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Lady Gaga sued by songwriter - BBC News
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 19 Mar 2010 | 4:10 am Sandra Bullock still poised for successful future
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 Sydney Morning Herald | 'The Bounty Hunter' review: Bail on this rom-com New York Daily News There are a lot of people who still want to believe that Jennifer Aniston deserves to be a movie star. But frankly, she's giving us very little to work with. Somehow, “The Bounty Hunter” is even more disappointing than her last misfire, “Love Happens. ... Painful 'Bounty' another Aniston dud 'The Bounty Hunter': An attempt at offbeat humor that doesn't deliver 'The Bounty Hunter' review:One hot mess |
Last night Stephen Colbert provided the "Oh Snap!" moment of the evening when he shut down Republican superflack Mary Matalin mid-argument. His rebuttal was so perfect that it made her completely drop her line of reasoning and complement him, which is no small victory. In a less concise, but no less effective takedown, Jon Stewart did most of his show as Glenn Beck, ranting, crying, and generally giving Beck a taste of his own medicine. On The Tonight Show Jay Leno interviewed the E*Trade baby about Linsday Lohan's recent lawsuit and, surprisingly, the baby turned out to be kind of a jerk. Finally, Jimmy Fallon broke a record for the Universal Record Database (basically a twee version of the Guinness book): "largest bloody mary garnished with a late-night host." Watch our compilation to see what you missed.
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Filed Under: last night on late night, horatio sanz, linsday lohan, mary matalin, oh snap, tv, video
Lopez Falls Into New Role: Jennifer Lopez is in talks to star in the remake of Overboard, the 1987 Garry Marshall romantic comedy that starred Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, in which “a snooty, spoiled woman” falls off a yacht and is taken to the hospital by a “morally challenged carpenter.” When she wakes up with amnesia, he convinces her he is her husband. Perhaps the project appeals to Lopez because this is also the story of how she ended up married to Marc Anthony. [HR]
Fantastic Mr. Foxx: Jamie Foxx is in negotiations to star opposite Bruce Willis in Kane & Lynch, adapted from the video game. Willis will play Kane, a death row inmate who is released - along with Foxx’s Lynch, a schizophrenic killer - by Kane’s old squad, so they can retrieve a stolen fortune. While Kane travels to Los Angeles, Japan and Cuba, Lynch is charged with rescuing Kane's wife and daughter... who assuredly will feel very comforted knowing their rescue effort is being led by an unstable killer while their husband/dad is off looking for some loot. [HeatVision/HR]
Graduating From High School: Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical) has signed on to co-star in the CW’s Hellcats, marking her first regular television role. Tisdale will play Sierra, a “peppy and fiercely intense” captain of the college cheerleading squad, who takes Marti (Aly Michalka), a girl “from the wrong side of the tracks,” under her wing on the team (after an initial clash, of course), in order to help them win a championship. Sounds like this should be familiar territory for Tisdale, except without Zac Efron to look at or people breaking into song whenever they feel a new emotion. [HR]
Monster Redux: Paramount is planning to remake the 1987 film The Monster Squad, with Rob Cohen - who produced the original - hoping to come on to direct the remake. The story follows a group of kids who worship “the classic monsters” (Frankenstein, Wolf Man, etc.) but then discover they’re all in town and up to no good, and thus need to be stopped! With this and Overboard, 1987 films are clearly where it's at right now. [Deadline]
Busy Facinelli: Nurse Jackie’s Peter Facinelli has signed on for two upcoming features, both directed by Michael Corrente. He will play a “successful pickpocket” who comes across a one-night stand pregnant with his child (hate when that happens!) in Loosies, a dramedy that he wrote. And, in Paz, he will play Vinnie Pazienza, a boxer who recovers from a near-fatal car accident. Perhaps Facinelli’s been hitting up Jackie’s pill stash, as he’s going to somehow take on both these parts, his Jackie commitment and his role in the rest of the Twilight films. [Variety]
Skeet!: Skeet Ulrich is set to star in the John Wells-produced untitled medical pilot for CBS about a medical mobile squad traveling through the U.S. Ulrich, who previously starred on Jericho and last year’s drama pilot Back for the network, is hoping that the third time’s the charm. And we are too, mainly so we keep having an excuse to say the the word "skeet" in our heads. [HR]
Read more posts by Josh Duboff
Filed Under: the industry, aly michalka, ashley tisdale, bruce willis, hellcats, jamie foxx, jennifer lopez, john wells, kane & lynch, loosies, michael corrente, movies, overboard, paz, peter facinelli, rob cohen, skeet ulrich, television, the monster squad
All those shots of Jesse James looking adoringly at Sandra Bullock from the audience during awards season certainly had us believing they were a great couple.
Maybe they were, maybe...
"We've been saying for years, if you don't sign Jon Hamm to play this part, you're crazy. Captain America is supposed to be the patriarch of the Marvel universe. To get a guy in his early to mid-20s is only thinking about where the character began, not what he ultimately needs to become." - Alex Ross, the artist who redesigned Captain America for Marvel, in Entertainment Weekly. Because what this casting process really needed was another name thrown into the mix. [Contact]
Read more posts by Josh Duboff
Filed Under: captain america, jon hamm, mad men, movies
Jon Stewart pulled off one of his more elaborate and successful bits on tonight's Daily Show, opening the show and then continuing for about twenty minutes in a brutal parody of Glenn Beck. Oh, and he did the whole thing in character as Beck, to boot.
