Amy Winehouse is ready to get married again... with the same man! Last September Amy divorced from Blake Fielder Civil, but they are thinking to remarry this summer, in Las Vegas.
Is Lindsay Lohan's lawsuit against E-Trade a "win win" situation and a hoax? Peopeater has a theory that may be true about a conspiracy between Lohan and E-Trade.
Elinor Burkett, the Oscars' Kanye West, meaning the woman who interrupt Roger Ross Williams' acceptance speech says not only she is not guilty, but she is actually the victim in this case. Adding that she was the one who was supposed to pick-up the
Oh, come on, Mickey, is true what people say, that you slept with 14 women in one night!? We have a different version about this story, but recently the 'Wrestler 'actor Mickey Rourke gave an interview saying that, indeed, he slept with 14 women just
Do you remember Kanye West when he interrupt Taylor Swift's moment at the MTV Video Music Awards? It seems like this was a very good example for those who want some attention.
Actor Charlie Sheen is scheduled to return to his hit CBS show "Two and a Half Men" following his short stint in rehab. Sheen checked into a rehab facility on February 23 as a preventative measure, but will be back on set as early as next Tuesday, the actor's rep confirms to "The Insider." In February, three counts were filed against the actor, a felony menacing count and two misdemeanors (3rd degree assault and criminal mischief), in relation to an alleged domestic violence dispute that occurred last Christmas between him and his wife Brooke Mueller. The next court date on the matter is set for March 15.[Read full story on The Insider]
Practice, practice, practice! Our own Niecy Nash is working hard on the dance floor with pro partner Louis Van Amstel for her "Dancing with the Stars" debut March 22 on ABC, and she says, "I'm hurting in places I didn't know I had." The dancing couple is fine-tuning their cha-cha for their first dance, and Niecy jokes, "My feet feel like they're bleeding every day, but the other side of that is I get to get a delicious foot massage from my boo!" "I think when it comes to this season's cast, you're going to be the life of the party," Louis tells Niecy, adding, "The chemistry is no problem. ... When Niecy came through that door, I thought, 'Oh, I'm in heaven. It's all good.'" Watch "The Insider" for more with Niecy and "Dancing with the Stars"![Read full story on The Insider]
Corey Haim was found dead this morning in Los Angeles. Like many former child stars, he went through many years of public trials and tribulations, including repeated trips to rehab. Do you think child fame contributed to Corey Haim's death? Give us your thoughts in the comments below, then take our poll to tell us: What side are you on?[Read full story on The Insider]
"Insider" stylist Anya Sarre is bringing you Lara's Look for Less from the Oscars -- and she's showing you how you can wear a version of Lara Spencer's beautiful Oscar look for an affordable price! Anya explains that the secret is renting a dress -- why buy a dress when you can rent one for one night? Read below for Anya's answers to your most pressing fashion questions, and keep those questions coming! Question: Does anyone know the name of the designer that made the earrings Samantha Harris had on Friday? They were light green. Answer: Samantha's earrings were by David Aubrey. You can contact David Aubrey directly at 201-653-2200 and they would be happy to help you find these earrings! Q: I so appreciate all of your style tips! They are always fantastic! I have one request...could you please add shoe and handbag color recommendations for each outfit? I know sometimes you hold up a shoe and say wear this, not that etc. I would love for that to be a permanent part of your segment. Thanks again! You are lovely! A: Thanks for watching! I appreciate your sugguestion, I will try and work this into my segment. If you have a specific question about what shoes or bag to wear, be sure to write in and ask me! I am here to answer your style questions and fix your fashion emergencies. For other style tips on shoes and handbags, you can check out www.anyasarre.com. Q: The green sweater is from Loehman's, but what is the brand? A: The light green sweater that Lara wore from Loehmanns is by Evie. Thanks for watching! Q: Hey, nice combination of yours, I noticed you wore a different color of earrings wth your fuchsia blouse. What's the rule, and is the color turquoise? I have turquoise and silver earrings, would those match if I wear fuchsia? A: Thanks for noticing! I actually just wore turq and diamond Neil Lane (www.neillane.com) earrings with a purple Robert Rodriguez (www.robertrodriguez.com) gown for the Oscars, check out the insider tonight to see! You can absolutely wear your silver based, turquoise earrings with your fuchsia outfit. Just make sure to pay attention to detail and match your metals with the silver in your earrings. Q: You mentioned finding the "right yellow for you"! What advice do you have other than asking the clerks (can't always trust them!) or friends (same thing, hmm!)? Personally, I am fair, with reddish brown hair, and I've NEVER worn yellow. It just makes me look sallow. Now, for some self discovery, I used to also never wear ANY greens for the same reason. However, I have found some that DO work for me and are flattering, not just "okay" (doesn't make me look ill, etc). Since I found greens (they must be rich tones, deep forest, or close to kelly green (but I prefer a slightly toned down version) I CANNOT wear pastels of any kind. I look either ill or idiotic. That has been the opinion of all -- solicited or not! Thanks in advance for what might be a silly question to handle without seeing me. :o) A: Yellows can definitely be difficult, and wearing a light yellow might not be the best color for your skin and hair tone. Try to wear a richer yellow like mustard, or saffron. Brighter shades like golden poppy or tangerine might also work better for your skin tone as well. Yellow always looks great with gold accessories, and the gold metallic should brighten up the look! To add a little extra to your yellow outfit, you can also throw in a shade of purple to give balance to the whole look. To get Lara's look for less: Dress: One Night Affair, www.onenightaffair.com Anya's Credits: Dress: Robert Rodriguez, www.robertrodriguezcollection.com Jewelry: Neil Lane, www.neillane.com[Read full story on The Insider]
Sandra Bullock mentioned several times on the Academy Award red carpet that she was craving a cheeseburger, and Hollywood.tv cameras caught up with the actress as she finally got her junk food fix. The Oscar winner and her husband Jesse James were seen leaving Cisco Burger in Long Beach, California shortly after Bullock's appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Monday. Bullock won an Oscar on Sunday for her leading role in 'The Blind Side.'[Read full story on The Insider]
The Whitney Houston comeback train hit a serious speedbump this week in Australia, with fans walking out mid-show after the exhausted singer showered the audience with an endless stream of flat notes and coughing fits (in case you don’t recognize it between the pauses, she’s trying to sing “I Will Always Love You” in the clip from the Brisbane show above—letting a back-up singer take the high notes). Now fans who purchased tickets for upcoming shows—with tickets ranging from $165 to $699—are concerned about getting their money’s worth. “Some fans are having a whinge,” a spokesperson for Hope Estate told the Herald-Sun, where at least 12,000 are set to see Houston perform Friday. “They’ve been asking if the concert is still going ahead, and, if it does, whether she’ll make it back to the stage if she has a break…But the show is going ahead—there seems to be an overreaction out there.” Andrew McManus, tour manager for Houston—who has four more shows in Australia before starting European dates in April—is unapologetic for her “warts and all” performances. “If they expected to hear the Whitney of 20 years ago, go buy a CD. If they want to see a true professional artist give 100%, well come along and enjoy the ride of an amazing talent, on stage, letting her heart and soul out for us all to enjoy.” Heart and soul…so that’s what she’s coughing up.
While much of Tiger Woods‘ press conference this morning consisted of apologies for his numerous infidelities to his family, his friends, his employees, his co-workers, sponsors and anyone who ever thought he was a role model, the golfer firmly denied rumors that wife Elin Nordegren physically attacked him before his Thanksgiving weekend car crash. “Elin never hit me that night or any other night. There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever. Elin has shown enormous grace and poise throughout this ordeal. Elin deserves praise, not blame.” Woods also denied using performance enhancing drugs, though rumors of recreational drug use were ignored. Despite practicing his swing near his Florida home yesterday, Woods said he couldn’t predict when he’d return to golfing, as his family was his primary focus (he’ll reportedly return to rehab promptly). The athlete did admit, however, that he could be competing professionally “within the year.” Did you find his apology sincere? Let us know in the poll above.
Simply put, this is Megan Fox - and her toe thumbs - in her underwear. She’s the latest model for Armani’s lingerie line, and above is the video ad supporting their new line. But it is so much more than that. IT’S MEGAN FOX IN HER UNDERWEAR, people! Something only the dude who played David Silver on “90210″ gets to see! We should be all be taking the day off from work to full honor and appreciate this moment. Have fun clicking play on this clip over and over again!
