Talk of Sarah Palin and tea parties spread across the talk shows last night, almost as if her appearance on The Tonight Show couldn't stay confined to one program. As a guest, Palin raised the bar for late night absurdity by performing a stand-up comedy act and describing the tea party movement as "beautiful." "She's terrific," Mitt Romney told David Letterman on his show, and warned the host to be nicer about her, apparently unaware that Letterman is acquainted with her wrath. Tea party chatter continued on The Colbert Report, where David Brooks attempted to tell the host that Reagan would not have agreed with the protesters, which went about as well as could be expected. Finally, Craig Ferguson seemed to be lonely in all the Palin hubbub. Watch our compilation to see what you missed.
AP - An attorney for Michael Jackson's mother confirms that child services workers are investigating the presence of a stun gun at the Jackson family home, but he says the late singer's children were never exposed to the weapon.
AP - An attorney for Michael Jackson's mother confirms that child services workers are investigating the presence of a stun gun at the Jackson family home, but he says the late singer's children were never exposed to the weapon.
Reuters - "The Marriage Ref" is inoffensive stuff, offering the sort of shallowness proudly displayed by executive producer Jerry Seinfeld's sitcom alter ego.
(Reuters) Reuters - Tim Burton and "Wanted" director Timur Bekmambetov are teaming to bring the new novel "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" to the big screen. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 3 Mar 2010 | 12:31 am
Reuters - Tim Burton and "Wanted" director Timur Bekmambetov are teaming to bring the new novel "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" to the big screen. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 3 Mar 2010 | 12:31 am
Ex Marks The Spot: Justin Timberlake has landed the male lead in Bad Teacher, a comedy which stars his ex-girlfriend Cameron Diaz as a "foul-mouthed, gold-digging seventh-grade teacher" who falls for a substitute teacher (Timberlake) at the school. Jason Segel, Lucy Punch, John Michael Higgins, Molly Shannon and Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family) will round out the cast of the film, which will be directed by Jake Kasdan. Timberlake beat out a group of actors that included John Krasinski, Joel McHale and Timothy Olyphant for the part. We're thinking it's a quiet night tonight in the Biel-Timberlake household. [HR]
C'est Woody: Woody Allen has cast Marion Cotillard opposite Owen Wilson in the untitled film he is shooting in Paris this summer. The movie is being financed by Spain’s Mediapro as part of a three-picture deal. The breathtaking French Oscar-winning chanteuse… and Owen Wilson: can’t you just feel the heat already?! [Deadline]
Burton Takes On Abe: Directors Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov will produce a movie version of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, the Seth Grahame-Smith novel that came out today. Grahame-Smith's previous novel, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, was recently picked up by Lionsgate and Natalie Portman. No casting information yet for Lincoln but you might as well just go and update Johnny Depp’s Wikipedia page now. [Deadline]
A Three Hour Tour: Gilligan’s Island will be adapted for the big screen. The 1960’s sitcom, which only actually aired for three seasons (weird, right?), will be made into a feature film by Warner Bros. and Atlas Entertainment. Plans are for a “contemporary take on the well-known premise and characters" in the script coming from Brad Copeland (Wild Hogs). No cast is set, though original show producer Sherwood Schwartz said last year he was interested in Michael Cera for the lead role, so don't be surprised if Charlyne Yi gets cast as Ginger. [Variety]
In Bloom: Precious director Lee Daniels is teaming up with author Amy Bloom to develop a series for HBO about a multigenerational, multiracial family in Philadelphia. The project marks the first foray into television for Daniels, who will direct Bloom's pilot. Both will serve as executive producers “if the series is picked up by HBO.” Hah. If an Oscar-nominated director and New York Times best-selling author can’t get their show made, you might as well just drag that pilot from your desktop into the trash right now. [Variety]
Swap!: Joseph Gordon-Levitt will take over for James McAvoy in the untitled “cancer comedy” that Jonathan Levine is directing for Summit Entertainment and Mandate Pictures. McAvoy has, mysteriously, left the project “due to unrelated circumstances beyond his control.” The film already features Seth Rogen as a man facing cancer, as well as Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston and Philip Baker Hall. So basically, one actor that your mom always mistakes for Tobey Maguire has been replaced with a different actor your mom always mistakes for Tobey Maguire. [HR]
Guilty As Charged: Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter’s Lucius Malfoy) has signed on for the Fox drama pilot Pleading Guilty, after the British actor received eight different pilot offers this season. Guilty is a legal thriller about a cop-turned-attorney (Isaacs), who is described as “a big handsome Irish lunk,” charged with investigating the disappearance of the firm’s top litigator. Yeah, yeah, chases and investigations... we’re more interested in what this “lunk” thing is all about. [HR]
The one and only Sarah Palin sat down with Jay Leno tonight on the second night of his revived Tonight Show. Palin hit many of the big topics, including writing crib notes on her palm (what she called “the poor boy’s version of the TelePrompTer”) and the recent Family Guy episode that featured a girl with Down syndrome (“What I would desire is more opportunity to follow up on a comment that perhaps I’ve made”).
But the strangest moment of all came soon after Leno asked the former governor if she’s ever considered hosting her own talk show. "I hear once in awhile this comes open,” she offered in response, while tapping Leno’s desk (not bad!). But that was the "high point," as Palin then took the spotlight for her very own comedic monologue, which, honestly, needs to be seen to be believed (and still maybe won't be believed even then!):
Asked about media criticism of her family, Palin brought up Family Guy and complained that mainstream media didn't provide adequate platforms for her to attack the show. (Recall that she is already a career talking head and capable of commanding interviews in any newspaper, TV show, or radio program in America. The only bigger platform would be to attach a megaphone to the moon and blanket the entire planet with her voice.) She leans in and tells Jay he knows what it's like to get made fun of after "these last weeks." He cuts to commercial.
Then, to improve that pesky "no platform" problem, Leno invites Palin to audition for his job by performing a mock monologue. The funniest joke came before she started, when Palin said she would forgo cue cards because she knew her jokes "like the front of my hand." The monologue consisted of weird political metaphors and gee-shucks moments about eating moose. At the end, she throws in another chuckle about how Jay is her brother in media martyrdom.
Asked about media criticism of her family, Palin brought up Family Guy and complained that mainstream media didn't provide adequate platforms for her to attack the show. (Recall that she is already a career talking head and capable of commanding interviews in any newspaper, TV show, or radio program in America. The only bigger platform would be to attach a megaphone to the moon and blanket the entire planet with her voice.) She leans in and tells Jay he knows what it's like to get made fun of after "these last weeks." He cuts to commercial.
Then, to improve that pesky "no platform" problem, Leno invites Palin to audition for his job by performing a mock monologue. The funniest joke came before she started, when Palin said she would forgo cue cards because she knew her jokes "like the front of my hand." The monologue consisted of weird political metaphors and gee-shucks moments about eating moose. At the end, she throws in another chuckle about how Jay is her brother in media martyrdom.
Lorne Michaels hasn’t lost faith in Team Coco. The Saturday Night Live creator and executive producer said Tuesday night, at a "Live From New York" discussion, that he believes O’Brien will prevail after his recent exit from The Tonight Show. Michaels, who used to be an executive producer on Late Night With Conan O’Brien, was somewhat careful with his words, though he described O’Brien as “very smart” and “just brilliant,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. After explaining that O’Brien overcame struggles on Late Night, Michaels said he was “sure [O’Brien] will again." When asked about the reasons behind the O'Brien-Jay Leno conflict, Michaels was more evasive, saying only that O'Brien did "not necessarily" have a strong lead-in to his Tonight Show. [HR]
So much craziness went down in tonight's Lost, it felt like a season finale, did it not?