Toward the end of the segment he really went all out, exaggerating Beck’s rabid tics and mannerisms to “prove” that if you have even the slightest religious tendencies, then you clearly must support a theocracy. As Stewart puts it, channeling the Tao of Beck: “If you subscribe to an idea, you also subscribe to that idea’s ideology and to every possible negative consequence that that ideology even remotely implies when you carry it to absurd extremes.”
Read more posts by Josh Duboff
Filed Under: glenn beck, cable news, jon stewart, media, video
 E! Online (blog) | Movie review: Wholesale spleen in 'Repo Men,' starring Jude Law Washington Post For all the soullessness of studio pictures, where else can today's moviegoer find moral outrage, political pluck or a sense of insurrection? That's right: mid- to massive-budgeted sci-fi/horror/fantasy. ... Repo Men' 'Repo Men' movie review: A real horror show, and not in a good way Jude Law steals hearts, and livers, in gruesome sci-fi satire 'Repo Men' |
 CBC.ca | Alex Chilton, Influential Rock Singer, Dies at 59 New York Times Alex Chilton, a mercurial rock musician whose work ranged from the soul songs of the Box Tops to the multiple incarnations of his pop band Big Star, and who left a legacy more easily measured in artistic influence than in commercial ... Alex Chilton dies at 59; led influential Box Tops and Big Star bands Alex Chilton dies at 59; mercurial leader of the Box Tops, Big Star Music lovers lose Big Star |
Sarah Palin is following a trajectory more Kardashian than Politician, demanding a big paycheck in her quest for reality TV stardom. After shopping her “TV docudrama” to major broadcast and cable networks, two channels - A&E and Discovery - have expressed interest in the project, which is tentatively titled Sarah Palin’s Alaska. Palin is asking for $1 million to $1.5 million per episode, considered a “hefty amount for a first-year cable series.” The show - executive-produced by reality television guru Marc Burnett - will feature the former governor touring her home state, completing activities such as visiting fishing boats or trekking to a gold mine. There had better be a caribou hunting episode or else this really has no business calling itself a Sarah Palin Alaska show. [HR]
Read more posts by Josh Duboff
Filed Under: sarah palin, a&e, alaska, discovery, reality television
Well, color me surprised. Bachelor Jake Pavelka doth not sucketh!
While we had guessed the rose-giver would look about as comfortable as a snake in pantyhose on that dance floor, he...
Another night, another round of charity soirees.
My first stop is the Beverly Hilton for A Night at Sardi's, where celebs belt Broadway hits to benefit the Alzheimer's...
Reuters - Can Jay Leno win and lose at the same time?
It’s almost always more fun when A.O. Scott tears a film to shreds than when he praises one. In his screed against Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston’s The Bounty Hunter out tomorrow, he takes the two to task (more Butler than Aniston) for, to put it lightly, lacking chemistry.
"[Butler and Aniston] do not give the slightest indication that they belong together, except by virtue of having signed contracts to appear in this movie," he writes. "Characters whose feelings are supposed to be at stake are blunted, dumbed-down caricatures of notional human beings, rather than sharply etched epitomes of human behavior. Milo and Nicole broke up because she was too attached to her career, but while Ms. Aniston is able to give a reasonable impression of a person doing a job, Mr. Butler seems fundamentally incapable of giving any impression beyond that of a self-absorbed boor just awakened from a nap."
Zing! The whole review is really quite a fun read, culminating with an extended metaphor involving Jason Sudeikis' character that basically ensures you will never see this movie, on the off chance you were ever even entertaining the thought.
In a Battle of the Exes, the Punches Are Pulled [NYT]
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Filed Under: critical drubbings, a.o. scott, gerard butler, jennifer aniston, movies, reviews, the bounty hunter
AP - Sandra Bullock is on a career high. America's Sweetheart and "Miss Congeniality" was repeatedly anointed as Hollywood royalty this year, sweeping awards season and capping it off with an Oscar for her role as a devoted mom in "The Blind Side."
Michael Bloomberg, the richest New Yorker and the city’s biggest philanthropist, is terminating a program that funneled close to $200 million of his fortune into nonprofit groups through his philanthropic trust, according to the Times. Though the decision has not been made public yet, arts and social services groups are starting to panic a bit, says the paper, as they have been dependent on this funding to operate smoothly.
Since 2001, the mayor has donated money to a variety of groups throughout the five boroughs via the trust, the Carnegie Corporation of New York. But, as one might imagine, this practice has raised some eyebrows.
“The gifts reflect the often blurred roles Mr. Bloomberg plays in the city as mayor, tycoon and philanthropist,” the Times notes. “And while the donations earned him praise from grateful recipients, who regarded him as an enlightened billionaire, they also drew rebukes from elected leaders who argued that he bought political acquiescence with his checkbook.”
It is unclear how Bloomberg will restructure his philanthropic donations, and neither he nor his aides spoke to the Times. The Carnegie funds have helped to support 600 theaters, dance troupes, museums and other groups, the paper says.
Bloomberg Is Ending a Charitable Program [NYT]
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Filed Under: charity, carnegie corporation of new york, michael bloomberg
 New York Daily News | ABC snags foreign reporter Amanpour from CNN to host 'This Week' Washington Post ABC has snagged CNN's chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, to take over as anchor of its Sunday Beltway show, "This Week." She's replacing George Stephanopoulos, who left the show to take Diane Sawyer's place at ... David Westin's Email Announcing Christiane Amanpour as 'This Week' Anchor Journalist Christiane Amanpour to leave CNN to anchor ABC's 'This Week' Christiane Amanpour to join ABC as host of 'This Week' |
After winning basically every supporting actor award up for grabs this season, giving him the newfound ability to take on pretty much any project of his liking, what is Inglorious Basterds’ Christoph Waltz first post-Oscars move? Surprise! He’s going to direct a romantic comedy - from a script he wrote, no less. Waltz will make his feature directing debut on the German-language film, titled Auf Und Davon (Up and Away), which centers on a “ruthless host of a dating show competition” who “finds herself in over her head when the show's romantic story line bumps into her own feelings for a contestant.” He may also play a role in the film.