One doesn’t go to the Adult Video News Awards in Vegas expecting modesty, but reluctant sex tape star Shauna Sand made a spectacle of herself even considering the surroundings, forgetting to put a dress on her over her eye-catching lingerie. The professional porn stars on stage to accept awards—including Crossover Star Of The Year Sasha Grey and Most Outrageous Sex Scene winner Belladonna (who also performed an interpretive dance onstage)—couldn’t help but look respectably glamorous in comparison. Attending alongside the battalion of XXX actors were host Dave Attell, rapper Baby Bash (admittedly not as hot as last year’s Flo-Rida appearance) and comedienne Margaret Cho. Watch your favorite porn stars wear more clothes than usual in the red carpet gallery below. [Photos: Getty Images] 12►
Mel Gibson has a lot in common with Tiger Woods. Both men were once at the top of their game, and both have shown poor judgment when it comes to how their treat their wives. They both apparently like unprotected sex, although Mel can get away with it for church-y reasons, whereas when Tiger does it, it just seems skeevy. And both have also abused substances, but we think Tiger’s Ambien sex is a far less egregious offense than Mel’s DUI. Mel never hid from the public though, and now Gibson is asking Tiger to man up and face his problems instead of hiding out. Gibson was pretty honest in explaining his own affair with Oksana Grigorieva, with whom he has a 2-month-old baby, saying “Nobody is without sin. . .I did a pretty good hatchet job on my marriage. You have to try to make amends if you can.” He continued, “You have to shut up and move on and not whine about it. And you have to deal with it like a man.” We hope Tiger is listening because, just like in Mel’s case, there are kids involved. You can run from the public and from your skanks, but you can’t run from being a dad. [Photo: GettyImages]
Oh, for the love of God. Kate Gosselin is asking all of us “Why Can’t a Mom Have Fun?” on this week’s People Magazine cover. Look, Kate, you know I don’t like you and all of that, but seriously. Stop with the People covers every time you have a bowel movement. We get it. You’re on Dancing With the Stars, and you’ve got a budget weave, and you’re still “sexy” and you can still “have fun” and be a mom. Just stop talking about it. Give us a chance to focus on other people for a second. Like, you know, the people who have actual talent, like those Oscar winners that were shoved to the side of the People cover! Gah! Anyway, People hasn’t released anything from the cover interview, although I suspect it’s the same rah-rah pro-Weave bullsh-t People has been feeding us for months. Oh my God, a mom doesn’t spend every waking moment with her children, and some people want to burn her for that, and People rides to Kate’s defense. Blah. But, Radar did have this interesting little story (if you’re interested in budget weaves): Hair’s News! Kate Gosselin is getting ready for her debut on Dancing With the Stars and RadarOnline.com has learned that her stylist Ted Gibson is giving her a slightly new look, starting with taking her extensions out on Wednesday. The $7,000 hair-do Kate has been sporting is coming out, kids. Kate will be hitting up the Ted Gibson salon on Wednesday and she’ll be back to her famous short-do. But not for long. “She’ll have a new hairdo tomorrow because we’re taking them out and we’re not putting them back in until Thursday. So she’ll have short hair for a day,” Ted told RadarOnline.com exclusively. And Kate will have multiple shades in her new hairdo. “We’re actually doing three different shades of blonde, a caramel, a beige blond and a little bit of a lighter blonde,” Ted exclusively revealed to RadarOnline.com. “The extensions will last through the whole time she’s on the show.” Kate is giving Jennifer Aniston’s The Rachel competition for most famous hairdo in the realm of pop culture. Ted explained to RadarOnline.com the process for Kate’s hair. “We’ll be doing color, we’ll be doing extensions, we’ll be getting her ready for her premiere on Dancing With the Stars!” Ted said that Kate is a contender in the reality competition. “I think she has a good chance, I think people love to watch her, I think she’s interesting,” he told RadarOnline.com. “ When she was here last week she said she been trying really, really hard at dancing and she doesn’t feel like she’s necessarily a dancer but I think she’s having a good time and that’s going to show, that she’s having a good time.” “She’s thrilled beyond belief,” Gibson said about Kate’s excitement for her Dancing With the Stars chances. “I think this is going to be really great for her.” She is getting along well with her partner and Ted said Kate really likes Tony. Ted has his own line of products and talked about the ones Kate uses on her new hair. “She loves Build It blow drying spray, she loves my daily shampoo which is called Daily Cleanse and a daily conditioner called Daily Nourish. She also loves hair styling sheets, she’s a woman on the go, and it’s a great product for styling or refreshing.” [From Radar] So, Kate is throwing out the weave and going back to a shorter haircut. For a day. And then she’s going to get newer (more budget) extensions put in. That’s the gist of it, I guess. What people choose to care about, I have no idea. My great fear nowadays is that CB is going to ask me (”force” me) to watch DWTS so I can report on Kate. Please, God, don’t let it happen. People Magazine cover courtesy of CoverAwards. Promotional images of Kate for Dancing with the Stars, courtesy of Radar.
David Letterman’s extortioner, Robert Halderman, has plead guilty to grand larceny for an attempt to blackmail David Letterman for $2 million last year. Halderman, a former producer at CBS News, approached the Late Night host last fall with a blackmail scheme in which he tried to sell a “screenplay” with salacious details of Letterman’s affairs with staffers. Halderman’s ex girlfriend, Letterman’s former assistant Stephanie Birkitt, was involved with Letterman allegedly as recently as 2008. Dave made a statement on the air in October of last year that he was the victim of an extortion attempt and admitted that he’d “had sex with women who work on this show.” The humor and grace with which he handled the disclosure helped thwart a lot of the gossip. Details of other supposed affairs came out but none were particularly salacious and Letterman was not accused of sexual harassment. (Dave was technically single at the time, although he’s been in a long term relationship with his wife of just about one year, Regina Lasko, since 1986.) When Halderman plead guilty he read out a statement in court admitting to extortion. In exchange he received 6 months in jail and four and a half months probation. It’s thought that Letterman pressed prosecutors to get jail time for Halderman. If Halderman discloses any of the dirt he has on Letterman, like personal e-mails, diary entries and IM chat logs, he could go to jail for seven years. A CBS News producer who blackmailed David Letterman for $2 million is going away for six months - and his lurid tales of the star’s sexual escapades will disappear forever. A plea deal spared Emmy winner Robert (Joe) Halderman a 15-year prison term while saving the late-night host from more humiliation over his office romances. The carefully crafted nine-page agreement announced Tuesday blocks Halderman, 52, from going public with any information he gleaned about Letterman. That includes diary entries made by ex-girlfriend Stephanie Birkitt about her affair with the married Letterman, along with any e-mails, audio recordings or instant messages. If he even talks about it, he could go to jail for seven years - and his lawyer was ordered to remove the material from his computer hard drive. “They were very protective of Letterman,” said a source close to prosecutors. “They wanted to make sure he was not damaged in any way.” Letterman lawyer Daniel Horowitz acknowledged they were consulted on the agreement, adding that the “Late Show” host wanted jail time for Halderman. In a scripted Manhattan Supreme Court appearance, Halderman admitted he presented Letterman’s driver with an envelope marked “Privileged and Confidential” on Sept. 9, 2009. It contained a “screenplay” based on Letterman’s sexual shenanigans with “Late Show” staffers. “This so-called treatment was just a thinly-veiled threat to ruin Mr. Letterman if he did not pay me a lot of money,” Halderman confessed. “I feel great remorse for what I have done.” Letterman went to the police after receiving the envelope, earning praise from Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. “Mr. Letterman risked the disclosure of certain aspects of his private life,” Vance said. “Like all New Yorkers, he has a right to a certain degree of privacy in his personal life.” Five months ago, Letterman was forced to reveal his dalliances during a “Late Show” taping hours after he appeared before a grand jury. In exchange for the plea, Halderman will receive a six-month jail term. He will be on probation for 4-1/2 years and perform 1,000 hours of community service - 500 with the homeless and 500 with ex-cons. He is free pending a May 4 sentencing. [From NY Daily News] Dave also made a statement on the air last night discussing the sentencing. He said, in part, that “The people in the District Attorney’s office said, ‘This will be handled professionally, this will be handled skillfully, and appropriately.’ Well, the matter was resolved today, and they were exactly right – it was handled professionally, skillfully and appropriately.” A lot of that is due to the way that Dave handled the crisis himself. By going to the DA immediately and disclosing the matter to the public he helped stave off speculation and kept the matter from becoming a bigger scandal. Robert Halderman on November 10, 2009, credit: WENN.
