your mouth" (and that something isn't a lollipop, people). Score one for misogyny! [Billboard via ONTD]
This morning Justin Timberlake announced the Golden Globe nominees wearing a checked shirt with a three-piece suit, and glasses either to aid his reading or bring his nerd-chic look together in a neat little package to go with his new old haircut.
Wealthy neighborhoods have a lot of advantages. Increased security, clean sidewalks, good schools, and historically correct houses. But it turns out there's one thing that doesn't care how much money you have, and that is the air. According to a map released by the Health Department's New York City Community Air Survey today:
The Upper East Side of Manhattan, a posh neighborhood famed for luxury buildings ... has a high number of dangerous pollutants in the air.
As you might imagine, residents of the neighborhood, who apparently assumed anywhere moneyed must be safe, are shocked and appalled by this revelation. And by residents, we mean the mayor of the damn city.
From the Daily News:
"There are wealthy neighborhoods where the map is really surprising," Mayor Bloomberg told reporters while at a climate summit conference in Copenhagen.
There’s a leaked song from Lil Wayne’s comically delayedRebirth that we actually like! Considering the sessions it’s coming out of, “Drop the World” is surprisingly free of Auto-Tune; even more notably, it’s got Eminem on it. These guys shared the spotlight on “Forever,” but this is the first time they’ve split a track just between the two of them. Wayne knows better than to waste the occasion singing, and his unleashed chorus-work — “so I pick the world up and I’m gon’ drop it on your f****** head” — is throwback stellar. Ironically, Eminem does chime in with a few sung bars right before his verse starts, and sounds totally un-atrocious doing so. Now: Who has the best verse? Wayne settles into a comfortable groove, mostly to make the explosive chorus sound that much bigger when it hits. Em goes hard right away, doing his tricky, show-off-y double-time flow, but, once you break it down, there’s not much clever stuff there. We’ll still give props to Eminem, if only for that part where he talks about sodomizing the music industry.
Not surprisingly, the Daily News isn't all that impressed with the New York Post's newest columnist, ex-hooker—and now singer and crisis management expert—Ashley Dupre. After dismissing the column as "useless," Joanna Molloy shares a few (great!) ideas on what the Post could cook up as an encore: "Bernie Madoff could write a what-not-to-do with your money column; we could get travel tips from Salvatore (Sammy Bull) Gravano; Sen. Larry Craig could advise on how to meet new people; Mel Gibson could give lessons on tolerance and Lindsay Lohan, on sobriety." [NYDN]
Back in 1989, a made for television movie was created entitled Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman. The film starred Lindsay Wagner, a young Lee Majors, and a 25 year old unknown actress by the name of Sandra Bullock. Witness her amazing reaction shots:
(We won’t even get into our favorite movies ever Speed and Love Potion No. 9, because no blog post can contain our unbridled joy for these films.)
Now, in 2009, 20 years later, and Bullock has found a way to cash in on that “Oh No, That Guy Is Getting Electrocuted!” face in units of awards show gold.
Today’s Golden Globe nominations have been revealed, and Ms. Bullock scored the fabled Double Nominations in the following categories: BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL for her star turn in the summer’s biggest rom com The Proposal; and BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA for her star turn (yes, two star turns!) as the Southern Republican mother of a large black boy in The Blind Side. She also nabbed a Critic’s Choice Award nom for the latter as Best Actress.
Which leads us to ask: Is Sandra Bullock Going to Win an Oscar?
We say yes. 2009 has been all hers, a year where the movies have underwhelmed both the critics and the box office, save for hers. Our guess? YES SHE WILL. Sandra has had one of the longest careers of any actress, comedic or otherwise, in Hollywood, save Double Goldy Globe nominee Meryl Streep, who didn’t really have any breakout roles this year (in comparison to her year’s past).