Still, if you think tonight was good, just wait til you hear what Michael Emerson and...
•Pretty insane this hasn't happened yet, but Gilligan's Island is finally becoming an honest-to-goodness Hollywood movie. No one knows anything about the film, except it's with Warner Bros., and that executive producer Sherwood Schwartz has mentioned Michael Cera as a potential Gilligan candidate. We can see this. We can definitely see this. [Variety]
•Nicolas Chartier has been banned from the Academy Awards ceremony for writing an email to Oscar voters bad-mouthing Avatar. Looks like he'll be watching the show the same place we will be: His house. (Wait... you weren't invited to Nicolas' Oscars Party? Whoops. SO AWKWARD.) [THR]
•Lorne Michaels thinks Conan will be just fine. At a panel tonight with the New Yorker's Ken Auletta and Seth Meyers, he told the audience that he chose Conan to host Late Night because O'Brien was "just brilliant". [THR]
•Pretty insane this hasn't happened yet, but Gilligan's Island is finally becoming an honest-to-goodness Hollywood movie. No one knows anything about the film, except it's with Warner Bros., and that executive producer Sherwood Schwartz has mentioned Michael Cera as a potential Gilligan candidate. We can see this. We can definitely see this. [Variety]
•Nicolas Chartier has been banned from the Academy Awards ceremony for writing an email to Oscar voters bad-mouthing Avatar. Looks like he'll be watching the show the same place we will be: His house. (Wait... you weren't invited to Nicolas' Oscars Party? Whoops. SO AWKWARD.) [THR]
•Lorne Michaels thinks Conan will be just fine. At a panel tonight with the New Yorker's Ken Auletta and Seth Meyers, he told the audience that he chose Conan to host Late Night because O'Brien was "just brilliant". [THR]
These guys apparently really needed that extra day to rehearse.
Taking the American Idol stage a day early because week-one standout Crystal Bowersox was taken ill Tuesday, the gents had...
Rep. Charles Rangel has been told tonight he doesn’t have the votes to hang on to his position as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, the Daily News and other sources are reporting. Rangel was informed during meetings with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other party leaders that he will have to quit as chairman as soon as Wednesday, according to sources.
Rangel received an admonishment last week from the house for knowingly accepting trips to the Caribbean in 2007 and 2008, and the House ethics committee is investigating a series of more serious allegations against him.
A member of Congress for 39 years, Rangel made it clear he is not going to go down without a fight. On his way out of the meeting with party leaders tonight, he responded to a reporter’s asking if he was still chairman with the testy “You bet your life.” And would he be temporarily stepping aside? “No.”
NEW YORK - Police say model Naomi Campbell likely won't face criminal charges in New York City after her driver said she hit him from the back seat of her luxury SUV. The driver told... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:35 pm
The Fox singing contest's judges were more impressed with the performances from the remaining 10 male semifinalists after their doddering semifinal debut last week. Michael Lynche, the... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:34 pm
Thank goodness, they went with the good hair.
Robert Pattinson is the latest celebrity to be immortalized by Madame Tussauds, joining likenesses of Brad Pitt, Marilyn Monroe, Johnny...
Reuters - Viacom Inc's Comedy Central is withdrawing its popular comedy shows "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" from online video service Hulu, a Hulu executive said on Tuesday. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:23 pm
LOS ANGELES - Michael Jackson's children were never exposed to a mail- order stun gun recently delivered to the family's home, an attorney for the late singer's mother said Tuesday. ... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:08 pm
AP - A man hired to drive Naomi Campbell told police she assaulted him from the back seat of a luxury SUV on Tuesday before hopping out and running away, but the supermodel likely won't face criminal charges.
It was a man's world on "American Idol." The Fox singing contest's judges were more impressed with the performances from the remaining 10 male semifinalists after their doddering... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 2 Mar 2010 | 8:55 pm
"We see in depth, for the most part. We go to the theater — it's in depth. Why couldn't a film like Precious be in 3-D? It should be ... It just seems natural that we'd be going in that direction. It's going to be something to look forward to, but to be used interestingly." —Director Martin Scorsese, to the AP, on the advent of 3-D. The director said he'd "love to do one" himself, as long as he can "move the camera the way [he'd] like to." [AP via Slashfilm]
If you came here for some Bachelor bashing from controversial contestant Rozlyn Papa, think again.
"It was the right choice for him," she tells E! News during an exclusive...
Slogan: "Throw off the shackles of the Federal government... but chill out first, K?" Key Issues: fighting taxes in an affable manner; genially advancing Obama conspiracy theories; abolishing the government... and having fun while doing it! Mission Statement: Like the Tea Party, the Iced Tea Party is born from a mixture of populist anger, xenophobia and anti-government sentiment. Unlike the Tea Party, these angry white people want to enjoy their time raging against the Feds. Weekly meetings are organized in local TGIFridays, where Long Island Iced Tea party members gather round over-sized margaritas and take turns at an Obama pinata in the special party room in the back.
Slogan: "Go America! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!" Key Issues: Energy; Transportation; Communications; Go! Go! Go! Mission Statement: Many Americans complain that our hyperconnected, hypermediated world is drowning our ability to think critically in a flood of information. These Americans' brains are not sufficiently augmented with the correct mixture of caffeine, sugar, anti-oxidants and bull hormones. Through improvements in infrastructure and investments in high technology, The Monster Energy Drink Party will secure your right not only to browse the Internet on an airplane, but to shoot, edit and upload your latest video blog entry while piloting a personal jet-pack. Weekly meetings held remotely, as many Monster Energy Drink Party members will be trapped at the bottom of a manhole they fell into while texting and walking at the same time.
Slogan: "Chocolate and milk are better together" Key Issues: Race-relations; affirmative action; the achievement gap; prejudice Mission Statement: Like a gay-straight alliance except between black and white people! Together, this bi-racial mob will sweep the country, striking down racism of all types and fostering improved race relations via distributing Sapphire books to whites and Mad Men box sets to blacks. Meetings will be held weekly over a beer on the White House's South Lawn. Asians, Latinos and "others" welcome, we guess.
Slogan: "Our Country is Fucked up—You should be too." Key Issues: Legalized gambling; legalized prostitution; legalized marijuana; legalized everything; abolishing the speed limit. Mission Statement: With so much of America gone to shit, we need a strong voice supporting the right of citizens to drink/screw/smoke their pain away. Rising like a great cloud of hash smoke to blanket the land, the Whiskey Party will be found wherever a laid-off steelworker is slumped over his seventh beer in a bar; wherever a divorcee chokes her loneliness in a massive bong hit; wherever a man gives a woman his last $40 in food stamps to step on his back in stilettos; the Whiskey Party will be there.
Slogan: "The Whiskey Party is a bunch pansies." Key Issues: Same as the Whiskey Party, but a lot gnarlier and cheaper. Mission Statement: BLAAAAAARRGGGHHH
Slogan: "Why the hell doesn't every store in America carry Cherry Coke?" Key Issues: Ensuring the security and efficacy of America's Cherry Coke supply system. Mission Statement: Cherry Coke is the most underrated soft drink. We must pass a constitutional amendment which requires every store and restaurant in the land that carries Coke products to carry Cherry Coke as well. Seriously, America, when are you going to realize this is a civil rights issue? End Cherry Coke Apartheid!