Up and Away may not be seen in non-German speaking countries though, which means American Waltz fans could have trouble catching the Oscar winner's pet project; though maybe that's OK, as seeing the unnerving Nazi officer we just fell for in a rom com which recalls a recent Bachelor scandal could be hard to swallow.
Christoph Waltz to direct first feature [HR]
Read more posts by Josh Duboff
Filed Under: christoph waltz, auf und davon, movies, oscars, the industry, up and away
AP - Roman Polanski's attorneys filed an appeal Thursday asking that a special counsel be appointed to investigate alleged judicial and prosecutorial misconduct in the fugitive director's 32-year-old sex case.
At least one thing worked out for Jesse James today.
His pit bull Cinnabun, who had gone missing for the second time in three months this week, turned up Thursday afternoon at the...
Calling Beyoncé probably isn’t going to help her get out of this one. Lady Gaga’s ex-boyfriend, songwriter and music producer Ron Fusari, has filed a $30.5 million lawsuit in a Manhattan state court against Gaga, claiming that his "protege" left him in the dust after he co-wrote some of her songs ("Paparazzi," "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich"), came up with the name "Lady Gaga," (!) and helped her get a record deal. “All business is personal,” the lawsuit claims, as Fusari alleges he should have a significant share of the profits from Gaga's first album coming his way. Gaga has not yet commented on the matter. [AP]
Read more posts by Josh Duboff
Filed Under: bad romance, lady gaga, lawsuits, music
AP - Toni Morrison, Salman Rushdie and Sherman Alexie will be among the writers featured at the sixth annual PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature in New York City.
Review in a Hurry: Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston have a lot going for them. So why do they both keep doing such mediocre movies or, even worse, flicks as confused and joyless as The Bounty...
After revealing she had been offered the job earlier this week, ABC News announced today it has officially stolen Christiane Amanpour away from CNN to host This Week, its Sunday-morning news program. Amanpour, who was a foreign correspondent at CNN for over two decades, will bring her expertise in international affairs to the new venue.
“With Christiane we have the opportunity to provide our audiences with something different on Sunday mornings,” ABC News president David Westin said. “We will continue to provide the best in interviews and analysis about domestic politics and policies. But now we will add to that an international perspective.”
Amanpour, who is taking over for George Stephanopoulos (now on Good Morning America), will begin the new gig in August.
CNN’s Christiane Amanpour to Join ABC News [Media Decoder/NYT]
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Filed Under: in other news, abc, abc news, christiane amanpour, cnn, media, this week
Celebrity apologies are always a tricky business. There are those who take a preemptive, straightforward approach (David Letterman) … and then there are the ones who make the ill-advised choice to wait until weeks after their names have become New York Post headline fodder to make a statement (Chris Brown, Tiger Woods). So we were pleased (well, as pleased as you can be about stuff like this) to see that Jesse James — husband to America’s Reigning Sweetheart, Oscar winner Sandra Bullock — released a statement today, after being accused earlier this week of cheating on Bullock with a tattoo model. But then we read it.
James gave the following statement to People this afternoon, in which it is entirely unclear what he is apologizing for:
"The vast majority of the allegations reported are untrue and unfounded. Beyond that, I will not dignify these private matters with any further public comment. There is only one person to blame for this whole situation, and that is me. It’s because of my poor judgment that I deserve everything bad that is coming my way. This has caused my wife and kids pain and embarrassment beyond comprehension and I am extremely saddened to have brought this on them. I am truly very sorry for the grief I have caused them. I hope one day they can find it in their hearts to forgive me.”
If most of what’s been reported is "untrue," as James claims, then what is he referring to in this apology? How did he show "poor judgment"? (By fraternizing with someone who goes by the moniker "Bombshell" in the first place would seem like a good guess.) Ugh. Overly labored celebrity statements like this are annoying enough — the least we can ask for is that they make some modicum of sense, and actually state something.
Jesse James Apologizes to Sandra Bullock and His Children [People]
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Filed Under: the most important people in the world, jesse james, sandra bullock, scandals
Talks between ABC and Paula Abdul to have her judge on a new version of Star Search have collapsed over Abdul's insistence on a $5 million yearly salary, which is what she'd have been paid for another season of American Idol. Plans for the Search reboot are in doubt, as Abdul was apparently the only living person both qualified to appraise the talent of singing amateurs and not already employed at a competing show. [Live Feed/HR]
Read more posts by Lane Brown
Filed Under: abc, paula abdul, star search, tv
Well, so much for Paula Abdul's return to network TV.
Just a few days after ABC was reportedly all ready to sign the former American Idol judge up as host of a new version of Star...
For a piece in Sunday's L.A. Times, Geoff Boucher interviews Bryan Singer and producer Lauren Shuler Donner about the director's upcoming return to the X-Men franchise, with the prequel X-Men: First Class and maybe even X-Men 4, which Shuler Donner is trying to talk him into. "I had lunch with Hugh Jackman today," says Singer at one point, and Shuler Donner presses him for off-the-record details. Boucher strongly implies that she was asking about whether he and Jackman had discussed Singer directing a second Wolverine movie, though it's also equally likely she asked what Hugh had ordered or if he'd mentioned plans to any upcoming awards shows (those would've been our first questions). [Hero Complex/LAT]
Read more posts by Lane Brown
Filed Under: jackman, bryan singer, hugh jackman, movies, wolverine 2, x-men, x-men: first class
Another sad loss summed up in paperwork.