CB and I saw some gossip about this yesterday, and we ended up chatting about cheating douches and looking for wedding rings and forgiveness. That being said, neither of us put much stock into the initial reports of French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy were perhaps cheating on each other. It was just something interesting to chat about. But now an obscure story about a possible presidential affair(s) has taken on a life of its own. Page Six is running with the rumors the Bruniis “romantically involved with French musician Benjamin Biolay, while Sarkozy has fallen into the arms of 40-year-old ecology minister Chantal Jouanno”. Apparently, the whole thing started on Twitter (f-ck you, Twitter) and now media sources are running with old quotes from Carla that she’s “easily bored by monogamy.” Merde! Here’s more from Gatecrasher: Ooh la la! Reports surfaced Tuesday that French royal couple Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni may both be having extramarital affairs - allegations which, if proven true, will surely knock Tiger Woods out of the spotlight. It’s rumored that the French President has Chantal Jouanno - a right-wing cabinet member - on the side, while the First Lady is seeing musician Benjamin Biolay. “The presidential marriage is breathing its last breaths,” French paper Journal Du Dimanche reports. “Carla Bruni is in love with Benjamin Biolay, and the president has found solace with Chantal Jouanno.” An online French publication, suchablog.com, reported shortly thereafter that Bruni had been a close friend of the 37-year-old musician for many years and is now “unofficially living with him at his flat in Paris.” Those aren’t the only outlets that have Carla and Nicolas saying a joint “mon Dieu!” Tuesday, Yahoo News France, Le Post and the Global Post, as well as European TV news channel iTele, gave the allegations substantial coverage. Sarkozy’s spokesman at the Elysee Palace in Paris has said he has “absolutely no comment” on the rumors, but this certainly isn’t the first time whispers have swirled about the First Couple’s marriage. Rumors recently flew that the two are holding on to the last threads of their relationship just until the end of Sarkozy’s presidency. The intentions of Bruni - who was linked to Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton and Donald Trump before meeting the French leader at a dinner party and marrying him just three months later - have been questioned in the past. In a February 2007 interview, the then-model admitted she gets “terribly bored” with monogamy - and was painted as a gold digger when she married Sarkozy later that year. [From Gatecrasher] Eh. I mean, sure, it’s not like either of them have the best history with monogamy. What is this, Sarkozy’s third or fourth marriage? And Carla used to sleep with any powerful or cultured man she could find. So, it’s totally not out of the realm of possibility for either of them. But I, for one, kind of believed in their romance, at least on Carla’s part. I thought she really adored Pres. Sarkozy, and had “changed”. But, as I said to CB yesterday, that’s probably all very American and middle-class of me. I hate to make such a broad cultural stereotype, but having an affair isn’t the end of the world (or a marriage) in France. But if that’s the case, why is everyone getting in such a tizzy about the affair rumors? Because the Sarkozys are good copy, they’re good gossip, and it’s fun. Let’s hope that’s all it is.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. just confirmed the death of actor and former teen heartthrob Corey Haim. Haim was 38, and the initial reports indicate that he died of an “accidental overdose” although, of course, that status could change. He apparently died this morning, around 3:30 a.m. at an Oakwood, California apartment. Since this is breaking news, I’m not going to get in-depth with Haim’s career, but you can look at his filmography on IMDB. If you were a child (or teenager) during the 1980s, chances are you had a crush on Corey Haim. from The Lost Boys to License to Drive, Corey was adored by many, many girls my age. Our prayers go out to his friends and family on this tragic loss of someone so young. Archival image of Corey Haim, and a photo of Haim in 2007, courtesy of WENN.
In the ongoing saga of Farrah Fawcett’s exclusion from the In Memoriam segment at the Oscars on Sunday, we finally have a somewhat better explanation and maybe even an apology from the Academy. We’ve heard previous excuses from the Academy’s executive director and a separate spokesperson that amounted to “we don’t have enough time and can’t include everyone.” In light of the outrage over Farrah’s omission, executive director Bruce Davis is offering the reasoning behind the decision - Farrah was known more as a television actress and there were a lot of important people in the industry who passed last year. What’s more is that Michael Jackson was supposedly included because he was the star of the popular documentary This is It, released posthumously. That excuse is a little weak. The executive director of the film academy said Tuesday that Farrah Fawcett wasn’t included in the Academy Awards’ In Memoriam segment because the actress was better known as a TV star. It was a difficult decision for the committee that assembles the segment to omit Fawcett, said Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences executive director Bruce Davis, who added that he’s not surprised some fans and family members are upset. Fawcett’s family issued a statement through a publicist Tuesday saying they were “deeply saddened” and “bereft with this exclusion of such an international icon who inspired so many for so many reasons.” Davis said the academy committee debated about including Fawcett and Gene Barry, a longtime TV actor who died in December at age 90, in the memorial segment but ultimately omitted both. Davis and his colleagues thought that while the two actors appeared in movies, they were better known for their “remarkable television work” and would be more appropriately honored by the television academy at the Emmy Awards. The group “was kind of figuring that probably the Farrah Fawcett and Gene Barry omissions would be the ones we’d get the most comments on,” he said. He acknowledged that he “did get one letter about Miss Fawcett.” The academy director said “an unusual number of extremely distinguished screenwriters” died this year, and the academy tried to honor many of them in the short memorial segment. “In every category, you’re going to miss some wonderful people,” said Davis, who has helped assemble Oscar’s In Memoriam montage since it began in 1993. When asked why Michael Jackson was included when actors were left out, Davis explained that Jackson had appeared in a popular theatrical film recently. Fawcett and Jackson both died on June 25. “Think of all the blogging we would have gotten if we had left him out!” he said. Still, he said he understands that the Fawcett and Barry omissions sting. “There’s nothing you can say to people, particularly to family members, within a day or two of the show that helps at all,” Davis said. “They tend to be surprised and hurt, and we understand that and we’re sorry for it.” [From Huffington Post] I was willing to give these idiots the benefit of the doubt until the guy complained about bloggers. Now that everyone is on Facebook and Twitter there’s not much difference between “bloggers” and the opinion of the general public. This guy is trying to separate out the naysayers so that he doesn’t have to take criticism of the Oscars broadcast seriously. He also seems to be distancing himself from offering a sincere apology by saying “there’s nothing you can say” to grieving family anyway. He did say “we’re sorry” at least, even if it sounded half-hearted. The Academy could have just sucked it up and admitted they were wrong to omit Farrah, but instead they continue to defend their decision. The thing that really sucks is that they managed to boost ratings despite a sub-par show by just adding five more films in the Best Picture category. Now they can continue to churn out a boring, industry-specific show year after year and dismiss legitimate complaints. It’s like they’re saying “this is the way we do it and we’re never going to change.” With this kind of attitude, I doubt that they’ll do even a marginally better job with either the In Memoriam broadcast or the long super boring ceremony next year.
Everyone wants to be Captain America Is there anyone who doesn't want to the role of Captain America? It seems like everyone in Hollywood is auditioning for it. From Joe and Kevin Jonas to Dane Cook and everyone in between! We can't wait to see who it goes to.
New study shows more health benefits. Do you drink a glass of wine at dinner? A new study completed in Boston shows that the calories from wine could be burned off more easily than the calories from food. If you drink a small amount to replace the same number of food calories, you might come out ahead.
Or just get with Jennifer Aniston Hulk Hogan has a bone to pick with Brad Pitt. And Brad Pitt should probably run because Hulk is claiming he wants to "knock some sense into him." Actually, it really just sounds like Hulk Hogan has a major crush on Jennifer Aniston. Hmmm.
She's confident in her skin. Jessica Simpson made an appearance on KIIS FM with Ryan Seacrest this week, and thanks to her new show The Price of Beauty on VH1, she's been talking a lot about her body image, and how the media treated her after she gained some weight.
Stern says Sidibe won't work again; calls Oprah a liar. Is this necessary? Best Actress Oscar nominee for Precious Gabourey Sidibe, 26, is the undeserving target of fat comments that Howard Stern is blasting. Stern says Sidibe is large and will never work again, but get this: she already has two new gigs lined up.
Julie Bowen of the hit ABC sitcom, Modern Family checked her self as she excited the warm tropical waters of Maui yesterday. The star and the entire cast are on location shooting a Hawaiian episode of the hit show. Before shooting got underway today, the actress spent some quality time with her husband playing the surf. Yes. We are jealous.