Slogan: "Throw off the shackles of the Federal government... but chill out first, K?" Key Issues: fighting taxes in an affable manner; genially advancing Obama conspiracy theories; abolishing the government... and having fun while doing it! Mission Statement: Like the Tea Party, the Iced Tea Party is born from a mixture of populist anger, xenophobia and anti-government sentiment. Unlike the Tea Party, these angry white people want to enjoy their time raging against the Feds. Weekly meetings are organized in local TGIFridays, where Long Island Iced Tea party members gather round over-sized margaritas and take turns at an Obama pinata in the special party room in the back.
Slogan: "Go America! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!" Key Issues: Energy; Transportation; Communications; Go! Go! Go! Mission Statement: Many Americans complain that our hyperconnected, hypermediated world is drowning our ability to think critically in a flood of information. These Americans' brains are not sufficiently augmented with the correct mixture of caffeine, sugar, anti-oxidants and bull hormones. Through improvements in infrastructure and investments in high technology, The Monster Energy Drink Party will secure your right not only to browse the Internet on an airplane, but to shoot, edit and upload your latest video blog entry while piloting a personal jet-pack. Weekly meetings held remotely, as many Monster Energy Drink Party members will be trapped at the bottom of a manhole they fell into while texting and walking at the same time.
Slogan: "Chocolate and milk are better together" Key Issues: Race-relations; affirmative action; the achievement gap; prejudice Mission Statement: Like a gay-straight alliance except between black and white people! Together, this bi-racial mob will sweep the country, striking down racism of all types and fostering improved race relations via distributing Sapphire books to whites and Mad Men box sets to blacks. Meetings will be held weekly over a beer on the White House's South Lawn. Asians, Latinos and "others" welcome, we guess.
Slogan: "Our Country is Fucked up—You should be too." Key Issues: Legalized gambling; legalized prostitution; legalized marijuana; legalized everything; abolishing the speed limit. Mission Statement: With so much of America gone to shit, we need a strong voice supporting the right of citizens to drink/screw/smoke their pain away. Rising like a great cloud of hash smoke to blanket the land, the Whiskey Party will be found wherever a laid-off steelworker is slumped over his seventh beer in a bar; wherever a divorcee chokes her loneliness in a massive bong hit; wherever a man gives a woman his last $40 in food stamps to step on his back in stilettos; the Whiskey Party will be there.
Slogan: "The Whiskey Party is a bunch pansies." Key Issues: Same as the Whiskey Party, but a lot gnarlier and cheaper. Mission Statement: BLAAAAAARRGGGHHH
Slogan: "Why the hell doesn't every store in America carry Cherry Coke?" Key Issues: Ensuring the security and efficacy of America's Cherry Coke supply system. Mission Statement: Cherry Coke is the most underrated soft drink. We must pass a constitutional amendment which requires every store and restaurant in the land that carries Coke products to carry Cherry Coke as well. Seriously, America, when are you going to realize this is a civil rights issue? End Cherry Coke Apartheid!
Viacom will remove episodes of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report from Hulu, Comedy Central has confirmed, as episodes will no longer be available beginning March 9. Hulu senior vice-president Andy Forssell said that though the shows have “had very strong results,” Hulu was “ultimately unable to secure the rights to extend these shows for a much longer period of time.” You’ll still be able to satiate that craving for a Moment of Zen at 3 in the morning, though: Episodes of both shows will still be available at thedailyshow.com and colbertnation.com. [News Briefs/EW, Media Decoder/NYT]
Just how real is The Hurt Locker?
Even more real than the makers of the gritty Oscar frontrunner have let on, according to a lawsuit being prepared on behalf of Iraq war vet Master Sgt....
"It is our feeling that this is not only contrary to the family image that this company tries to promote, but also potentially offensive to their female employees, the majority of their flight attendants who will have to work on this aircraft," the union said, adding that it "creates a potential for verbal abuse by male passengers."
"It is our feeling that this is not only contrary to the family image that this company tries to promote, but also potentially offensive to their female employees, the majority of their flight attendants who will have to work on this aircraft," the union said, adding that it "creates a potential for verbal abuse by male passengers."
So says matriarch Katherine Jackson's attorney, who has set out to dispel reports that one of Jermaine's...
Director Kathryn Bigelow and actor Jeremy Renner pose at the 82nd annual Academy Awards Nominee Luncheon at Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 15, in Los Angeles, California. Bigelow will make Oscars history... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:47 pm
Kathryn Bigelow (pictured on February 15) will make Oscars history on Sunday if she becomes the first woman filmmaker to be crowned best director in the 82-year history of the Academy Awards. Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:47 pm
"The Hurt Locker" director Kathryn Bigelow is one of only four women to be nominated for the best director prize, following Lina Wertmr for "Seven Beauties" in 1976, Jane Campion for "The Piano"... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:47 pm
Republican senator Jim Bunning dropped his objection to a $10 billion Senate bill to extend jobless benefits, allowing the Senate to resolve an impasse Tuesday night.
Bunning’s objection caused the expiration of unemployment benefits for 100,000 people yesterday, as well as the halting of a number of federal transportation projects and 2,000 workers being furloughed without pay.
The Kentucky senator agreed to relent after Republicans "began to air their own concerns about how the Senate blockade had the potential to damage their political brand while also having a direct impact on their constituents,” the Times said.
After Bunning's turnaround, the Senate voted 78 to 19 to renew the programs. While Democrats were generally pleased, they said Bunning’s delay had caused major disruptions in federal programs and “could create bureaucratic problems as people tried to reclaim their federal aid.”
Some Republicans tried to distance themselves from Bunning, while others — like South Carolina senator Jim DeMint — were right behind him. “He’s my hero this week,” DeMint said.
Update: This ABC News video of Bunning deflecting questions from ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl in a "senator-only" elevator Monday night is a must-see.
You can stop checking your mailbox for a wedding invite from Leonardo DiCaprio and Bar Refaeli.
They aren't getting married. Yet.
Our E! Israel colleague Ori...
Reuters - The animated feature that made everybody go "huh?" when Oscar nominations were announced last month, "The Secret of Kells" is certain to elicit its fair share of wows after it arrives in U.S. theaters on Friday. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:06 pm
Reuters - Congratulations are in order for NBC, which on Monday night celebrated an incredible achievement: Jimmy Fallon's "Late Night" show hit its first anniversary. Congratulations! Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:05 pm
The former Republican vice presidential nominee turned into a standup comic on Jay Leno's "Tonight Show" stage Tuesday, dropping one-liners about the White House and Congress.
New York State Police superintendent Harry Corbitt announced tonight to Capital News 9 that he is retiring effective Wednesday, in light of the recent controversy surrounding Governor David Paterson. Corbitt — who has confirmed that a police official contacted the woman who accused Paterson aide David Johnson of assault last fall — said that “intense media scrutiny” played a role in his decision to step down.
Corbitt’s boss, Deputy Secretary for Public Safety Denise O’Donnell, resigned last week, after saying she felt direct contact between the governor and the accuser was “unacceptable” no matter what the circumstances may have been.
''I think that we'll move forward now and we will look to see who will be the best person to lead the state police,'' Paterson told reporters. ''I think he worked very hard and he was helpful at this period.''