The cause of Corey Haim's death remains officially up in the air pending the final autopsy report, according to the death certificate...
March is only half over, but it's already been one helluva ride for Sandra Bullock.
Just days after winning an Academy Award for The Blind Side she was blindsided by a shocking...
Is the Fame Monster about to bite Lady Gaga in the ass?
A New Jersey-based songwriter, record producer and self-professed former lover of the "Poker Face" purveyor is...
A fascinating melodrama unfolded this afternoon in Washington, D.C., when a protest that was carefully staged by gay lobby group the Human Rights Campaign and reality star Kathy Griffin was derailed by more vocal protesters who wanted to take the event to another level of civil disobedience. Lieutenant Dan Choi, an openly gay suspended serviceman who is perhaps the most vocal opponent of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on the airwaves these days, led the unannounced interruption. Towleroad.com has been following the confusing chain of events all day (for the full story you should click over there for more detail from all sides). Asking to be allowed to join the speakers list at the civil demonstration, Choi was turned down by organizers from HRC. But Griffin, whose television cameras were videotaping the affair for her show, My Life on the D-List, brought him onstage with her.
Choi, who has yet to be discharged from the Army, was accompanied by Captain Jim Pietrangelo, who was discharged dishonorably for being gay in 2004. Upon reaching the White House, the pair chained themselves to the fence there, quickly drawing police and Secret Service. After some confusion and a lot of chanting, the two, along with another female protester, were arrested and taken away by police. "It was my honor 2 share th podium with Lt.Dan Choi today!" Griffin tweeted later. "I understand he's been arrested in front of the White House. I dig that dude! Balls!"
Read more posts by Chris Rovzar
Filed Under: gays, dadt, dan choi, don't ask don't tell, gay rights, kathy griffin, white house
Joan Jett — a book designed by Todd Oldham and assembled from interviews and other sources by Jett herself, with an introduction by Kathleen Hanna — arrives just in time for the release of The Runaways movie. (It's almost like they planned it that way.) We'll eventually get around to reading it, but before we even dropped it onto our coffee table to see how it looked there, we flipped through to see the sweet pictures of Jett that comprise most of the book. Subsequently, we decided to share some of them with you. So click through to see Joan Jett smacking her gum, rocking out to thousands, and holding a guitar like it's a big penis. Thanks to publisher American Modern Books. Enjoy!
Read more posts by Nick Catucci
Filed Under: jett set, joan jett, movies, music, people, slideshow, the runaways
Hey, new Gucci Mane! We know what you’re thinking: Cool, Gucci’s out of prison. Nope — dude recorded all of his new mixtape, Burrprint 2, over the phone from jail. Okay, yeah, Shyne did it first, but it’s unlikely he got this intricate with it. Producer Drumma Boy explained the process to MTV, saying, “I recorded his verses but later realized that there was no consistent tempo. This means I had to chop up each word for word to punch into tempo, which took me about five to six hours. After I had lined up his verses, I then began to add music around the verses, structure the build, and then create a hook that matched the intensity of his verses.” The first leak is “Atlanta Zoo,” on which Gucci impressively boasts of his manifold illegal activities while, we remind you once more, he's in prison. Ludacris is on the track, too, and his verse (“Pop pop, get a glock hot, and got a colt 45 like Billy Dee/semi automatic that I keep up in the attic and a shank that’s shaped like Tennesee”) is definitely not — wait for it — phoned in.
Read more posts by Amos Barshad
Filed Under: right-click, gucci mane, ludacris, music
Demi Moore appears on the latest cover of Harper's Bazaar. Her hips do not show like they did in her last W cover, which prompted many on the Internet to wonder if photo retouchers helped themselves to a slice of her hip. She explained the shot to Bazaar:
"Okay, that is literally my shape," Demi says, sticking her leg out for effect. What bothered her, she says, "wasn't that people were saying it was retouched, it was that they were saying my hip was so badly botched because a hunk of it was taken out. I called the photographers, and they said, 'We did not touch anything on your hip, your thigh, or your waist. It was the position.' Actually, somebody sent me an image I retweeted on Twitter. It was this beautiful marble statue, and the body position was exactly the same as what I was doing. This person had outlined how the hip goes in and the leg goes out." So silence thee, hip haters.
In case you were wondering what Moore's clothing size is:
Being snake-hipped is fabulous for fashion, though. But Demi, who is a size 2, tops, recently discussed the shrinking size of models with her friend, Lanvin designer Alber Elbaz. "Models, even male models — how small they've gotten! It looks great for the clothes, but it's not what you want in real life. Why do we have to keep looking at ourselves and measuring?"
Maybe she hasn't heard about the supposed resurgence of curves. She doesn't seem to have grown any.
Demi Moore's Dream Life: The Interview [Harper's Bazaar]
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Filed Under: photoshopped, covers, demi moore, harpers bazaar, w
AP - Not since Felix Ungar and Oscar Madison moved in together has Broadway had such an odd couple on the boards.
You know what makes people angry? That none of those Wall Street CEOs whose corporations devastated our economy were ever punished. None of the people in the SEC who somehow failed to notice that Bernie Madoff was running a Ponzi scheme were held responsible. And that doesn't seem fair. When people are wronged, they want vengeance! They want accountability! On the other end of the spectrum, you have North Korea. North Korea holds people accountable:
A former top finance official in North Korea was executed over a currency reform that caused a number of problems in the secretive Communist nation, according to South Korea's official Yonhap news agency.