In fact, it looks like Sandra’s main competition will be with Gabourey ‘Gabby’ Sidibe, star of the movie Precious, a virtual unknown who breaks every mold in Hollywood, and whose Oscar buzz is overwhelming. But between these two, we’re handing the Oscar to Sandra. She’s worked this crazy movie town, and love her or hate her (and trust us, there is no in between with Sandra. You have one or two options) her time is up.
Who knows? Maybe she’ll delivery her acceptance speech in German! Sandy Bullock, a woman of many talents:
So, let’s debate the old fashioned way: Love Sandra Bullock or Hate Her? And if you hate her, you have to give a reason why, otherwise we won’t accept it. Good day.
A new study reveals that women are more likely to remember the first pair of shoes they bought than who they shared their first kiss with. In a poll of 1,000 women, 92 percent remembered the first pair of shoes they bought with their own money, but less than two in three could remember the name of the first person they kissed. While 96 percent felt remorse for throwing away a pair of shoes, only 15 percent felt bad about dumping a boyfriend.
Glendon Lloyd, director of website tszuji.co.uk, which commissioned the survey, said: "These results show that women are even more attached to their footwear than previously thought.
"People always think of women storing old love letters in a shoebox, but in many cases, the shoes themselves are even more precious."
"Women treat shoes like best friends. And it seems their footwear memories last longer than those of their past lovers.
Experts say women may harbor more feelings for shoes than for men because we buy shoes for special occasions, like birthdays and weddings, so they're attached to happy times and happy memories. And then sometimes women might buy shoes to wear when they dump their boyfriends, so they look extra hot and make the dude feel extra sorry for losing them, thereby placing extra value on the footwear. Also when you break up with someone, you usually want to black everything out, good times and bad. Shoes will always be there for you. But while some men can be great, collectively they are about as dependable as a crocheted garment from Forever 21.
We remember our first kiss but don't remember the first pair of shoes we bought for ourselves. However, in thinking about which matters more — shoes or men — it came to our attention that we keep a showy pair of seven-inchers on the bookcase as decoration, but have no framed photos of the boyfriend anywhere. (Love you, honey! Mean it!)
Today the D.C. Council passed, for the second time, legislation legalizing gay marriage. After Mayor Adrian Fenty signs the bill, Congress will have 30 days to overrule it, but Democratic leadership isn't expected to let that happen. [NYT]
Fashion designer Tory Burch and her ex-husband, venture capitalist Chris Burch, went their separate ways back in 2006. But it looks like the couple is of one mind when it comes to Hamptons real estate. Over the summer, Tory received permission to tear down her Southampton home and upgrade to something bigger and better, a plan she abandoned recently since she's now preparing to move to a much grander—and much more expensive—estate nearby. And now Chris is looking to gussy up his digs in Southampton, too.
Don't expected to be blown away by the final result, though. Writes Spanburgh: "The existing house is not so special and so there is an opportunity here to improve upon that, but I guess, like his ex-wife, Mr. Burch doesn't have the greatest design sensibility when it comes to architecture."
From left: Look from Alexander Wang spring 2010, Rachel McAdams, and Kasia Struss in Vogue.
HAIR
• It may not be spring, but it's already time to copy Alexander Wang's spring 2010 loose, unraveled side-braid. Rachel McAdams rocked the look at the premiere of Sherlock Holmes in London last night, while Kasia Struss also wore a Wang-ish do for the January issue of Vogue. [Beauty Counter/Style.com, Models.com]
• Gray hair is becoming fashionable in Britain. Gareth Pugh showed the hue for his spring show, and Pixie Geldof wears the color now after three years of being blonde. "I didn’t want to do another color like pink, gray just seemed obvious," Geldof says. Would you go gray on purpose (or stop dyeing your whites)? [Times UK]
MAKEUP
• Amber Valetta stars in the spring 2010 campaign for Nars cosmetics. The collection features pink and peach colors with touches of purple for eyes, lips, and nails. [Beauty Anonymous]
NAILS
• The founders of "conversational fashion diary" website BleachBlack.com launched their first nail polish, a shimmery green hue named Dickweed. It's on sale starting today at NeedSupply.com for $12.95. [Refinery29]
FRAGRANCE
• Tallulah Jane, a new indie perfume house based in New York, launched its first set of natural fragrances. Way to go, new fragrance companies. [Now Smell This]
SKIN
• Jennifer Lopez: “Part of my business is being in shape and looking good. You can’t lie to yourself about it. But I’m not the monster I used to be in the exercise department.” [Just Jared]
AP - Title-wise, the musical "Nine" registers half a digit higher than "8 1/2," the Federico Fellini masterpiece that inspired the stage show that was the source for this new movie version.