Susan Boyle is leaving her native Scotland and moving to London after security was breached by an intruder at her home in West Lothian. A source said: "She has now agreed to move to a place in the city, where she'll stay when busy working. During promotion commitments, it is thought she will stay for weeks at a time." Luckily, "the flat will be cat-friendly, so she can take Pebbles too." Phew! Related Links: Simon Says "AI Winner Will Be Female"
Hayden Panettiere admits she started drinking wine when she was 8-years-old. "I was raised Italian and we always had diluted glasses of red wine at dinner time from about the age of eight. That's just what kids do in Italy. It wasn't ever something bad." The 20-year-old actress, who turns twenty-one in August, says despite hitting the bottle early, she's not really a big drinker. "I have the occasional drink - of course I do. I don't drink a lot, just a glass of wine or champagne every now or then."Related Links: Hayden Ditches Her Blonde Locks
As if the Jolie-Pitt clan couldn't get any cuter!We spotted Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Pax Thien and little Shiloh attending a birthday party at Johnny Depp's Venice abode.A fun time was had by all.
While we're not digging Leighton Meester's acid-washed denim looking dress, we like the that it shows off a whole lot of the Gossip Girl's legs.
Good news for Office writers who might've had to come up with some implausible excuse for Jim to gain 40 pounds of muscle mass: Deadline's Mike Fleming says that of the original seven actors on Marvel's short list to play Captain America, only two unfamous ones are still actually competing for the role: Cloverfield's Mike Vogel and Garrett Hedlund from the upcoming Tron: Legacy. Which means it won't be Chace Crawford, Michael Cassidy, Scott Porter, Patrick Flueger, or, most importantly, Krasinski, despite what was reported yesterday. This doesn't necessarily mean that Marvel hated their auditions; the winning actor will be required to sign on for nine potential sequels and spinoffs, and be paid only $300,000 for the first America movie, making this sort of a crappy job for a guy with a fictional baby to put through college. Marvel Still Looking For Captain America [DHD] Read more posts by Lane Brown Filed Under: regional co-manger america, captain america, movies, the office, tv
Variety reports tonight that 20th Century Fox TV and Fox are ready to pull the plug on 24 after this season, the show’s eighth. Though studio and network execs would not comment for the story, Variety says the decision will be made “in the next day or two.” The studio may shop the series around to other networks, though it is "believed that interest... will be limited." Though the series may be dying, the 24 feature-length movie still has support from Fox. We should know by now you can't get rid of Jack Bauer that easily. Clock winds down for '24' [Variety] Read more posts by Josh Duboff Filed Under: endings, 24, 24: the movie, fox
Last night American Idol zipped through eight female performers in one hour — not that anyone should complain about the abbreviated running time. Freed from tales of grandmas and babies, as well as demonstrations of cutesy quirks, the episode was devoted entirely to the music. Well, for the most part: The show opened with Ellen sitting on Simon’s lap and murmuring sweet nothings into his ear while he looked like he does at every other moment (somehow bored and furious at the same time). Any chuckles that her routine might have elicited (minimal to begin with) were dashed before Ellen even got to her “Oh, are the cameras rolling?” quip, as Randy launched into his rambling exclamations of fake surprise. Oh, Randy, you're not even witty enough to play the straight man, are you? As for the singers, although everyone’s voice was strong and consistent, heroic risk-takers were hard to find. While the play-it-safe mentality might prove to be a strategically sound decision given that next week Idol shifts into finals mode, it certainly made for an underwhelming evening.The Conspicuously Average: Katie Stevens bored us with Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway” and the judges flip-flopped over what went wrong. Does the likable 16-year-old need more life experience? Was it that she didn’t convey the feelings behind the words? Does she need to find herself as an artist? Maybe or maybe she just has one of those pleasant but unremarkable voices that isn’t going to cut it on its own merits. Paige Miles sang Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile” (praise goes to Seacrest for calling it a Chaplin song and not a Nat King Cole tune), and though she added a wispy, light vulnerability that the judges didn’t seem to pick up on, it’s just not the kind of performance that makes new fans. The main problem, however, was the arrangement: The pianist seemed to be riffing on an entirely different melody and the whole thing came across as bossa nova background music at a charity function.The Odd: Lacey Brown sang Brandi Carlile’s “The Story” with her legs crossed and dangling over the edge of the stage. That position — not to mention her wide, unfailing smile — brought to mind Kermit the Frog in his troubadour mode, if he had a makeover in a Houston mall’s Hot Topic. Her voice has a problematic nasally undercurrent, which isn’t fatal except that she doesn’t deliver any jaw-dropping moments to distract from it. Lilly Scott sang Patsy Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces” with a mandolin, and once again demonstrated that she is intent to do her thang no matter what the judges say, for better or weird. Last night was mostly weird; she overtly enunciated each syllable of the song as if she were teaching it to an ESL class. But she is one of the rare Idol contenders who is fully comfortable in her own skin.The Satisfying: Katelyn Epperly sang Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move,” clearly choosing that high-energy crowd-pleaser after her lovely, but slow take on Coldplay’s “The Scientist” left the judges nonplussed last week. Once again they were confusingly unresponsive toward her; they have no gripe with her voice but they seem to fault her for actually having fun onstage. Kara whined that Katelyn didn't even appear to be competing, which is really more of a compliment than a complaint: It’s always more entertaining to watch a singer having fun than a singer trying to impress. After being torn to shreds last week, Didi Benami turned in an acoustic take on Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon” that was her best performance since she sang the Kara-penned “Terrified” during Hollywood week. Though she barely ventured past grazing some basic chords on her guitar, her voice was reserved and alluring. Plus, she suffered through the indignity of Ellen saying, “Yes indeedy, Didi” with a polite face.The Impressive: Siobhan Magnus continues to confound expectations unlike anyone else. One week she’s doing a song popularized in a David Lynch movie ("Wicked Game"), the next she’s hitting that high note in Aretha’s “Think” like it was written for her, and last night she tackled the Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun.” (Watch it below.) She took a huge risk choosing a slow-paced song that requires a full-bodied voice right before finals, but she pulled it off with surprising ease. Hell, she even accentuated the make-it-or-break-it danger by going a cappella on the first verse. The judges all dug it except for Simon, who claimed he was “underimpressed.” But previously he admitted he “misunderestimated” Crystal Bowersox, so he still has time to repent. Speaking of this season’s most talked-about talent, Crystal Bowersox once again demonstrated why she deserves all the fuss. No, it’s not the dreadlocks: She’s simply leagues above the other girls (and guys) in terms of artistic development. Not to say her sound is more mature — actually, her stylistic range is more limited than Siobhan’s or Lilly’s — but she is so confident and comfortable being herself that her performances can’t help but shine in comparison. Last night she plugged in her guitar and sang Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason,” and even Simon went for those absurd percentage-related superlatives. He then told her, “The show is yours to lose,” which is his glass-half-empty way of saying she’s the front-runner. Other Recaps:Television Without Pity's Jacob describes Siobhan's strategy: "You want me to sing old-lady songs and yet distance myself from Crystal and Lilly? SHUT UP, here's a song about some whores."Entertainment Weekly's Michael Slezak is already predicting the "Top 10 Idol Summer Tour: Crystal Bowersox and Siobhan Magnus (a.k.a. Simon's Anointed Child and That Other Chick Who's Threatening to Mess Everything Up For Him)."The A.V. Club's Claire Zulkey felt last night's "episode was so all about Crystal Bowersox that it was a joke. You could tell by the intro to the show that she knew she'd blow the other chicks out of the water." Read more posts by Joseph Brannigan Lynch Filed Under: overnights, american idol, recaps
Sad news today: Frequently rehabbed Lost Boys and Two Coreys star Corey Haim was found dead of an apparent overdose this morning, says the LAPD. He was 38. [TMZ] Read more posts by Lane Brown Filed Under: obits, corey haim, movies
Over the years Jon Stewart has interviewed numerous personalities whom he clearly dislikes, but from Jim Cramer to Alberto Gonzales he's always managed to conduct himself with a great deal of equanimity (in the case of Gonzales, he even apologized the next day for being too even-handed). Last night, however, Stewart notably lost patience with George W. Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen, talking over him with attacks like, "It's a very selective world that you live in and it must be lovely to live there." Thiessen, who seemed to be looking for confrontation, was there promoting his new book just as Chelsea Handler was trying to promote hers on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, where real blood was spilled. In a martini-making race that Handler called "stupid" from the get-go, Fallon slipped and cut his hand, seeming badly (ahem) shaken afterward. On The Tonight Show Christoph Waltz demonstrated how he fakes speaking Italian in a segment that would have been far more enjoyable had the host not tried to do it himself. Finally, on his show, David Letterman reminded his audience that he's still not over it. Watch our compilation to see what you missed. Read more posts by Dan Duray Filed Under: last night on late night, chelsea handler, christoph waltz, jon stewart, marc thiessen, video
Did You Hear? :: Amy Winehouse was spotted on the streets of London clad in more than just a pair of bloody ballet flats and a bra. So basically, it was a good day for her. [Bossip] :: Hilary Duff announced that she will pen a young adult book series. The first novel, Elixir, is said to follow “the worldwide adventures of young photojournalist Clea Raymond.” So… this won’t be a thinly veiled biography about the life of an actress/pop star engaged to a hockey player? Then why is Hill writing it? [Pop Crunch] :: Madonna’s Sticky and Sweet tour DVD hits stores at the end of the month—catch a clip of Justin Timberlake and Timbaland performing “4 Minutes” on stage with the Material Girl (although chances are you already have, since it was the most successful tour by a solo artist ever). [Pop Eater] :: T.I. announced his return with the track “I’m Back”. Guess what? 92 other rappers came up with the same song title. [The Awl, via Vulture] :: Wayne Coyne wants to cast Justin Timberlake in a new Flaming Lips movie. Everybody, please: stop distracting the man from releasing a new album! [Rolling Stone] After the jump: we dance through the decades with Alanis Morissette’s history-making music video. Music on TV Today::: Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) – Alkaline Trio:: Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC) – Ryan Bingham:: Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC) – Manchester Orchestra:: Late Show with Jimmy Fallon (NBC) – The National:: Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS) – Temper Trap VIDEO REWIND OF THE DAY: Everyone, including us, are waxing poetic about the new cast of Dancing with the Stars, but after rewatching Alanis Morissette’s 1999 video for “So Pure” (off her sophomore album Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie) we have to wonder why she wasn’t asked to compete on the TV show. (Or maybe she was asked and turned down the offer?) The video incorporates various styles of dance—swing, tango, tap, modern dance, etc.—and hell, Alanis even plays a ballroom competition dancer in one of the vid’s segments! We think she could even blow Nicole Scherzinger out of the water if she signed on board. Interesting trivia: “So Pure” was the first music video in history to have its official premiere on the web; AOL exclusively streamed it for its members on June 25, 1999. Eleven years later, music videos would pretty much live online now that MTV and VH1 have given all their airtime to reality shows. Have a great day!