Pak Nam-gi was executed last week at a shooting range in Pyongyang, Yonhap reported Thursday, citing multiple sources. He was held responsible for "the country's currency reform fiasco that has caused massive inflation, worsened food shortages and dented leader Kim Jong Il's efforts to transfer power to a son," the news agency said.
Maybe a little too accountable. There's a healthy middle ground for these things.
Report: N. Korea executes official over currency reform [CNN]
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Filed Under: the worst country ever, north korea
Milla Jovovich stopped by the El Corte Inglés in Madrid today to help launch a limited-edition Tommy Hilfiger bag wearing plaid pants and a button-down blue shirt.
Would you wear these pants?
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: look of the day, el corte ingles, madrid, milla jovovich, tommy hilfiger
Yesterday at a conference, House Republican leader John Boehner urged hundreds of bankers to push back when it came to reform of the financial system. "Don't let those little punk staffers take advantage of you, and stand up for yourselves," he said, of those working on a regulation bill on Capitol Hill. Several people have since slapped back, among them Senate Finance Committee Chair Barney Frank and White House Economic Advisor Larry Summers.
Sayeth Summers:
I do not think of the people who work on this project as “little punk staffers.” I do not think that those who want to address these issues are “little punk staffers” who need to be stood up to. And at a time when industry has hired — has spent $1 million on lobbyists per member of Congress, at a moment when there are four lobbyists per member of the House and Senate working on this issue, we in the administration do not believe that the prominent issue is allowing bankers to stand up for themselves.
As the Times observes, it's kind of unusual for Summers to be out there playing defense. We can only assume this is because Tim Geithner had to be sedated after throwing a profanity-laced hissy fit that concluded with, "At least my name isn't Boehner."
Tiff over "punk staffers" as bank reform vote nears [Reuters]
Summers Slams Boehner’s ‘Punk Staffers’ Comment [NYT]
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: i know you are but what am i, business, larry summers, the economy, tim geithner
The 21-year-old model's nuptials are on the horizon, and she's tweeting up a storm about it. Today: "Mr. Zac Posen is the best! I met with him to discuss wedding dress designs and immediately sketches were flying... So exciting!!" So she must not be designing it herself under her new Rococo line. [Oh_So_Coco/Twitter]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: put a ring on it, coco rocha, designers, models, zac posen
Yesterday's news that the high-end fashion glossy W and fashion trade-title Women's Wear Daily were finally breaking up their strange marriage of staff and resources has sparked a lot of buzz in the industry. Not just because people have been wondering for years when the divorce would happen, and how it would work — the long-suffering W relies heavily on the staff and finances of WWD — but because with the announcement of the split came news that Fairchild veteran of over 30 years, Patrick McCarthy, would be leaving at the end of the year. McCarthy was the editorial director of the Fairchild Fashion Group division of Advance Publications, which includes W, WWD, and a cadre of other trade magazines. Sources with insider knowledge of the situation disagreed over whether McCarthy was forced out or simply decided to retire from this career, but it's evident that in recent years, he was more and more of an absentee leader at W.
"A lot of people were surprised it didn't happen sooner," said one staffer. "Patrick was very behind the scenes, was very hands-off. He had all these people right below him so that they could be his conduit to the rest of the staff, because he wasn't communicating directly." In fact, multiple current and former workers at the magazine described the day-to-day workings of the title to be conducted in separate "fiefdoms," led relatively independently by Creative Director Dennis Freedman (art and design), Executive Editor Bridget Foley (fashion), and Deputy Editor Julie Belcove (words). While Patrick was well-liked personally by the staff, some described the working situation as "dysfunctional." Recently, one staffer told of a cover meeting in which Si Newhouse himself vetoed a more risqué version of the magazine's current Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler cover — an unprecedented move. ("That was always the cover," a publicist told us.)
In addition to being out of the office, it seemed that McCarthy tired of some of the other requirements of the job — the ad meetings, the dinners, the seeing and being seen all the time. One former staffer spoke of a time he skipped a dinner at the last minute where he was supposed to be seated next to Gwyneth Paltrow, outraging an advertiser. "They want someone who is personally sort of commercial and will be out and about. For the W brand, as a business decision, that's important," said one staffer. "It's not like Patrick was hosting a lot of dinners with Dolce & Gabbana, for example."
The long-awaited split between the two magazines may have been the brainchild of Gina Sanders, a rising star at the company (and Newhouse family member) who was installed as head of the Fairchild Fashion Group last month. But the person officially in charge of hiring McCarthy's replacement is Condé Nast editorial director Tom Wallace. A former Condé publisher explains that this is merely code for assembling candidates to run by the man on top: "Si will choose the person," the publisher explained. "100 percent."
So who will Si choose? W is a title that could go a few different ways right now. Born out of WWD's society coverage, in recent years it grew into almost an art book — where photographers were encouraged to do as they pleased, and where the giant size and lengthy spreads gave opportunity for stylists and artists to run luxuriously amok. While nobody in the office we spoke to seemed to have any hard information on the candidates, sources say WWD editor-in-chief Edward Nardoza told some of his staffers that the candidate would come from outside the company. Other than that, rumors inside Fairchild are running wild. Candidates will need to have a combination of business savvy (or at least personal marketability) to pull W out of the advertising hole it's fallen into, and impeccable fashion connections. With the departure of Bridget Foley to work on WWD full time, there's a hole at the top of the masthead in that department. Here are some names getting mentioned:
Carine Roitfeld: The French Vogue editor has reason to want to be in New York: Her children are here, and W's circulation is more than triple that of her current magazine. She's not much of a words editor, but W has of late stood out much more for its edgy fashion and legendary photography than its features. Si Newhouse reportedly has his eye on her, so this wouldn't surprise many.