When NBC's "The Biggest Loser" returns, it will feature some of its heaviest competitors ever.
Annie Leibovitz is taking time away from her glamorous Vogue and Vanity Fair work for a little side project. She shot Britney Spears "in various stages of undress" for her upcoming Candie's for Kohl's campaign. The photographer owes $30 million to art-world lender Art Group Capital. [WWD]
Ridley Scott apparently saw Prince Of Thieves in the early 90s and it pissed him off (no King John, Robin wasn’t English, Bryan Adams song wasn’t as good as the real-life Robin Hood Bryan Adams song), and he’s now taking it out on Hollywood by re-cutting Gladiator, replacing the Coliseum with trees, and…well, that’s it. That’s the one change he made.
It doesn’t look bad, but it also doesn’t not look like every movie we’ve ever seen:
Besides, a super-realistic, historical portrayal of the Robin Hood story has already been done.
Clive Christian is best known as the man who created the world's most expensive perfume back in 2006. The Imperial Majesty cost a whopping $215,000 for 16.9 ounces, but it should be clarified that the Baccarat bottle, complete with a five-carat diamond and eighteen-carat-gold collar, contributed to the astronomical price. (The perfume inside the ornate bottle normally retailed for $865.) As for Christian's other perfumes, it's been ten years since he launched his scents for men and women (No. 1, X, and 1872), and his fans have been wondering when they were going to get something new. We got wind that the Brit was set to launch a new scent, so we raced to see the charming designer when he made a personal appearance at Bergdorf Goodman. We attempted to get a sneak peek of his latest creation (it didn't work), and chatted about his pricey scents.
Tell us about the new fragrance.
It's not finished yet. I know for certain around April 2010. It needs to be perfect. We're not going to launch and damage the reputation of the other six that have been on the market for ten years. It's like bringing a horrible boyfriend home to meet the family, and you can't disrupt the family.
Can you tell us anything about it?
Well, I'm trying it for myself. I'm doing something personal. There are a bit of controversial ingredients.
Like?
If I tell you, then you're going to write about it!
Okay, but why now?
When we came here ten years ago, people have been asking every year since. We just stopped saying no.
In this economic climate, how has being known as the world's most expensive perfume been received?
There has been no difference. Sales are up. In Italy someone asked me, "Why do you call yourselves that?" and I said because it's true. But it's not some marketing thing that we set out to do. It happened.
What products do you swear by?
Oh, I never express like or dislike for anything we get involved in. I do like those soaps in the dishes at the Carlyle. I always grab a couple when I stay there. I never go out looking for anything.
Where do you shop for grooming products?
I just use a beard trimmer. It really just boils down to laziness. I like to be super-clean and super-quick.
Is black your uniform?
Has been for as long as I can remember. It's all about simplicity.
What brands do you wear the most?
I've only had three watches in my entire life. A Bulova, a Breitling — but it dropped off my wrist ... can someone take a watch off your wrist? — and a Cartier.
What was the first designer item you bought?
It was a Mini. Does that count? I was defined by it. It was turquoise with a cream interior, quite beautiful. It was a pain in the shit, though, because it kept breaking down. I suppose it's like a romance. Good to look at, but doesn't do much of anything.