The Times' Media Decoder reports on Viacom's decision to yank our favorite satirical news shows from the Hulu line-up: They could not reach an agreement that sufficiently satisfied everyone's insatiable lust for dollars. (You can still watch the full episodes on Comedycentral.com, which begets the question: "Who cares?") But cheer up with A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell which, according to The Big Money, is a B-movie about an underage cavegirl who gets sexually assaulted and is "later rescued by a friendly barbarian with a crossbow." We wish we could even pretend to be surprised that it is the third most popular movie on Hulu.
The Times' Media Decoder reports on Viacom's decision to yank our favorite satirical news shows from the Hulu line-up: They could not reach an agreement that sufficiently satisfied everyone's insatiable lust for dollars. (You can still watch the full episodes on Comedycentral.com, which begets the question: "Who cares?") But cheer up with A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell which, according to The Big Money, is a B-movie about an underage cavegirl who gets sexually assaulted and is "later rescued by a friendly barbarian with a crossbow." We wish we could even pretend to be surprised that it is the third most popular movie on Hulu.
This was one impending explosion Jeremy Renner couldn't defuse. The Hurt Locker producer Nicolas Chartier will not be allowed to attend Sunday's Oscars ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said today, as a penalty for sending an e-mail in mid-February appealing to Academy members to vote for his film. Chartier — who will still receive an Oscar if the film wins Best Picture — urged voters in his e-mail to support Locker instead of “a $500 million film,” referring not-so-subtly to competitor Avatar. Oscar rules ban “direct promotional communications with members,” and specifically prohibit any attempt to cast “a negative or derogatory light on a competing film or achievement." [Carpetbagger/NYT]
Aww, Little Grey (Chyler Leigh) is blushing! Somebody saw Lexie in the altogether, and her sister Mer (Ellen Pompeo) and Cristina (Sandra Oh) are making fun. That's no fun, but there is some...
After buzz this morning that Mort Zuckerman was seriously mulling a run for the Senate, the Washington Post says tonight that the New York Daily News owner is now leaning against a run. Sources close to Zuckerman told the Post that there are three key considerations holding him back: his two young children, the recent death of longtime business partner Ed Linde, and his reluctance to give up associations with not-for-profit groups (most notably, his support for pro-Israel groups and groups working toward Mideast peace). Despite these concerns, the Post says Zuckerman — who is currently the most viable Republican challenger to take on Democrat incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand — “remains intrigued by the idea” and is still “very much making up his mind.” [Fix/WP via Ben Smith/Politico]
Update: Zuckerman has officially announced he will not join the Senate race. "At this time, it is very difficult to see how I can devote the necessary time to either a campaign, or to working in Washington, if I were to win," he told the Daily News. [NYDN]
After all, EchoStar was ordered to remotely destroy DVR functionality in its satellite TV boxes after losing a patent case to TiVo. "If the court were to side with Apple and issue an injunction that insists [Google's manufacturer] HTC kill the phone, or at least some of its functionality, they easily could," Prof. Jonathan Zittrain told Bits. Still, most lawyers seem to think the case will be settled. Settled, that is, if Apple CEO Steve Jobs can be persuaded to arrive at one of those compromises the perfectionist so famously dislikes.
After all, EchoStar was ordered to remotely destroy DVR functionality in its satellite TV boxes after losing a patent case to TiVo. "If the court were to side with Apple and issue an injunction that insists [Google's manufacturer] HTC kill the phone, or at least some of its functionality, they easily could," Prof. Jonathan Zittrain told Bits. Still, most lawyers seem to think the case will be settled. Settled, that is, if Apple CEO Steve Jobs can be persuaded to arrive at one of those compromises the perfectionist so famously dislikes.
New Jersey punk rockers Titus Andronicus got a coveted Pitchfork Best New Music tag for their first album, The Airing of Grievances, but then we didn’t hear about them again until their front man got pissed off at Vice magazine. Their new single “A More Perfect Union” (off their upcoming Civil War concept album, The Monitor) is here now and engendering some good vibes around Vulture HQ; the knock on the band is generally that they came off too much like a ramped-up Bright Eyes, but that just means they sound more or less exactly like Conor Oberst’s forgotten anti-urban-sprawl side project Desaparecidos, which, at least in our book, is a great thing. While you're listening, play spot the reference: We've found Billy Bragg, the Boss, and discount Chinatown buses so far.
Executives from Toyota had to testify alongside the U.S. Secretary of Transportation at a hearing today — AHHHHHHHH Actual Newsssssss!!!!! [Covers head with Bill & Ted's DVD box set, screams "Amish Paradise" lyrics to himself] Ahh, whew, just had to cancel that out, I’m back to reality.
Anyway, it turns out, the U.S. Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, looks like an unholy Devastator-esque combination of Johnny Sack and Phil from The Sopranos, and is incapable of not looking like a villain in photographs:
See? We’re totally gonna find out he was behind it the whole time! It, meaning, whatever evil’s going on, I don’t know.
More proof in the gallery below. And don’t worry, plenty more posts about the U.S. Transportation Secretary to come. We’ll probably change our URL to “onlytransportationsecretarythings.org” (dot com is already taken by a site for experimental, supergraphic silent-cinema gay porn).
For the love of god, we need Mort in this race! If he quits, who else do we have... Kudlow? We'll have to start caring about fucking Texas and California or something.
For the love of god, we need Mort in this race! If he quits, who else do we have... Kudlow? We'll have to start caring about fucking Texas and California or something.
It’s practically impossible to imagine Lost without one of its most important characters: the music. Michael Giacchino’s score — one moment fraught with tension, the next lyrically placid, and always generally creepy — is often just as responsible for the show’s mix of suspense, mystery, and romance as the writing. Giacchino came to Lost after a decade of film-scoring success, writing for both blockbuster movies and television, and he’s nominated for a second Oscar for his whimsical score for Up. Giacchino spoke to Vulture from California, on the eve of another Lost recording session, about his place in the island universe, the secrets of writing good suspense music, and what exactly film-score nominees do before the Oscars.
How did you get started on Lost?
I became a part of the show because of J.J. Abrams, who I’d worked with on Alias for all the years preceding Lost. After seeing the first episode — which was the first and only episode I watched in its entirety before writing music — I loved the pilot so much, I was like, “Wow, this is really weird. This is a show I’d actually enjoy watching.” So going forward, I’d refuse to read any scripts and just watch the edited episode. Whenever I felt there should be music, I’d just start writing. To this day, it’s how I do it — scene by scene.
Do the writers give you any clue about what to expect from an episode?
Nope. And when they try to, I tell them to stop! Every once in awhile, they try to tell me, “Something’s going to happen and we want you to just pay attention to this one scene … ” and it’s become this kind of bizarre conversation we have — we just had one today, in fact. They wanted me to watch for something in the next episode, and I’m like, “I’m not going to watch it, you know that!”
You’ve come up with quite a few musical motifs that can be repeated week to week. What’s the balance between original and repeated music in the episodes?
It depends on the story. When something new is introduced, whether it’s a person or thing or place, that’s when I feel I have to do something new. I’ve been tracking each character with their own themes for the past six seasons, and those have stayed with them throughout. Now, with the Flash Sideways, everything is starting to splinter off. It’s probably been the most difficult season to score; in one episode, I may have two or three versions of Locke I’m dealing with. It’s been tricky to track all that.
Do you have a favorite character to write for?
Locke’s definitely a favorite. I love to write for Kate, as well; there’s something very Alfred Hitchcock about that character. For a composer, the show’s like going to a candy store. They allow me to do whatever I want, and I write some really bizarre music you wouldn’t normally hear on a television show.