Stefano Tonchi: The T editor has made a lot of money for the New York Times, and is very well-regarded. As one former staffer observed: "You couldn't have a male editor at Vogue. You can have one at W." Tonchi, who fills T with small articles and celebrity features, also seems like a good fit, and along with Roitfeld is one of the most buzzed-about names in the office.
Sally Singer: It would be a stretch to regard Vogue's features director as an "outside" candidate, but she's smart and would fill the fashion gap well at the top of the W masthead. She's also worked with Anna Wintour for years, and it would no doubt be helpful to have someone with that experience onboard as W moves into the Condé stable, nestled right next to Vogue.
Katie Grand: Former Pop and current LOVE editor Katie Grand knows edgy, and she knows photography. She's an editor with a vision, and that's something W is going to need moving forward as it tries to streamline and stay afloat.
Joe Zee: Elle's creative director would have to tread carefully in order not to butt heads with W's own highly paid creative director Dennis Freedman. But again, his fashion and styling cred would seem like a good fit for the W job, and is part of why his name is getting mentioned so often this week.
Read more posts by Chris Rovzar
Filed Under: ink-stained wretches, carine roitfeld, media, patrick mccarthy, stefano tonchi, w, wwd
House Democrats have defeated a Republican resolution, 222–203, that would have prohibited the Democrats from using the controversial "deem-and-pass" strategy that will allow them to avoid voting directly on the Senate's crappier health-care bill before they add fixes. All 222 in the majority were Democrats, and as Politico's Live Pulse points out, a few Democratic fence-sitters were among the 222. Ironically, the House didn't vote directly on this resolution regarding voting directly on health-care reform. Congress is way more complicated than it needs to be sometimes. [Live Pulse/Politico]
Read more posts by Dan Amira
Filed Under: health carnage, congress, deem and pass
After two models spoke out about Terry Richardson's alleged sexual misconduct on shoots, Jezebel asked readers to write in with any stories they may have about the prolific photographer. Jenna Sauers writes that people from all facets of the industry contacted her, including current and former modeling-agency bookers, photographers, writers, editors, models, and stylists, among others. Everyone spoke to Sauers anonymously out of fear of losing their jobs.
One fashion insider says agencies "know full well Richardson's predatory behavior," but that he "is tolerated because the industry folk are just sheep. There are only a handful of photographers who have the power, a handful of editors who have the power, and a handful of clients who have the power. Everyone else just follows this small group of people." Because Richardson carries the dual stamp of editorial approval of Anna Wintour and her French counterpart Carine Roitfeld, and because he also shoots for behemoth commercial clients like H&M, his entrenchment in the fashion pantheon is virtually complete. And that, says the source, makes him practically untouchable. "Those people in power, the women, need to take their responsibility for what happens to the girls because by booking him, they are tacitly giving their approval that whatever he does is OK."
What he allegedly does, according those who wrote in about their personal Richardson experiences, is take advantage of girls desperate to make it in the industry:
We also heard from a woman who is friends with a stylist who used to work with Richardson. "She quit because of having to watch him sexually harassing/abusing two (naked) teenage Eastern European models who didn't speak English — she didn't speak up, and was so ashamed I don't think she did anymore styling for quite a while afterwards."
An anonymous ex-subject, who wrote from an anonymous e-mail address and did not reply to follow-up questions, said she posed for Richardson after she lost her job at a coffee shop and needed money. She claims she thought she would be shooting "artful nudes":
He first asked me to play with myself, and just made really creepy demands.He said it wasn't pornish because he was shooting still shots, and when I said that I felt like he was seeing if I was just dumb, he handed me the camera and said, "Fine you should [shoot] me playing with myself."
I mean his assistants were like, "Do you think all these celebrities would take pictures with him if it was porn?"
According to this source, Richardson then got her to perform oral sex on him, and photographed it. Another girl wrote in with a story about Richardson shooting inebriated girls nude or in near-sex acts, and another still had a story about models so desperate to make it they allegedly flashed him in all kinds of ways. Industry sources told the Daily Beast this week that everyone knows this is just how Richardson is. As we said yesterday, whether or not these and past stories about Richardson are true, just because magazine editors and fashion companies know he messes around with his subjects and whatnot doesn't make it okay.
Though Richardson shoots for everyone from Vogue to Harper's Bazaar to V, there is one gaping hole in his current body of work: W, which he hasn't shot for in ages. W's editors haven't commented on why, but according to one rumor, he was banned because art director Dennis Freedman found a photo he took of a model posed with her head in an oven offensive.
Exclusive: More Models Come Forward With Allegations Against Fashion Photographer [Jezebel]
Related: ‘Everyone in Fashion Knows Terry Richardson Messes Around With the Girls He Photographs’
Model Accuses Terry Richardson of Taking Advantage of Her at 19
Model Rie Rasmussen Finds Terry Richardson’s Work ‘Degrading to Women’
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: lensmen, terry richardson
Before today, I often wondered what my perfect wedding song would be. But at 4:30 PM on March 18, I got my answer…
T-Pain’s “Reverse Cowgirl.”