Front Page: Studio options screen rights to crime novel -- Sony Pictures has optioned the English language screen rights to "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," the first of three titles on Millenium Series of crime thriller novels by Stieg Larsson, the Swedish journalist and activist.
Co-worker Audrey Leczinsky has forwarded me what will likely overtake tiny plush hamsters as Richard Gere’s* America’s #1 Most Requested Christmas Accessory:
It’s Snookie: The Blanket that Shkeeves!
More like Jersey Snore, amirite? Because you would fall asleep wearing one. Also the face punch joke is a little coarse, but we’ll pretend it’s not there because we just blacked out from the bonus vodka.
Editors entering the Zac Posen for Target preview this morning were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements before viewing the line, because for unknown reasons, Target doesn't want anyone who might be interested in buying it to see the line early and get excited now. But that doesn't mean blogs can't report on what was seen with tips from anonymous sources! One told Racked that the collection includes a prom dress with detachable parts that can be worn three different ways. The line is also "very print-heavy with one gown, tuxedo, lots of printed separates, bathing suits, a belt or two, and a cool Michael Jackson red leather jacket!" A tipster has revealed to us that the line incorporates Posen's signature chiffon and prints, which include a rainbow safety-pin pattern. Who's pumped? [Racked]
Alex Rodriguez and Kate Hudson are reportedly no longer dating, after A-Rod allegedly hooked up with a girl at a Miami W Hotel nightclub (Ed Note: Obviously) and telling girls throughout the night “I’m definitely single.”
Now it’s up to us to guess tomorrow’s New York Post A-Rod / Hudson breakup pun headline. I’ll throw out some terrible examples; leave your own in the comments:
A-ROD HITS SINGLE
ALMOST SCANDALOUS
BREAKUP ON THE HUDSON
A-ROD CLUBS ONE FOR A W
LE BREAKUPE
ON THIN ICE (The Yankee Stadium field is probably icy right now)
If you thought the getting-ready routine for the men of Jersey Shore was as simple as rolling out of bed, lotioning the pecs, and throwing on a pair of board shorts, you'd be wrong. While the ladies have to miss work to devote themselves to applying bronzing powder and primping for a night out at Headliners, the men are equally high-maintenance.
"A guy from [the] Jersey Shore is a guy that is looking good, feeling confident, taking care of himself," explains DJ Pauly D.
For the fellas, that begins with the hair.
"It takes me 25 minutes to get it right," he brags. "Greatness takes time, and this hair right here is greatness. I have it down to a tee, but this is a process right here."
But the arguably more important component to the Jersey Shore male's sizzling hotness is his distinct musculature.
After careful analysis we have determined that the distinguishing factor of a Jersey male's Look of Sex is not the size of his muscles. They are large and splendid, yes, but their proportions are far more important. You'll notice the Jersey male spends extra time bulking up muscle groups that are usually not the bulkiest on a dude's body. Compare the species pictured above to David Beckham, for example. The Jersey male's triceps region is decidedly bigger than the deltoid region, adding to their primal, gorillalike stance. Often the biceps region is in turn bigger than the triceps region, giving the Jersey male's wrists the effect of turning inward and the shoulders the effect of hunching forward, making the species look like they would be more comfortable walking on the ground on their knuckles and toes, like gorillas. Curiously, the Jersey male is only at his truest self when inebriated in a nocturnal environment like Headliners, which is when this behavior most visibly surfaces. Less curiously, the species is enticing more people to tune in than the most recent season of The Hills, where most cast members have become too plastic to move at all.
A couple of years ago, I happened upon a charming little British comedy called Death at a Funeral. The movie was directed by one of my heroes, Frank Oz, who had not only directed Little Shop of Horrors, The Dark Crystal and What About Bob?, he also had the privilege of voicing Miss Piggy for the past 25 or so years. The man’s genius is something I frankly don’t have the time to debate.