It’s a fine line between suspense music that veers into caricature and music that just enhances what’s already there. Do you try to avoid specific things as you’re writing?
Absolutely. In the very beginning of the show, there was this talk of, “We should have jungle flutes, and jungle rhythms all the time, 'cause they’re in the jungle!” And I was like, this show is not about that — it’s about making you feel uncomfortable, so the music should create an ensemble you don’t usually hear.
One of the great instrumental moments is the loud, alarm-ish trombone blasts. How’d you come up with those?
With some things, you try them out just to see what’ll happen. Everyone laughs at first, but then after several episodes it just becomes a part of the show. In the case of the trombones, I remember one of the producers, Brian Burke, would say, “Stop doing that with the trombones! It’s weird!” I’m like, that’s the point!
Were you working on Up at the same time as Lost?
Well , there was a time when I was working on Land of the Lost, Star Trek, Up, Lost, and a documentary called Earth Days all at the same time. It was the busiest time I’ve ever had, and so it’s all about organization and scheduling. It was somewhat of a nightmare, but if I concentrate on the story and the characters for each, I’m in good shape.
You certainly wrote a memorable theme for Up. What did you have in mind?
Pete Docter, the director, mentioned that he hoped there would be something nostalgic about it. For me, it all came out of that four-minute married-life sequence. Believe me, I cried working on it. That scene set the template for the entire film; if we didn’t get that right, by the time you got to the end with dogs flying airplanes, you wouldn’t buy it. It’s a perfect lesson in storytelling. The people at Pixar are amongst the best in the world at doing that.
What do film-score nominees do before the Oscars? Do you get to just kinda sit back and hang?
No, no, it’s been exhausting actually. There’s something every weekend; for something like Up, it’s been nominated on so many fronts, so one weekend it’s the Grammys, then the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice, then the BAFTAs in London. It’s all fun, but it’s tiring. And then on top of it you’re trying to work as well. I did just take a commission from the Dallas Symphony, so I think I owe them 30 to 40 minutes of music in 2011 or something. Oh my God. I have no idea what I’m going to do!
Zarem at his going-away party last week at Elaine's, with "Page Six" editor Richard Johnson.
Bobby Zarem, the self-proclaimed mastermind behind the "I Love New York" tourism campaign, has left the city that he "literally saved" [his words] almost four decades ago. Over the weekend, Zarem, 73 — the manic celebrity publicist who once crammed 500 boldface names into the West 57th Street subway station for the premier party of the film Tommy; the screaming, slovenly spinmeister who shilled for Stallone, Cher, Dustin Hoffman, Sophia Loren, and tons more; the inveterate potty-mouthed promoter who hyped such movies as Saturday Night Fever, Dances With Wolves, Scarface, Rambo, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, etc, etc. — moved back to his childhood home in Savannah, Georgia. Though Zarem says it's for good, he also insists he's not retiring and that longtime assistant Bill Augustine will continue to run the New York office out of Augustine's apartment. On the eve of Zarem's departure — and before having his last dinner for a while at Elaine's — the man Newsweek once dubbed "superflack" spoke to Daily Intel.
You're one of the most famous publicists of all time, even though you've said repeatedly that no one knows what you do.
They don't and that's because I'm not a bragger. If you're a press agent and you're smart, you don't tell people what you do because if it doesn't pan out you end up looking like an asshole. I never told my clients what I was doing in case it never materialized, and they never questioned it. They just knew I would get the job done and I always did, which is the difference between me and everyone else in my profession. I'm basically an artist.
What is your relationship now with some of your early clients, like Dustin Hoffman, with whom you had a falling out after you stopped working together?
We are okay again now, but it took awhile. Dustin had been my client back in the early seventies when he had just started to make it big. What happened was that it was New Year's Eve Day around 1973 and it was the last day of our contract. He called me and asked if I could score him some dope and I spent half the day trying to find some down in the Village. I got it and dropped it through his mail slot and didn't hear from him again. I was hurt, but that was a long time ago and now I'm over it.
What's your take on the gossip industry and entertainment PR today versus when you first started, particularly in the cyber age?
It's a whole different world and there's no logic to it, no building of a campaign. Today there is no schedule or program anymore, because there are so many outlets that by the time major publications learn something it's already been out on Gawker or Nikki Finke. In terms of today's celebrity publicists, there are definitely some good ones out there, but a lot of them are in it for the wrong reasons — either just for the money or because they're trying to get laid.
Maybe so, but you've influenced and trained a lot of them, like Lizzie Grubman and Peggy Siegal, for instance.
I never trained Lizzie, but I always liked her, oddly enough. As for Peggy, I saved her life. We first met at a dinner party thrown by a mutual friend who was a reporter for Women's Wear Daily, and after that I didn't see Peggy for six months. The next time I saw her she was in a coffee shop on the Upper West Side near where I lived at the time and used to have breakfast every morning. One day, I saw her in there crying and when I went over to find out what was wrong she said her mother had told her she was no better than a dog and that she was going to commit suicide. I immediately gave her a job and put her in touch with my psychiatrist.
Is there any truth to what she's said about your once throwing a typewriter at her because she garbled a phone message?
It's a complete and total lie. You know how wide desks are, right? How could I have missed if I was standing on one side of my desk and she was on the other?
If what you're saying is true, why do you think she made it up?
That's Peggy Siegal. That's who she is. That's her nature, and by the way, after we parted company and she still had a key to my office she came in one night, broke into my metal safe, and stole my black book that had all my personal phone numbers and addresses in it.
Speaking of breaking and entering, I understand you've had a little experience with that yourself, like the time you forced your way into Paramount Studios and swiped the publicity photographs for Saturday Night Fever.
What happened was that Paramount thought they had a piece of shit on their hands and so did Robert Stigwood, who hired me to represent Saturday Night Fever. They told me I couldn't give art to Time and Newsweek because they thought it would either delay the reviews or the review would be very small and go unnoticed because there wasn't a picture with it. In the meantime, both Frank Rich, who was then at Time, and David Ansen, at Newsweek, who are friends of mine, had their tongues hanging out waiting to see it. I also told Martha Duffy, who was Time's arts editor back then, about it one night up at Elaine's and she asked me how quickly I could get the pictures to her. The next day, I went over to the New York offices of Paramount and asked Saturday Night Fever's marketing director for them. When he wouldn't give them to me, I shoved him onto the sofa and went across the hall to the art department. I grabbed six color negatives and ran out. This is a true story. And I sent one to Time, Newsweek, and People. Us wasn't in existence quite yet. It was about to come out and they put Travolta on the first cover.
You've said many times that you were the one who first introduced Mia and Woody at Elaine's back in the early eighties. How did that happen?
Mia was on Broadway in a play called Romantic Comedy with Tony Perkins, and I went to it. It was a Friday night, and I was there with Shakira and Michael Caine and Pat Kennedy Lawford, and we went backstage afterward. We were going to Elaine's and we asked her if she'd like to join us and she said yes. As we were pulling up in front, Mia said to me, "Isn't this where Woody Allen hangs out?" and I said, "Yeah," and she said, "Do you think he'll be there tonight?" and I said "Probably," because it was a Friday night and Woody was there almost every Friday night back in those days. As it turns out, though, he was not there that night, but then the next night the Caines had a dinner party at Elaine's and Woody was there with another woman and I got up and went over and said, "Woody, Mia would like to meet you," and he said, "Oh, okay," and they talked for a few minutes. As he was leaving, he asked me for her phone number, which I gave him after Mia gave me permission, but he didn't call her until ten days later.