Allison Iraheta is on her way to becoming one of the more successful fourth-place finishers of American Idol. Of course, it will take a lot (and we mean a lot) of album sales to stack up against Season 5’s Top 4 finalist Chris Daughtry. But from what we’ve heard on Allison’s debut album Just Like You, we wouldn’t rule out the possibility of the Magenta-haired, raspy-voiced teen taking over the pop charts. “One More Reason,” a bonus track on the Japanese edition of Just Like You, is more proof of this girl’s potential to be the next Kelly Clarkson (not that the old Kelly Clarkson is going anywhere). Listen to it below. Allison Iraheta – “One More Reason” Fun, catchy and perfect for a young talent like Allison, we’re not sure why this didn’t make the final cut of Just Like You, though it could be that it sounds much more bubblegum pop than the rest of Iraheta’s rock-heavy LP. Regardless, we think all of the Idol alum’s fans—and this one in particular—will dig any sort of song she generously drops into our laps.
Sia Furler knows full well that she can come off like an exuberant teenager. “There’s certainly one part that’s never grown up,” the 34-year-old singer declares one chilly day in late February. “There’s like the five-year-old, there’s the adolescent and then there’s the adult—and I’m really embarrassed, because the adolescent is the one I have to watch out for.” We’ve been watching out for Sia for a long time—though, these days, you can’t really miss her. If you’ve flipped on the television in recent months, you’ve no doubt heard the Australian singer’s ubiquitous 2004 track “Breathe Me” in the Winter Olympics-themed Coca Cola ad, or her cover of The Church’s “Under The Milky Way” in a Lincoln car MKT commercial. And now Sia—who penned four new tracks for Christina Aguilera’s upcoming album Bionic—has found herself in the midst of a major label bidding war ahead of the release of her own fourth studio LP We Are Born. It’s a record that contains guitar work from a Strokes member and production from The Bird And The Bee mastermind Greg Kurstin. And after the jump, you’ll catch Sia revealing new details about her Christina Aguilera songs, her plans for Coachella weekend, plus her charitable dalliances in the underworld. I see from your Twitter that you were recently enjoying the snowy hills of Ohio. SIA: Yeah, it was amazing. You know what Snuggies are? We went to visit my girlfriend’s sister and her kid and her husband, and we went out into the snow. We couldn’t fit in Avery’s—who is two-and-a-half—sled, so we brought a couple of black garbage bags and we made ourselves a “snowgie.” And so we stuck our legs through the bottom of then and used the tie as a halter net. Then we threw ourselves down the hills and it was so awesome! And literally no joke—because my girlfriend’s sister and husband are both lawyers, they were like, “I think we should patent that!” I swear they’ve spoken to their legal department and they’ve patented it. You seem to possess that special kid-like quality—the one that comes across most beautifully in your “Soon We’ll Be Found” video. Well, I’m glad you like that one because I’m going to make a new video with the same director, Claire Carre. And she’s really good. I guess she hadn’t done too much before “Soon We’ll Be Found,” but I trusted her because I met with her and she seemed really smart and clever, and her treatment was the most interesting. I just said I wanted to do something with sign language and she really expanded on it. Tell us about the video you’re doing with Claire Carre now. With this new song—it’s called “Clap Your Hands”— I was like, “I want to cut some feathers out of self help books and then I want to attach them to a large set of pneumatic wings. And that the end I want to do some Bollywood dancing.” And she expanded on that. There were a bunch of people that pitched for it, but, again, hers was the most interesting expansion. The track you released a few months back, “You’ve Changed,” was produced by Greg Kurstin. Did you do more songs with him for the new album? Actually, the whole album is produced by him. Oh, I didn’t realize! That’s great! Well, [the label is] being very secretive about everything, which is hilarious. They keep saying, “Don’t tell anybody anything!” And I accidentally tell everybody everything. I’m like, how do you not talk about an album? This is what we’re supposed to be talking about, but we’re not supposed to be talking about it? I don’t get it. But, yeah—Greg produced the whole album. It was my usual band, and then Greg played the piano and Nick Valensi from The Strokes played the guitar. We had scheduled four weeks for it but it took two-and-a-half, so that was awesome. It just came barfing out. Then Greg took it away. Sometimes he would play the piano during the recording, and sometimes he would just pay attention and then he would add the keys later. It’s my favorite album I’ve ever made—obviously every album should feel like that! [Laughs] That’s a common thing to say. But this time you really mean it. Thank God. Wouldn’t it suck to be like, “I think my last album was better.” Or: “Actually, this is the worst album I’ve ever made. But please feel free to talk it up in your post.” Oh my God. And how did you arrive upon the album’s title, We Are Born? That’s just one of the lyrics in a song. There’s a song called “The Fight,” and I wrote it with Dan Carey. It’s my favorite song on the record. [Le Tigre and MEN member] JD [Samson], my girlfriend, and I were sitting at a Chinese restaurant and we were trying to think of a good name for the album. Specifically, my only caveat was that it be a name that I really wouldn’t have to explain, because with the last album I must have explained that album title like 750 times while doing promo! [Laughs] So we decided to just choose a lyric from one of the songs. Will JD be able to join you on the road for your upcoming We Meaning You tour? No. I think she’s going to be in Europe on tour, which is kind of a bummer. She’s got her own project, MEN, and she’ll be on tour in Europe for the whole of April. So we’ll just be doing our own thing. I hope you’ll allow me to slip in a Le Tigre question—any chance of new music from them? I don’t reckon. I think they’re doing a DVD right now, so you will get that. It’s like a live DVD with lots of unseen footage. It’s like a documentary, I think. And it’s looking really good. But that’s the closest you’re going to get right now. So the Christina Aguilera songs you wrote—for the record, how many will there be? There are four of them. I think they’re called “I Am”—I called it “Lullaby” but she’s given it another name. But I think it’s called, um—[she starts singing]—oh, “All I Need”! And it’s “All I Need,” “You Lost Me,” “I Am” and something like “Stronger.” But I don’t think she called it “Stronger” in the end. That’s just what we called it. We just call it something while it’s in the working process and then she gives it it’s name. There are some where it totally lends itself to its name and there are others where it’s just like, “No, we had a song called ‘Fighter’ so we don’t want a song called ‘Stronger.’” But they’re all on there. She’s pretty awesome. It was pretty crazy when she sang at me for the first time. Were there any songs you two recorded that didn’t make it on the album? No, just those four songs. Then we did another one for her movie with Cher. So it’s been a really good collaboration, actually. We really got along great. We didn’t bin anything, which was good. So, your album was originally set to come out in April. That’s the thing. I’m about to sign a big record deal, so there’s been a bidding war and now they’re just finalizing the paperwork. I really think we need to put the record out before the tour. It would bum me out if people couldn’t hear it before the tour. I need to call my manger! [Note: Sia tweeted after this interview that the album has now been pushed to a June 8 release date.] Are you all ready to perform at Coachella this year? Yeah. I’ve performed there once with Zero 7 and once with myself. I do like it. I mean, it’s a bit of a scene but it’s fine. I plan to live on the bus on this trip because I’m taking my dogs and I don’t really like hotels. I’m a creature of comfort and habit and I like to be in one place for the whole time. The things I really dislike about touring is leaving my dogs and just all the changing of your environment. I’m just trying different things to make me want to keep doing this job. Basically we’re going to park the tour bus at the hotel and they have people who will takes us to the shows. So, yeah, we’re going to be there for the whole three days, actually. You’re involved with Crafts For A Cause, which is raising money for Haiti earthquake relief efforts. I understand it’s been tricky to obtain pain medication to send to the victims. We tried all the legitimate ways. But there were a lot of people trying to do the same thing at the same time. And all of these charities that have their paperwork in line were obviously at the head of the queue. And so we bought drugs off the black market and we sent them over there on a chartered airplane, and [our