Thankfully, despite his history of also having directed some less than hilarious films, Death at a Funeral lived up to the Oz hype. Matthew Macfadyen headed up an admittedly supah-white cast of Brits and Americans, most notably Alan Tudyk and the most coveted little person in Hollywood, Peter Dinklage. The film did moderately OK, and died a slow, silent death.
But it’s back, people. The film has been remade by director Neil Labute (French for “the boot”), the only difference being that the not so famous white cast has been replaced by a super, super famous black cast. Indeed, three of our favorite comedians of all time — Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence and Tracy Morgan — star in the remake alongside Zoe Saldana, James Marsden and Regina Hall.
In fact, the only thing the movie has in common with the original. Is Peter Dinklage. Who we will now refer to as The Missing Dinklage. There have to be other incredible little actors, but Dinklage is Hollywood’s go to. Does the guy have Little Mafia ties or what?
Anyway, we do believe this marks the first remake of a film 3 years later where the only difference happens to be the race of the actors portraying the characters. But because of the inclusion of Martin Lawrence, we will let this slide, see it, and most likely enjoy it.
Before partaking in my my weekly shave and a haircut from Vincent, I shall pass the time in this waiting room reading periodicals, as is customary.
Perhaps something about “The New Rules of Modern Business”? Ahh, the Gentleman’s Quarterly, what a fine…. OHHHH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!
[Masturbates eight times in mid barber shop. Wealthy woman in a chair with curlers goes "Well I never!", goes to walk out in disgust but gets hit by a pie]
I say, barber, this is a rather randy piece of literature you’ve got here. I shall take it back to mine estate for further examination. Also masturbating. Fortnight!
The extension of Madrid's Prado museum is pictured in 2007. Madrid's prestigious Prado Museum said Tuesday it received a near-record number of visitors this year, but fears a downturn in 2010 despite a... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 15 Dec 2009 | 10:10 am
Bad news for the female fans of twisty-faced bluesy-rock: You might want to hit “menopause” on your biological clocks, because musician John Mayer is taking a break from dating. That screeching you hear that sounds like the demons at the end of Ghost is actually the universal creaking of millions of 40 year old V’s committing suicide.
On today’s Ellen, John tells the heartbroken host the following:
So just what is his “thing,” you ask? Well, it could stand for a variety of hobbies. Maybe his thing is writing a new album… or doing racist stand-up comedy. (People have made mints this way! Racist breath fresheners, not money.)
Or he could just mean it literally. If John Mayer’s “thing” was literally the v’s of ladies 24 and under, then he would, in a way, be “doing” it. Yes, this seems like the most obvious choice. But clearly, his thing is DEFINITELY not sleeping with a famous blond actress more than once in a row. No thank you.
The question now is, if John Mayer has sworn off of dating celebrities, who could possibly replace his tousle-haired lost gaze on the covers of our beloved celebrity weeklies declaring the next hot couple? We give our suggestion ahead, but feel free to leave your in the comments…
ROBERTO BENIGNI
Admit it, who wouldn’t want to see his mug on the stands every time you checked out. He’s like Face Paxil.
Whether it’s a desperate ploy to grab a new non-sports demographic or just a straight up “hey here’s an awesome thing,” Sports Illustrated put Stephen Colbert on its cover this week:
The issue talks about Colbert’s decision to sponsor the U.S. Olympic speedskating team, a move which I predict will cause U.S. speedskating interest to rapidly plummet. Speedskating interest is at an all-time high in the U.S. — a recent Gallup poll found that speedskating was the #3 most popular thing in the United States behind apple pie and fireworks shaped like apple pie, and now Colbert and his millions of online followers are threatening to drive off literally billions of hardcore U.S. speedskating purists who demand that their sport not be sponsored by a universally well-liked comic personality.
If Paul Rudd endorses curling, the U.S. might as well just quit the Olympics.
Up In The Air leads all movies with 6 Golden Globe nominations, followed closely by the movie Nine. Apparently the voters have once again taken part in their annual December 1st mass Men In Black flashy-thinging of themselves.