Since you were responsible for their union, whose side were you on when the scandal happened years later?
I don't believe any of it. I think Mia made it up and I think she's a liar and I sort of blocked her out after that. I knew about Woody and Soon-Yi at a very early stage — like six months before it broke. I thought it was just interesting, but I didn't see anything wrong with it.
One of your biggest pet projects in recent years has been the Savannah Film Festival, which you helped establish with the Savannah College of Art. As a result of your work on the festival, are there any young actors you particularly like these days?
I like a lot of them. James Franco is great, and we've become very good friends. Joseph Gordon Levitt is fantastic, but I haven't met him. Then there's Jeremy Renner, who's in Hurt Locker. He came to the Savannah Film Festival last year and actually tricked me into getting up onstage with him. I got a standing ovation.
Besides the festival, I know that you're also planning to resume work on your memoirs once you get settled. Do you have a title yet?
I don't have a title yet, but I've gotten a couple of calls this week from publishers. The first chapter in my book is about the time I met Tallulah Bankhead by sneaking into her room at the Waldorf when I was 8 and asking for her autograph. She threw the Savannah Morning News and from there it's going to be about how I got to where I am today.
Apparently Naomi Campbell is in town today, and reportedly wreaking her usual havoc, according to a law-enforcement official who must remain anonymous because the investigation is ongoing. A taxi driver who had the pleasure of collecting Campbell in midtown tells authorities the 39-year-old model got furious with him and started slapping and punching him from the backseat at around 3 p.m. today. It's unclear what enraged Campbell (crumbs in the seat crack sticking to her fur?), but that's surely not the best part of this story.
The official says the driver stopped the car around 58th Street and Second Avenue and called 911. He says Campbell jumped out of the car and ran.
So either the driver had his plastic divider window open, or Campbell smashed through it with her guns of steel, possibly with the help of a portable electronic device, and went to town.
The final reviews are in from Italy. Though the critics admired Gucci's newfound refinement, some missed the label's signature sex appeal. Giorgio Armani's collection was deemed elegant, but rooted in the past. And Missoni's intricate patchwork creations won raves. Read the rest of the critics' reactions.
Missoni
The critics praised Missoni's breakout fall collection of patchwork knits. Godfrey Deeny of Fashion Wire Daily called it "sensational" and "breathtaking." Cathy Horyn of the New York Times called the wraps "exceptional", and British Vogue concurred that "this house was in its element." Suzy Menkes of the International Herald Tribune adored the patchwork blankets, finding "something right on about these sliding, slipping squares taking their shapes from the body." While the outerwear was clearly the high point, some critics grappled with the "clunky" black-trimmed bras as underpinnings. "[W]hat woman wants to flaunt her midriff come winter?" demanded WWD. Cathy Horyn was torn. "Somehow, in spite of the inventive knitting and eclectic street vibe, the pieces didn’t seem to genuinely relate to the present," she assessed. Still, most deemed the show a fashion-forward success for the label. "[T]his family run knitwear business has steadily injected a great avant-garde fashion element into its DNA," concluded Deeny.
Without a doubt Milan is the most difficult Fashion Week to book — when you have runway staples like Freja Beha, Natasha Poly, and Anja Rubik dominating the runways, the rookies might seem a little irrelevant. Even Carmen Kass made an appearance to open and close for Dsquared2's collection. But if there's one show that always casts against the grain, it's the powers that be at Prada. Casting director Russell Marsh anointed Samantha Gradoville the chosen one to open and close the week's biggest show. Being that it was the Omaha native's first season in Milan, we've got to give credit to this classically beautiful newcomer. See who else opened and closed on Milan's runways in our slideshow.
Charlie (right) and Warren. Always ahead of the curve.
When Warren Buffett's right-hand man, Charlie Munger, read Atul Gawande's amazing piece about the cost of health care in The New Yorker this summer, he decided to do something to show his appreciation, the Oracle told Squawk Box today:
"My partner Charlie Munger sat down and wrote out a check for $20,000 to him and he's never met him, never had any correspondence with it, he just mailed it to the New Yorker and he said, `This article is so useful socially.' He says, 'Just give this as a gift to the — to Dr. Gawande.'"
Gawande has of course now had to go out of his way to say that he did not actually accept the money, that he donated it to Brigham and Women's Hospital Center, because of ethics, obviously, but before we dismiss this story altogether we think this idea ought to be given some consideration. Journalism is an industry in need of new ideas — why not try the Suggested Donation model like Radiohead and the Met have done? Seems fair. Oh, but then we'd have to write every single post on this blog about Gossip Girl.
Over the weekend, rumors emerged that private-equity firm Permira was looking to sell its stakes in Valentino and Proenza Schouler. Valentino hasn't been a huge hit with critics since designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli took over. Cathy Horyn took pains to remind us in today's Times that paparazzi in Italy don't even know who they are. But Permira president Paolo Colonna tells today's WWD that the firm has no interest in selling Valentino. Despite the designers' "40-watt personalities," as Horyn describes them, the label currently has "zero debt," according to Colonna, and would probably be more valuable in a few years.
“Valentino has had its ups and downs, but we’ve turned a corner now,” Colonna told WWD, pointing to “great results” achieved with designs by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli for the brand, with double-digit growth.
However, a source previously noted in WWD that it wouldn't make sense to sell off Valentino in this economic climate. The source added that it would make sense, however, to sell Proenza while it's still cool.
Colonna said nothing about a possible Proenza sale, which suggests it's a distinct possibility. Rumor has it that the company isn't looking to profit from the sale, but is looking to work out a deal with designers Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough, who own a 55 percent stake in their label. One can't help but wonder if ill feelings toward the label's fall 2010 pants figure into any of this at all.
HAIR
• Abbie Cornish showed off a new, shorter hairstyle last night at an event in Los Angeles. She reportedly chopped her hair into a bob to celebrate her split from Ryan Phillippe, which supports Glamour's claim that women engage in "break-overs," or makeovers that occur after a breakup. [Just Jared]
FRAGRANCE
• Pringle of Scotland face Tilda Swinton now has her own fragrance. The scent launches this month with Etat Libre d’Orange. It is named Like This, because when Swinton was asked what her fragrance smells and feels like, she replied "Like this." [Perfume Shrine]
• Sarah Jessica Parker's new fragrance, SJP NYC, is apparently for people who want to smell like strawberries — though we must note that New York City most certainly does not smell like strawberries. [Now Smell This]
SKIN
• Brooklyn Decker's cheap makeup secret: Use Vaseline for everything, like eye makeup remover and anti-aging serum. [Modelinia]
MAKEUP
• Coco Rocha's first ad for Rimmel London is out. The model, who is now engaged, signed on as a spokesperson for the brand last October. [Sassybella]
Hairstylist Amoy Pitters will probably never be a household name, unless a few million people decide they want longer, thicker, and — here’s the important part — believably good-looking weaves. Still, she’s a giant in the industry, and her work has been important to people like Donatella Versace, Iman, Naomi Cambell, Trudie Styler, etc. After the lease on Pitters’s East Village salon expired, she relocated to the Upper East Side. Between putting final touches on her new space, doing house calls for her celebrity clients, and tinkering with her new product line, Pitters took a few minutes to chat (in the presence of cameras, because she is, of course, taping a show for Oxygen).