friend who went to Haiti] had them in two days. All the money that we collected we spent on pain medication. And when they sent us a video of the children who received the pain medication—whose limbs had been dislocated from having cement fall on them—they sent a video of them saying thank you, and it was really amazing. It just made us want to do more from here. So we asked all our famous friends to start making stuff for this website Crafts For A Cause. And then we’ll hold an auction and all the money will go to Artists For Peace And Justice. And then they will forward the money to relief efforts in Haiti. It was a very stressful time knowing that was happening, and that people were experiencing a lot of pain—but the Red Cross couldn’t get to them fast enough. And, you know, going full renegade—I don’t do drugs so I don’t know any drug dealers. It was really awkward. I had to ask one of my friends who’s in recovery if she still had her connection’s phone number. I shook all day long. I’ve never done a drug deal. And then some random, sweet-looking girl comes over and brings you a tiny amount of drugs for like $5,000—and you think, what the fuck is going on here? And then you realize that the system is even more fucked, and that people without health insurance have to resort to this bullshit. What’s even more insane is that the drug dealers donated $800 worth of drugs. That’s truly a crazy story. So let’s uh, segue to the song “Never So Big” you contributed vocals to on the upcoming David Byrne and Fatboy Slim album Here Lies Love. I haven’t even heard it! David played me some of the other stuff when I went in to do my vocals and I was seriously blown away. The Santigold track is so amazing. And the Roisin Murphy track is so amazing. I guess maybe [Fatboy Slim] made the beats. I seriously didn’t realize he was involved at all. It was like David just emailed me and asked me if I wanted to sing on a track. I was like, um, hi—you’re David Byrne. Yes, yes, yes. The answer is always yes!
The warm reception that greeted the ladies’ performances last week must have led American Idol’s Top 8 females to the assumption that they could take this week off. Tsk, tsk ladies! Competing on AI is like dieting – more progress you make, the more you have to push yourself to see results. Almost all the girls played it safe this week — they must have decided not to take on anything too ambitious for fear of blowing it all just when they felt certain of their arrival in the Top 12. But aversion to risks instead meant that they sacrificed any real chance at a powerhouse “moment” (such as last week’s note-heard-round-the-Web by Siobhan Magnus during “Think”). And instead, many of the girls appeared to be playing it too safe to be engaging. Two gals have to go, and we’re pretty sure to whom we’ll be waving buh-bye on Thursday night. Take the jump to read our recap of the Top 8 Girls, and find out which woman disappointed us the most. Katie Stevens – “Breakaway” by Kelly Clarkson With her wobbly take on Kelly’s smash single, Katie at least showed that she can follow some of the directions given by the judges. Yes, she finally picked a younger song, but she still didn’t make it her own. We have no hope for Katie in this competition anymore – much like the judges, we think she’s too young to know who she is as an artist. (This goes for Aaron Kelly, too. Sorry, not everyone can be Jordin Sparks or David Archuleta.) Hey, the 17-year old still has another 11 seasons where she can come back to audition — that is, if Idol isn’t canceled by then. But let’s not think of such scary possibilities. Siobhan Magnus – “House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals Siobhan again showed terrific control, and displayed real courage by performing a capella. (If nothing else, she finally put to rest our what-if thoughts about both Andrew Fenlon and Janell Wheeler.) We do wish she had wailed a little more, as she did in her game-changing performance of Aretha Franklin’s “Think.” In fact, is there a song that’s all belting? She should just do that week after week. Still, there’s no doubt she’s sailing through to the Top 12, despite her being placed in the troublesome 2nd performance slot. What’s more interesting about Siobhan’s Idol journey is her wardrobe — the show’s stylists are putting her in heels and sexy frocks instead of the Mary Jane shoes and alterna-garb she sported when she first entered the competition. By the Top 5 (if she makes it that long, which we’re betting she will) we can expect that nose ring to be gone and her hair styled with extensions. Is that the real Siobhan? Probably not, but it’s the one that will probably get people to look at her as a sexy pop singer instead of a glass blower. Lacey Brown – “The Story” by Brandi Carlile Here’s the good news: Lacey finally isn’t a giant trainwreck. Yay! Her sweet, high-pitched country cooing reminds us of Dolly Parton, actually. Now the bad news: Too little too late, Lacey. A merely competent performance isn’t enough to get America to vote for you. We never invested too much in Lacey, anyway — must be because Idol producers barely edited her into the earlier segments of the show. Katelyn Epperly – “I Feel The Earth Move” by Carole King Oh, Katelyn. We like you and your big, bouncy hair, and your bright-and-shiny personality, and you did sing the song with all due care. But your take on this upbeat classic made us feel like we were watching a tiresome wedding band that had all but given up on getting people to actually shake it on the dancefloor. Basically, we were bored. Katelyn soared last week by singing an elegent, ethereal version of Coldplay’s “The Scientist” (a left-of-field choice that totally worked). So why take a step backwards now? Didi Benami – “Rhiannon” by Fleetwood MacWelcome back, Didi! Her acoustic arrangement of the Fleetwood Mac song was gorgeous, a huge improvement over last week’s “Lean On Me,” and Didi really shows off her distinct voice and unique phrasing. Well done. However — Didi really has to develop a more three-dimensional personality than that of ”The Crying Girl,” since that was totally Brooke White’s thing during Season 7, and the two blonde singer/musicians share enough of a resemblance to be considered doppelgangers as it is. Plus, crying every week, whether you’re pleased with your performance or not, gets really irritating. Paige Miles – “Smile” by Charlie Chaplin Paige, honey… is something going on at home? You okay? After confidently attempting to win over the crowd with Kelly Clarkson’s “Walk Away” last week, she tried to go torchy this week, and delivered a dreary, shaky performance of “Smile.” Paige looked terrified, as if a loony stage mom was holding a gun to her head and telling her to project. Beyond her streak of poor performances, Paige never fully developed a distinct personality on the show, so we feel like we’ll be saying goodbye to somebody we never really got to know. Her fault, or the producers’? Like Lacey, probably both factors are to blame. Crystal Bowersox – “Give Me One Reason” by Tracy Chapman The frontrunner of Season 9 didn’t disappoint anyone (particularly not #1 fan Simon) with her bluesy, electric-guitar-aided performance. Although Crystal is a shoe-in for the Top 12, we’re a little worried how she’ll fare once contestants are forced to adhere to a theme (what on Earth would she sing on Broadway night? Or Big Band night?). But it’s about time Idol had an indie rocker girl as a winner, since so many other genres on the musical spectrum have had their day(s) with past Idol champs. The best thing about Crystal is that her style is so understated, too – she doesn’t have to be dressed to the nines or change her look to sway people into rooting for her. Is it too late for her to be added to the Lilith Fair lineup? Lilly Scott – “I Fall To Pieces” by Patsy Cline: Lilly plays with a mandolin and gives an adequate performance. Not much else going on. Her unusual voice is the main selling point. We really want to see Lilly shake things up a bit in the following rounds, because the quirky-cute thing might get old. And as with Crystal, we’re curious to see how she handles themed nights. Best of the Night: Crystal Bowersox Worst of the Night: Paige Miles and Katelyn Epperly….though we think Paige and Lacey Brown are gonna be given the boot. Final Thoughts: We were moderately satisfied with the girls tonight — besides Paige, no one was a complete disaster — but mostly it was a snooze of an evening. Can they bring out “The General” Larry Platt to “gong” contestants when we’re getting bored with their performances? It would certainly be more entertaining and straight-up funny than Ellen’s been the last few weeks. Yes, it’s Ellen who was our biggest disappointment the past few rounds. We’re truly starting to tire of her cheesy little quips (did she really say “Didi, to that I say yes indeedy, Didi” with a straight face?) and where we at first welcomed some levity and a fresh voice to the show, we now find ourselves rolling our eyes whenever it’s the comedian’s turn to judge. Ellen, unless you’ve got something exceptionally clever to say, let’s just keep it to the critiques, ‘kay?