Courtney Love has lost custody of her daughter Frances Bean Cobain, after violating the state of California’s “Wait You’re Not Courtney Love, Are You?” custody law.
Chris Browndeleted his Twitter account after launching a tirade against Wal-Mart for refusing to carry his new cd. Who’d have thought the admitted domestic-abuser’s profanity-laced cd would be deemed anywhere near as controversial as that one Mellencamp album with the cartoon devil on the front.
Alex Rodriguez was spotted partying with a string of girls at the W Hotel in Miami, reportedly telling one “I’m definitely single,” which is celebrity code for “I’m just dating Kate Hudson.”
TMZ reports that Michael Lohan was arrested after calling his ex-girlfriend Erin Muller, but denies the claim, Tweeting ” “WHERES THE MUGSHOT TMZ?? YOU AND YOUR LIES. Harvey is a LOSER.” Kanye West believes him.
The new movie by Roman Polanski, seen here in 2005 and who is currently under house arrest in Switzerland, will get its world premiere and be in competition at the Berlin film festival in February 2010... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 15 Dec 2009 | 8:16 am
US actor Robert Downey Jr arrives at the world premiere of the new film "Sherlock Holmes" in central London. "Sherlock Holmes", the latest film incarnation of the quintessentially English detective, drew... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 15 Dec 2009 | 7:16 am
The stars of "Sherlock Holmes", the latest movie by director Guy Ritchie about the legendary Victorian-age detective, greeted fans on the red carpet for the world premiere. The famed sleuths Holmes and... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 15 Dec 2009 | 7:16 am
AP - Sometimes a small plane crash is just a plane crash — or, in a Bernard Shaw play, it might represent a brash new era smashing into the old ways of doing things.
Front Page: Fest unveils first films selected in main section -- Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer" and Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" will be among the films premiering in the main section at the upcoming Berlin Film Festival.
Front Page: 'Glee' tops TV nominations with four nods -- Drama nominees are "Avatar," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds," "Precious," "Up in the Air."
It looks like getting humongous boobs is a small price to pay for cuteness.
Just five days after the birth of Kendra Wilkinson and Hank Baskett's son, Hank Baskett IV, the...
Why does the movie industry even give out awards anymore? It's not like anybody cares what they think. New Moon was the biggest phenomenon of 2009, and the critics can't stand...
Charles Barkley is apparently out of Tiger Woods' Fave 5.
The notoriously outspoken retired NBA star said Tuesday that Woods has changed his cell phone number and some of his more...
We know where Robert Pattinson was today.
Across the street from our offices—at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art!
But he wasn't exactly checking out any...
Erin Andrews is ready to send her peeper to the pokey.
The ESPN reporter turned up in federal court in Los Angeles this afternoon to watch as her No. 1 fan, Michael David Barrett,...
Oh, for the days when the worst scrape Greg Brady had to contend with was that time his brother broke a vase while playing basketball in the house.
Sadly, the problems Barry Williams now...
The Golden Globes may be the most laid-back of the awards shows, but just because its nominated stars don't have to thank the Academy (sadly, "I'd like to thank the Hollywood Foreign...
Many thanks to the faithful reader in Australia who directed us to 
Alex Rodriguez and Kate Hudson are reportedly 
A couple of years ago, I happened upon a charming little British comedy called 
In fact, the only thing the movie has in common with the original. Is Peter Dinklage. Who we will now refer to as The Missing Dinklage. There have to be other incredible little actors, but Dinklage is Hollywood’s go to. Does the guy have Little Mafia ties or what?
Bad news for the female fans of twisty-faced bluesy-rock: You might want to hit “menopause” on your biological clocks, because musician John Mayer is taking a break from dating. That screeching you hear that sounds like the demons at the end of Ghost is actually the universal creaking of millions of 40 year old V’s committing suicide.