I can just imagine the train of my dress gliding across the hardwood floors as my arms are wrapped around my husband’s neck, while our in-laws sway in time with the following lyrics:
Welcome to my rodeo/ Hold on to meeeeee/ Baby Imma take it slow/ How you ride.. is the key…
I see my old friends from college cry as the photographer snaps a photo of us in marital bliss:
Giddy up Giddy up Pump it up Girl/ Set it up set it up/ I like how you do it/ Just put it in reverse cowgirl
Even the waiters are crying:
Just put your hands in the air/ Wave em round and go Ewwww..Ahhh. Yeeee.. Hawwww/ Put your hands in the air/ Wave em round and go Ewwww..Ahhh. Yeeee.. Hawwww
What can I say? I’ve always dreamed big. Here is the brand new music video, featuring the woman lucky enough to find Lady Gaga’s wardrobe at a fire sale and lots and lots of cherries:
We kid, of course. Pop sensation and Twitter’s Official Trendiest Trender Justin Beiber was signing autographs outside of the BBC One Radio Station in London when fans (holding torches and pitchforks, probably) stormed towards the singer for autographs. In the process, these fans were crushing a small, helpless child. And it was Beiber to the rescue! Judging by her size in comparison to JBs, this girl is, what, 2? 3?
*taps out of room*
**Also pleeeease make this post bring out the crazy Beiber fans**
Another photo of this heroic act ahead!
[Photos via Splash News Online]
This week, Design Editor Wendy Goodman takes a tour through Brooklyn, spends time with designer Jonny Detiger as well as the Katch sisters, and visits the Kate Werble Gallery to view Christopher Chiappa's latest show. See all this and more.
Read more posts by Wendy Goodman
Filed Under: design hunting, jonny detiger, katch sisters, marc appelbaum, radius construction, slideshow, waterworks
The television star died of natural causes at his California home Thursday.
Anytime somebody thinks of a way to make something accessible to a group of people that would otherwise not be able to enjoy it, it is a wonderful thing. The idea of a braille Rubik’s Cube is a very good idea. Nobody is denying that. But there is something about the braille Rubik’s Cube that is not a good idea. And that is this: it is all white. Just because it’s meant for blind people doesn’t mean it has to be colorless.
You can have colors and braille together. Colors and braille are not in opposition. They are total nonoverlapping magisteria. Having colors on the braille Rubik’s Cube can only serve to help. If the cube is braille-ed and colored, a blind Rubik’s Cube solver can get all the same instantaneous credit a sighted Rubik’s Cube solver would get. He can just hold it up and go, “Done!” and everybody can be like, “Indeed, brilliant blind man! I can tell immediately that you have, in fact, solved this Rubik’s Cube. A million genius points to you.” But if it’s just an all white cube with bumps, it’s a much more complicated process. “Come feel what I did!” doesn’t have the same cache. It sounds gross.
Thanks for the picture, boingboing!
Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day, and the First Lady picked her wardrobe accordingly. She wore a green dress by Jason Wu to a St. Patrick's Day reception at the White House. See the full look in the Michelle Obama Look Book.
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: mobama watch, michelle obama, michelle obama look book
We love Heidi Montag. Mainy because she gives us headlines such as these:
But moreso because Ms. Montag has taken it upon herself to rip her human born face off and replace it with the prop face from the movie S1M0NE. She has had such a complete transformation, that it actually has become quite difficult to tell how Heidi is feeling based on her facial expressions alone.
But we are nothing if not sticklers for science and psychology and animated GIFs. So, we put resident facial analysis expert Lauren Deiman up to the task of figuring out what emotions Heidi Montag’s facial expressions convey. We bring you our findings below, along with a bonus GIF.
THAT’S IT! Those are the only faces she can make.
HAIR
• For the premiere of The Runaways last night in New York, hairstylist Adir Abergel of Fekkai sculpted Kristen Stewart's hair by using a lot of volumizing hairspray. But was her hair overpowered by her magenta lips? [Beauty Blogging Junkie]
• Estelle was a guest judge on Shear Genius last night. The England native said it took her a year to find a hairstylist in the United States that she liked. We sympathize — it's so hard to find someone. [Stylelist]
NAILS
• Want to recreate Beyoncé's American-flag inspired manicure she wore in the "Telephone" video with Lady Gaga? It requires three polishes and a lot of patience. Go for it. [Bella Sugar]
FRAGRANCE
• Clarins will launch a new summer fragrance named Eau de Jardins in May. Notes include grapefruit, lemon, bergamot, orange, citruses, black-currant bud absolute, wild rose, mint, and bay leaf. [Fragrantica]
• Believe it or not, Elizabeth Taylor is coming out with another perfume. The scent, named Violet Eyes, will debut in April. [Now Smell This]
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: beauty marks, beauty, beyonce, clarins, elizabeth taylor, estelle, fragrance, hair, kristen stewart, makeup, nails, shear genius, telephone video, the runaways
Following the revelations, Bullock issued a statement saying she was canceling her appearance at the London premiere of "The Blind Side."
Here's your chance to see Anna Wintour: Pratt Institute announced that the Vogue editor-in-chief will speak at the school's Memorial Hall Auditorium on Monday, April 19 at 6 p.m. for a lecture that is free and open to the public. And the spotlight won't just be on her — after the lecture, fellow Vogue staffer Hamish Bowles will join Wintour for a question-and-answer session. Just e-mail events@pratt.edu for a reservation, which will be confirmed via e-mail.
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: fashion calendar, anna wintour, hamish bowles, lectures, pratt institute, vogue
Fashion Wire Daily - With the news fresh of Diane von Furstenberg's election to serve a third term as president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, or CFDA, she joined Nadja Swarovski at her downtown store and studio in New York on Wednesday, March 17, to announce the nominees and honorees for the 2010 CFDA Fashion Awards, the "Oscars" of the fashion industry.