MGMT helped Kid Cudi achieve wacked-out goodness for his single “Purtsuit of Happiness,” but can they work the same trippy magic for their sophomore album? Today we get to find out—two tracks from the band’s upcoming LP surfaced, the title track “Congratulations” and the bizarre flower power opus “Flash Delirium.” You can download “Flash Delirium” for free on MGMT’s website, but why exert energy clicking away when you can just hop below and give it a listen? MGMT - Flash Delirium Instead of being a modern rock song inspired by 60s psychedelia, this trippy track sounds exactly like it was written and recorded in the late 60s, flute solo, hippie chants and all. Although it’s got its own unique charms, ultimately, the chilled out song is meandering and lacks much excitement (or focus). The title track (listen to it over on YouTube) doesn’t fare too better, at least to our ears. It’s a straightforward, very mellow ditty—we’d almost call it a rock lullaby—but it’s missing the spark and whimsy that encapsulated so many of their previous hits, such as “Time to Pretend” and “Kids” (which both ranked at #11 and #46 respectively on Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Songs of the Decade). We almost can’t believe the same band was responsible for both those two smash singles and the above 60s throwbacks. (Then again, MGMT did first record both those songs back in 2005 for their Time to Pretend EP, so they’ve had more than enough time to evolve their sound.) So far, between these songs and the peculiar cover art, we’re not too sure we’ll be congratulating the boys on their new album when it drops this April. We hope they prove us wrong! [Via Stereogum]
Birthday Lurve goes out to one of the world’s favorite girls today … everyone’s favorite doll, Barbie, turns 51 years old today and to be honest, she doesn’t look a day over 20 ;) In celebration of Barbie’s 51st, Mattel has revamped the 1977 version of Barbie — SuperStar Barbie — and will be offering the doll for sale at 1977 prices. That’s right, this special anniversary edition of Barbie will sell for $3 in stores nationwide this week only!! Here is what SuperStar Barbie looks like and the press release information about this fun birthday offer: SuperStar Barbie™ made her debut in 1977 with her long feathered hair, hot pink satin gown, boa and famous diamond jewelry. A favorite among girls in the seventies, this doll’s softer, friendlier look is a prominent memory for any child of this era. In celebration of Barbie doll’s birthday, Barbie unveils a new modernized version of the original SuperStar Barbie introducing a fresh glam look. All doll’d up and dressed in fashions reflective of current trends, the new 2010 SuperStar Barbie wears a short version of her original dress, pink platforms and capped version of her original boa. And just like the 1977 version that girls fell in love with, the new SuperStar Barbie sports a dazzling set of stud earrings, drop necklace, and the legendary diamond ring. In celebration of Barbie® doll’s birthday on March 9th, SuperStar Barbie will be available at a superstar price of $3. SuperStar Barbie will only be available for $3 during Barbie® doll’s birthday week at retailers nationwide. Even at 51, Barbie is still fierce beyond fierce! She actually looks younger in this new 2010 incarnation than she did in her 1977 incarnation. Whether you need to rush out and buy this $3 Barbie or not, I think we all should send our Birthday Lurve to Miss Thang today on her special day. Happy Birthday, Barbie! [Source]
Earlier today we learned that director Kathryn Bigelow made Oscar history last night at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards where she took home the trophies for Best Director (the first woman to do so) and Best Picture (the biggest award of the awards). But, there were other folks at the Oscars last night … some of them won Oscars of the their own, many of them didn’t … but that’s the name of the game. Here are a few photos from the red carpet arrivals: As you can see, Gabourey Sidibe wore a lovely blue dress … in fact, all of the women from Precious who appeared at the Academy Awards last night wore blue dresses because it was the color that actress Hattie McDaniel (the first African-American woman to win an Oscar) wore when she collected her Best Supporting Actress award for Gone with the Wind in 1939. Meryl Streep wore a lovely white dress … which was designed by Project Runway contestant Chris March (who is usually known for his outlandish costume designs — usually worn by drag queens — rather than his stylish fashion designs). The red carpet, as usual, had its hits and misses but the folks presented here looked mighty fine, I thought. After the jump, check out a few photos of some of the happy Oscar winners in the Academy Awards press room last night (posing with their trophies), read a run-down of all the highlights from last night’s show and find out what I thought of the 82nd Academy Awards telecast … It was a night of nice firsts at the 82nd annual Academy Awards, even though there weren’t that many surprises. “The Hurt Locker” was the big winner for best picture. The low-budget Iraq war drama defeated nine other nominees in the expanded category, including the box-office blockbuster “Avatar.” And there was a history-making victory when Kathryn Bigelow of “The Hurt Locker” became the first woman ever to win for best director. “The Hurt Locker” won six Oscars in total. Best actress winner Sandra Bullock, who starred in the football drama “The Blind Side,” nabbed her first Oscar for a film that gave the romantic-comedy star a chance to tackle a serious role. It also was her first nomination. Veteran actor Jeff Bridges, who’s been nominated five times, also won his first Oscar with his best actor prize for “Crazy Heart.” The Hollywood favorite gave a gracious acceptance speech that credited his parents with getting him into show business (his father was the late Lloyd Bridges). “This is honoring them as much as it is me,” Bridges said. Overall, the broadcast was practical, but not particularly inspired. Cohosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin did their best to keep things amusing, but the stretches between their appearances were sometimes tedious. As usual, the fun part was seeing the winners have their moment at the podium. In the supporting acting categories, the statuettes went to two actors who were considered the front-runners — Mo’Nique, who switched from comedy to wrenching drama to play an abusive mother in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire,” and Christoph Waltz, who gave a vivid performance as a Nazi officer in “Inglourious Basterds.” Like Bullock, Bridges and Bigelow, it was the first win for both Mo’Nique and Waltz. Mark Boal of “The Hurt Locker” took home a statuette for his original screenplay about the tense mission of a bomb-defusing squad … The soaring “Up,” which also was nominated for best picture, won for best animated feature and original score. A tribute to the late director John Hughes, whose 1980s teen movies remain cultural landmarks, provided one of the most moving moments. Many of his familiar stars (including Molly Ringwald, Matthew Broderick and Jon Cryer) assembled onstage, providing a touching blast from the past for those who grew up watching “The Breakfast Club” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” In an opening monologue that resembled a celebrity roast, Martin and Baldwin lobbed a rapid-fire string of zingers aimed at the nominees and stars in the audience. Steering mostly clear of topical humor, the veteran funnymen poked fun at the stars in the audience and, with self-deprecating grace, themselves. The silver-haired Martin advised young heartthrobs Zac Efron and Taylor Lautner, “Take a good look at us, guys. This is you in five years.” Later, the camera cut to Martin and Baldwin sitting backstage on a couch wearing Snuggies. It was funny, but like much of the show, a little predictable. The most striking visual joke came when presenter Ben Stiller made an entrance as a blue Na’vi from “Avatar” and began speaking in the space alien language. “That means this seemed like a better idea in rehearsal,” he said. Stiller’s bit even earned a chuckle from “Avatar” director James Cameron, who’s not exactly known for his sense of humor. But the real surprise came before Martin and Baldwin took to the stage, when the new go-to guy for award show awesomeness, Neil Patrick Harris, opened the show with an elaborate musical number. Dressed in a sparkling tuxedo jacket and oozing dapper charm, Harris, a TV star who’s hosted the Emmys and Tonys, cracked, “I know, what am I doing here?” Just adding some zest, for a few minutes at least, to an evening that occasionally seemed short on energy. I personally didn’t love the show … I found it more boring than it usually is and not very entertaining at all. Some of the jokes were funny (props to Ben Stiller in full Avatar make-up for making me laugh the most) but, overall, I felt they fell really flat. The interpretive dance portion was the stupidest shizz I’ve ever seen on an awards show. Not only were the dances uninspired (I’ve seen better moves in movies like Step Up and Honey, to be honest) but they had NOTHING at all to do with the movies they represented. It was just dumb … Oscar telecast director Adam Shankman did a poor job, I’m sorry. The show was about an hour way too long … which wasn’t helped by the way too long nominee packages that kept slowing things down thruout the night. When Ryan Reynolds was over-dramatically and somberly introducing The Blind Side as a nominee for Best Picture, I actually started to fall out of lust with him … IT WAS THAT BAD! Ugh. The only reason I’m not all that peeved about the show is because many of my faves won their awards. I’m just thrilled that The Hurt Locker did so well … it was much deserved. I love Sandra Bullock, I really do … but Meryl Streep deserved the Best Actress Oscar … that’s my only complaint. Click HERE to see a full list of Oscar winners last night. Did YOUR fave picks win? What did YOU think of the show itself? [Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]