Do you notice women with bad weaves and say to yourself, "Oh, honey. What have you done?"
All the time! I notice hair everywhere I go — shopping at the grocery store, traveling, anywhere! I am always looking up to look at everyone’s hair.
I can tell! Your eyes went straight to my hair to see what I have going on!
You noticed that! If I can’t tell a girl’s hair is extensions from far away, and I have to look closer, that’s how I know the stylist did a good job. Once I was staring at the back of a girl’s head and thinking, wow, her hair looks amazing. It turned out to be a client I’d seen earlier that day.
Explain the art of a good weave.
Well, it definitely starts with the foundation. The weave must be placed correctly. The stylist also has to do a proper consultation with the client to get the color and texture perfect. And the stylist must know how to cut extensions correctly to achieve a natural look. Also, the extensions must be 100 percent natural — preferably with the cuticle, which looks and acts more naturally.
What's the best way to put one in? You can sew it, bond it, clip it ...
Depends on the clients, but never glue a weave unless it will only be worn for a very short time before. Like, a runway model at a fashion show. I never use glue at the salon, and now with clip-on products, glue is never necessary. You can transform your look in seconds. If you want a long-term look, sewing is great.
What are some mistakes women of color make with their hair?
Over-processing! Relaxers and color are damaging to hair health; it’s even worse when the processes are done together. Also, trying to perm their hair at home can be a big mistake. Putting too much tension on the hair — tight braids, ponytails, etc. — can cause breakage. There is a misconception about shampooing: Some women believe that less shampooing will help hair growth, but it’s not true! There is no need to go over a week without shampooing.
You have a tremendous celebrity clientele — what about regular people? Can they get an appointment, or do you have a waiting list?
I kinda do have a waiting list, but I don't want to isolate myself.
If you were stranded, what are the most essential hair products to have?
A good brush and Furterer dry shampoo.
What was the first designer item you bought?
Probably a pair of Christian Dior sunglasses. It took me about a month to save up for them.
Amoy Couture Hair, 874 Lexington Ave., nr. 65th St., second fl.; 212-529-5153
This is just a video of two morning show anchors in Australia having a bit of fun on the air with their curling game for Nintendo Wii. That is all I see. Boy, it sure does look like a wholesome good time though.
Why is everybody laughing? Rowdy, why are you laughing?
The very length of a day on Earth may have been changed! Because the 8.8 magnitude quake may have changed the planet's mass distribution, the planet could be spinning faster! Every day could be 1.26 microseconds shorter than it is right now. [NYDN]
AP - Irony underlies the title of "Brooklyn's Finest," a drama about cops who are anything but fine at their jobs. And director Antoine Fuqua pounds that irony home with a sledgehammer.
This is an entire car being swallowed by the Gowanus.
Today the Environmental Protection Agency declared the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn to be a Superfund site — that is, one of the most hazardous waste sites in the nation. By assigning that designation, the EPA hopes to ensure that the groups responsible for polluting the area, rather than the taxpayer, pay for its cleanup. According to their research, that includes "National Grid (the successor company to Brooklyn Union Gas), Consolidated Edison, the city of New York, the U.S. Navy, and Chemtura Corp," the last of which definitely sounds like the kind of place that would pollute a river, if it were run by a mad scientist from a comic book. But the city, and local group Clean Gowanus Now, had hoped to work with developers to fix the area's problems much more quickly. The EPA argued that the city's plans were not sufficient, and now planned developments for the area have been scrapped. But never fear! That little abandoned shack you bought and cleaned up with your very own flipper hands will still be worth a mint — in ten to twelve years!
Ever wanted to see a child brush her teeth with whiskey? Well, thanks to Ke$ha and modern technology, this is now all too possible. Her name is Avery, and if you’re a fan of the internet, you may have already seen her cover of “Tik Tok.” But if not (hi Mom) then buckle the h up because this lil’ gal is either a miniature genius or the tiniest little nerd prostitute in all of wherever she’s from.
We know what our favorite looks are (anything black), but we're always curious to know what you, dear readers, are wearing. Are you label fanatics? A Topshop junkie like this young lady, in an Ashish by Topshop spiked jacket? Do you make your own outfits every night? It's time to play show and tell: Submit photos to our Reader Look Book. What's your best outfit this week? We know you're dying to show off that new pair of shoes you just bought, and your friends are sick of talking about them. But we, and the Cut commenters, are not. Here's your shot at a little sartorial glory.
Need more explicit instruction on how to use the tool? Go here.
“They’re remaking [MOVIE]? What’s Hollywood gonna remake next, [FILL IN THE BLANK]???”
That used to be a joke us humans were able to say. Now, not only will the fill-in-the-blank punchline not be as ridiculous as the movie that’s actually being remade, but there’s also only about three movies left in the history of cinema that haven’t been remade, two of which are 50s newsreels about the rise of Kruschev, and the other one is I Love Trouble. That’s literally it.
Oh, the point of this post? Hollywood’s remaking the Dudley Moore movie Arthur with Russell Brand in the titular role, and they’ve officially found a director — Modern Family producer Jason Winer — so the project is moving forward. And Meryl Streep is being considered for the (Oscar-Winning) John Gielgud butler role, because that’s something that should happen.
Will “Hasssthere been a death in your family? This is funny stuff here!” become the “Niyyyyyce!” of Summer 2K10? I’m betting on it! I’m actually flying to Vegas and demanding that they allow me to wager money on that.
Oh, also, I guess I’ll have to update this Photoshop from last year, but no biggie, you know what they say: You can’t make an Arthur without breaking some Arthur-related Photoshops from 2009!
In the coming months and years, you may see new product lines bearing the Christian Lacroix label, but those will not be designed by the man himself. Christian Lacroix has severed all ties with his namesake house, which is currently restructuring and racking up licensing deals after failing to get bought out of bankruptcy. CEO Nicolas Topiol plans to roll out new licensing deals for Christian Lacroix eyewear and sunglasses, stationery, and home textiles. He's in talks to launch innerwear, childrenswear, and other men's and women's accessories. Women's ready-to-wear may not return until 2012, and the current staff of 30 will probably be cut to around 12.
Meanwhile, Lacroix is busying himself with things like train-worker uniforms, theater costumes, and designing hotels under his own company, XLCX. Too bad he can't retain rights to his own name.
The stepdaughter of Jesse Browning, the star of a reality show about loggers, was attacked and killed by the family's dog in Astoria, Oregon, an investigator said.
Racked found a $120 silk polka-dot skirt by CDG. One commenter says the Hervé cocktail dresses run from $300 to $600 while long gowns are more like $1,200. Another commenter says prices for the stuff Racked mentions generally stayed between $150 and $400. Finding anything worth buying will probably take some digging, but Owens and Pugh are pretty good reasons to bother with that. We're going after work to dig ourselves. Reporting, you know. All for you!
AP - "Deep Shadow" (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 353 pages, $25.95), by Randy Wayne White: Two black-hearted murderers on the run from the police are hiding out in a mangrove swamp that surrounds a deep, teardrop-shaped lake in central Florida.
Warwick, 69, appeared at a Capitol Hill event to urge Congress to pass legislation to make radio stations pay fees to musicians, similar to those paid to songwriters.
This 80-second video “Tahitacora Playing Video Games” currently has over 190,000 views on Youtube, and I really don’t understand why — you can barely even see the Xbox racing game she’s playing, the screen’s super blurry, the race she’s in is completely out of context, and she doesn’t even finish the level.