For some, a Brazilian hair-straightening treatment is a life changer. For others, the amount of damage to the hair, the painfully long process, the relatively short period of time it lasts, and the hunt to find a good, sulfate-free shampoo doesn’t make the ordeal seem worth it. However, Global Keratin introduced a new patented formula using Juvexin in the application process and in an aftercare line that erases any doubts and fears women may have. Hair is actually nourished, soft and bouncy (apparently the secret lies in New Zealand sheep wool) and this new wave of keratin isn’t “cooked” like others, so proteins aren’t broken down. Here are five reasons why we love it.
1. The treatment is quicker and easier than getting your hair colored.
2. Truly lasts for around five months.
3. There are three different formulas that vary in intensity just in case certain parts need more or less straightening than others.
4. Top salons like Rita Hazan and Gil Ferrer are fans, too.
5. Our resident Brazilian-straightening loyalist is now converted.
Treatment, $350 to $600; products, $19.95 to $24.95 at Rita Hazan (720 Fifth Ave., at 56th St., 11th fl.; 212-586-4343), Gil Ferrer (21 E. 74th St., nr. Madison Ave.; 212-535-3543), Riccardo Maggiore (136 E. 57th St., at Lexington Ave.; 212-586-6482) and Capelli D’Oro (123 Fifth Ave., nr. 19th St., second fl.; 212-477-3000).
Read more posts by Aja Mangum
Filed Under: we love, beauty, juvexin
Given our busy reality show watching schedules, we haven’t been paying that much attention to this season of America’s Next Top Model, despite our love and devotion to host Tyra Banks. But judging by this clip, the show has taken a turn for the “Nitro Half Pants,” as a recent challenge required the models to both walk and dodge giant golden pendulums swinging across the runway.
You can imagine what happens next. And if you can’t, we’ll tell you: One of the models basically eats sh*t twice. If Tyra can guarantee moments like this on each and every episode, we might — might – stop season passing Antiques Roadshow long enough to watch. My own Mother thinks it’s a “great season.”
Carla Bruni fans with wads of cash to spend will no doubt be queuing up for Phillips de Pury auction house's Sex sale, starting tomorrow. The auction is in London and can be viewed online (if you're 18 or older, and the catalog is NSFW, obviously), and features a photo Helmut Lang took of the then-model in 1992, sans pants. It's expected to fetch at least $7,500. This isn't the first time a photo of Bruni has been up for grabs. Last May, a photo hit the auction block in Berlin. [Page Six/NYP]
Read more posts by Amina Akhtar
Filed Under: scantily clad hotties, auction, carla bruni
So, here’s a headline from today: “Boy George: Lady Gaga Asked Me To Sign Her Vagina.”
This is like a headline from The Onion if The Onion was the worst. Wow. Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against Lady Gaga or Boy George or gayness for that matter, but this is a lot to take in. It’s kind of like the way I love cheeseburgers but think the idea of a quadruple bacon cheeseburger seems excessive. There’s a gay icon asking a former gay pop star (former star, not former gay) to sign a part of the body that by definition has no appeal to to the second party whatsoever. I’ve never seen Lost. Is this what Lost is about? If so, I totally get why everybody thinks that show is so nuts.
K- STEW
Kirstie Alley
Dakota Fanning
Richie Rich
Joan Jett
Alessandra Ambrosio
Doutzen Kroes
Moby
Chloe Sevigny
Dakota Fanning and Cherie Curr
Joan and K-Stew
Michael Shannon
Joan and Cherrie
KRISTEN STEWART
Floria Sigismondi and Lillian Berlin
KK and We Think Her Kids
“Chuck Zito”
Source: Best Week Ever | 18 Mar 2010 | 11:20 am
The graphic text conversations took place over the course of several months last year.
Those of you interested in finding out more about this mysterious “Tattooed Lady” who may have broken up 2010’s previously most beloved award-winning marriage between Sandra Bullock and Jesse James, “good” news. A video interview of Michelle “Bombshell” (Ed. Note: Almost as classy as my old stage name “Michelle Clamshell”) from my new favorite channel “The Players Network” has surfaced, revealing a lot about Homewrecker Jones.
For example, did you know that she was Amish until she was 16? Which means that her Rumspringa was offff the chaaaain yo! She also has a tattoo that says “Pray For Us Sinners.” ON HER F**KING FOREHEAD. For. Uh. Real. Zies. Jesse might has well have f**ked an Ashley Madison billboard. Disease free and less penile lacerations!
And the best part… she’s one of those people who gets tattoos for no reason, images that have no meaning, just because she wants to be covered in tattoos. Pretty sure even Clown on a Cat Ass is rolling his eyes over this one… Here she is:
(via ONTD)
Michelle McGee made the "bombshell" confession that she slept with James for 11 months.
The former boss and friend of James' alleged mistress Michelle McGee says the marriage was all for fame.
Because commercials almost always suck. These billboards don’t.
AP - If you've ever known a psychiatrist who thinks he or she is godlike, then T.S. Eliot's 60-year-old play, "The Cocktail Party," would be an absolute tonic for them.
The singer and guitarist died of apparent heart problems Wednesday.
California authorities tell People magazine that one arrest was made, but would not release any additional details.
Following the revelations, Bullock issued a statement saying she was canceling her appearance at the London premiere of "The Blind Side."
AP - In the happy future of "Repo Men," if you need a pancreas, you can get a pancreas. It'll cost you $618,000 and, if you miss one of your scheduled "easy" payments, you'll find yourself hounded by a hired goon who will slice you open, retrieve the organ and leave you on the floor, bleeding to death.
AP - The movie version of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" manages to put flesh and bone on the stick figures in Jeff Kinney's wildly successful cartoon novel without altering the book's mildly subversive comic tone.
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