I mean, I guess she has a pretty nice entertainment system set up, and those games look really organized, so I’m not saying the video is without merit, just that its viral popularity is surprising. Just goes to show, dudes really will watch anything on the internet as long as there’s a huge, blurry flatscreen in it.
Did I mention my d*ck fell off last week? Sorry to change the subject.
Robert Pattinson charmed photographers at the New York premiere of Remember Me last night along with costar Emillie De Raven. However, Kristen Stewart showed up to remind her Twilight costar and alleged boyfriend of the sexy American bombshell he was missing at home.
Don’t worry, Kristen. I’m sure Robert would much rather be stuck on the Lost island with you than Emillie, especially when you show up looking like Edward Furlong in Terminator 2 wearing his Aunt Mildred’s pants. You’ve got nothing to worry about here.
Baroness Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza poses in front of "Sunset at Etretat" of Claude Monet during the painting exhibition at the Thissen museum on February 2010 in Madrid. The baroness wants the state to... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 2 Mar 2010 | 11:01 am
Last night saw the series finale of ABC’s The Bachelor, featuring airline pilot and part-time stomach clothes-washer Jake Pavelka choosing between a gaggle of sharp-toothed, man-thirsty ladies, thrown into a house with a trunk full of sateen clearance prom gowns, and told to do whatever it takes to win this man’s love. It is here that I will personally admit to something: Physically, Jake Pavelka is the hottest bachelor to date. Sure, he’s a borderline moron who was looking for a woman to both wrastle and impregnate, but point being: Physically, he’s near perfection.
A few weeks ago, Jake was down to 4 possible brides: Gia, “Like Gina Gershon, Minus The N-Gershon”; Aly, a blond girl from Rivendell; Tenley, a premature baby who enjoyed dancing; and Vienna, who grew up on freeze-dried alligator meat which she then stuffed into her chest skin to make breasts. Aly eventually left for “work purposes” (really, where does she work, The Drama Barn? I’m here all week.), and it was announced today that she is going to be America’s next Bachelorette. Jake then denied Gia a rose, surprising til we found out later the bitch already has a boyfriend.
Jake was now left with 2 ladies. Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” and the Vienna Sausage Factory.
Each lady was introduced to Jake’s family. The verdict was clear: Tenley was a girl with a 3-chambered heart of gold, while Vienna, the “bad” girl, did not jive with the ladies of her fam.
By this point it was pretty clear. The lady that Jake would to f**k for the rest of his life (or at least the next 12 months) is Vienna. And, so, Vienna is the “lady” who he chose.
Some thoughts:
1. Poor Tenley. The girl is as fragile as a woman with glass bones, both physically and emotionally. She was already DUMPED by her first husband, and now this? On national television? It ain’t right. He spends the entire season telling her he loves her and that he’s falling in love with her, and then cries on a mountain in St. Lucia that things just didn’t feel right. YOU D*CKLESS HUMAN BEING. I wasn’t Tenley’s biggest fan, but sh*t, give the girl a break. She’s only 5 months old.
2. Good Luck with Vienna. Place your bets on how long this engagement lasts. Shorter or Longer than the amount of time it takes for a fly to become a Great Grandmother? This is a tough one.
3. Thankfully, Jake Is Coming Back. On Dancing with the Stars! Bachelor Plot Twist: He falls in love with fellow dancer Kate Gosselin. Can you imagine?
4. This Show Is A Sham. So why do we keep watching it?
What’d you guys think of the outcome last night? Is Jake just a manipulative sexy piece of hot garbage? Do you think him and Vienna will last? How long until Tenley evaporates into dust like Michael Jackson in the “Do You Remember the Times?” video?
In a handout picture released by Megistella, four young South Koreans who will alternate in the title role of "Billy Elliot: the musical" pose during a promotion in Seoul. The musical is based on the 2000... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:38 am
A general view of the Oscar statue at the "Meet the Oscars" exhibit at The Shops at North Bridge on February 25 in Chicago, Illinois. The venerable statuette, officially named the Academy Award of Merit,... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:38 am
Overview of the Oscar statue at "Meet the Oscars" at the Time Warner Center on February 25 in New York City. The venerable statuette, officially named the Academy Award of Merit, is the child of the Academy... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:38 am
This twenty-second animation stands as a vicious metaphor for countless aspects of society. Most directly, a larger dog pooping on a smaller dog. But also other stuff too. Cats.
When military scientists invented the internet back in the 1950’s, this is what they had in mind. Behold, the video for OK Go’s “This Too Shall Pass”:
I can’t tell if this video makes me feel sickeningly lazy or like an actually somewhat productive human being. This is the type of thing I would inadvertently get carried away with some Saturday in my apartment before realizing I was supposed to pick up my grandmother at the airport seven hours ago. Either way, just give all the awards we have left in the world to OK Go. And some towels.
The unthinkable has happened - by losing Paula's craziness, and
with Simon heading for the door, "American Idol" feels like it has
finally reached the end of its run
How do you replace Paula Abdul? You
don't. That's no knock on Ellen DeGeneres — it's just that
absurd Hollywood creatures like Paula are rare and precious flukes
of the universe, like the Loch Ness monster in sequined capri
pants. Without Paula, American Idol loses its crazy
factor, the suspenseful thrill that you're never more than a few
minutes away from seeing a grade-A display of batshit antics on
live TV. And what is American Idol without a dose of
crazy?
B'estFest 2010, one of Eastern Europe's biggest rock festivals which was to have taken place in Bucharest in July, has been cancelled, with organisers blaming the economic crisis gripping the global economy... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:53 am
Up all night with hip-hop's unstoppable machine as he prepares to
spend the next year behind bars
This story was originally published in February 2010. Since
then, Lil Wayne's sentencing has been postponed two times. For the
latest on his developing case,
click here.
"I don't like to stop," says Lil Wayne.
"I believe you stop when you die." The biggest rapper in the world
stands 23 floors above Atlanta and five feet six in black Chuck
Taylors, his wifebeater tee baring a torso as ink-covered as the
pages of a doodler's notebook. It's 8:30 p.m., two days after
Christmas, and he will be up...
So much craziness went down in tonight's Lost, it felt like a season finale, did it not?
Still, if you think tonight was good, just wait til you hear what Michael Emerson and...
These guys apparently really needed that extra day to rehearse.
Taking the American Idol stage a day early because week-one standout Crystal Bowersox was taken ill Tuesday, the gents had...
Thank goodness, they went with the good hair.
Robert Pattinson is the latest celebrity to be immortalized by Madame Tussauds, joining likenesses of Brad Pitt, Marilyn Monroe, Johnny...
If you came here for some Bachelor bashing from controversial contestant Rozlyn Papa, think again.
"It was the right choice for him," she tells E! News during an exclusive...
Just how real is The Hurt Locker?
Even more real than the makers of the gritty Oscar frontrunner have let on, according to a lawsuit being prepared on behalf of Iraq war vet Master Sgt....
UPDATE: Police say it's unlikely charges will be filed against Campbell because the driver has opted not to file a formal criminal...
You can stop checking your mailbox for a wedding invite from Leonardo DiCaprio and Bar Refaeli.
They aren't getting married. Yet.
Our E! Israel colleague Ori...
Aww, Little Grey (Chyler Leigh) is blushing! Somebody saw Lexie in the altogether, and her sister Mer (Ellen Pompeo) and Cristina (Sandra Oh) are making fun. That's no fun, but there is some...