After quite a few delays, rapper Lil’ Wayne (née Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.) finally showed up yesterday morning to be formally sentenced for his illegal weapons possession conviction in NYC and today he begins serving his term at Rikers Island. Wayne has been sentenced to serve 12 months in prison (but will actually be serving out his term in state jails due to his celebrity) with the possibility of early release in 8 months for good behavior. Here is Lil’ Wayne’s booking mug shot and some deets from his last moments as a free may yesterday morning: After saying goodbye on concert stages and online video streams, Lil Wayne had nothing to add as he was sentenced Monday to a year in jail for having a loaded gun on his tour bus. The Grammy Award-winning rapper delivered only a brief bow to fans and supporters as he was led out of a courtroom in handcuffs to start serving his sentence. With that, Lil Wayne headed off to face his punishment in a case that had shadowed him as he became one of music’s most prolific and profitable figures in recent years. Arrested in July 2007, he pleaded guilty in October to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. He admitted he had the loaded .40-caliber semiautomatic gun on his bus. His lawyer, Stacey Richman, said the rapper was resolute as he was taken away. “He knew what he had to do, and he’s doing it,” she said. Lil Wayne arrived later Tuesday at the Rikers Island jail complex, where he was being held apart from the general population of inmates because of his fame. He has a cell to himself but the option of spending time in a TV room with 17 other inmates who also have been separated from the general population because of notoriety or other reasons, according to the city Correction Department. It wasn’t immediately clear what work assignment he might have, if any. The 27-year-old rap star could be released in about eight months with good behavior … Although Lil Wayne had agreed to go to jail, a number of roadblocks kept him from starting his sentence in recent weeks. First, his sentencing was postponed in February so he could undergo surgery on his bejeweled teeth. Then, a fire shut down Manhattan’s main criminal courthouse while he was on his way there last week. He told Rolling Stone for a story last month that he planned to keep working while behind bars. “I’ll be still rapping in there, have a gang of raps ready when I come back home,” he said. As for listening to music, inmates are allowed to buy AM/FM radios at the jail commissary. As I said before, this prison sentence will end up being a boon for Lil’ Wayne’s career. Don’t cry for him, Argentina … he’ll deffo be turning these lemons into very lucrative lemonade once he gets out of jail in 8 months. After the jump, check out Wayne’s side profile mug shot along with a video report from MTV about Wayne’s day of reckoning … Just watch, these 8 months will fly by in no time … Weezy will be back sooner than you think. To be honest, this prison sentence will likely be the best thing to happen for his career ever. [Source, Source]
Well, well now … it would seem that once-lovebirds who broke up sometime ago are back together again in lurve. AnnaLynne McCord and Kellan Lutz were an item a couple of years ago (right around the time they both made their debuts on 90210, before Twilight opened in theaters) but not long after they split and went their separate ways. It would seem that the couple have rekindled that lost love considering they were spotted jetting off together at LAX Airport this weekend: Now, I’m gonna take a WILD STAB IN THE DARK and guess that AnnaLynne (who I understand did the dumping before) got an eyeful of the very hot Calvin Klein Underwear campaign that Kellan is featured in and she had a change of heart. I mean … wouldn’t you? AnnaLynne would be wise to hang on this hunky hunk of hunk from here on out. No word on where the lovebirds jetted off to … but I’m sure they’ll show up somewhere. Let’s hope they went somewhere tropical so that we might get a gander of Kellan in some shorty shorts on the beach ;) What do y’all think of these two together? Do they make a good match? [Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]
If the Vanity Fair Oscar Party is the biggest party for celebs to be seen at on Oscar night then the annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscar Party is a close second. Unlike the VF party, tho, Sir Elton’s party is a fundraiser meant to raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation which, in turn, funds other needy AIDS research programs. Here are a few photos from the Elton John Oscar Party red carpet and a press release announcement of just how much money was raised by this year’s event: Sir Elton John and David Furnish hosted the 18th Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) Academy Awards® Viewing Party and raised $3.7 Million for the fight against AIDS. Presented by Chopard, Jo and Raffy Manoukian and Neuro Drinks, the EJAF Viewing Party continues to be the leading fundraiser on Oscar night in Hollywood. The evening began with a cocktail reception, dinner and viewing of the 82nd Annual Academy Awards, followed by a very exciting live auction and high voltage performance by the iconic Grace Jones. Throughout its 18 years, the event has hosted some of the biggest stars in film, television and music. This year was no exception with celebrities such as Adam Levine, Alan Cumming, Allison Iraheta (American Idol), Apolo Ohno, Betty White, Chace Crawford, Christina Hendricks, Cory Monteith (Glee), Debi Mazar, Eric & Janet McCormack, Gina Gershon, Hayden Panettiere, Heidi Klum, J.C. Chasez, Jason Mraz, Jeremy Piven, Joaquin Phoenix, John Waters, Josh Groban, K.D. Lang, Kimora Lee, Lea Michele (Glee), Liam Hemsworth, Matthew Morrison (Glee), Michelle Rodriguez, Milla Jovovich & Paul W. S. Anderson, Miley Cyrus, Nicole Richie & Joel Madden, Ricki Lake, Rob Lowe, Ryan Kwanten, S. Epatha Merkerson (Law & Order), Sam Trammell (True Blood), Selena Gomez, Serena Williams, Sharon & Kelly Osbourne, Simon Cowell, Slash, Tim Allen, Victoria Beckham, attendance. Guests arrived for the 18th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Viewing party to a custom-built tent adorned in hues of red and tangerine, a decor inspired by designer Antony Todd’s travels. Chef Wayne Elias of Crumble Catering prepared an exquisite five-course meal including dishes such as Risotto Carnaroli with saffron liquorice and king prawns and “Wahoo” with black olives, pine nuts, fresh herbs and stewed lentils. As is tradition, immediately following dinner, auctioneer Jamie Niven of Sotheby’s led the evening’s live auction. Items auctioned included a Lisa Jack contact sheet of a portrait sitting of now President Barack Obama which was taken at Occidental College in 1980. This rare piece sold for an astounding $60K. Guests also had the opportunity to bid on a private tennis lesson given by legendary tennis pros Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, which sold for $70K and the costume that Sir Elton John wore during his performance with Lady Gaga at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. The costume sold for $30K. A fantastic 48″X48″ William Claxton piece, “Chet Baker (Piano), Hollywood, 1954,” was sold for $90K. The lucky winner of this photograph also got to take home Claxton’s Nikon F 35mm Camera as well as the “Jazz Life” trade edition book. Guests also had the chance to bid on a watch from the Elton John Watch Collection designed by Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele. The dazzling limited timepiece was sold for $90K. Other auction items included an incredible photograph by Robert Mapplethrope called “Grace Jones, 1984″ which was sold for $85K and surprised his guests with the opportunity to bid on a 7-day stay for 10 people in Elton’s home in Windsor or Nice and the winners of this bid will also be able to experience the wonderful dishes cooked by Elton’s personal chef. The 7-day stay was sold for $140K. Fantastic!! Sir Elton’s Oscar Party is the place where celebs who do not (or can not) attend the Oscars show up to feel as if they are part of the night’s festivities … and, in the process, manage to raise millions for AIDS research. Truly, it is an amazing event. This party annual hosts the beautiful people … and not just the outwardly beautiful but the inwardly beautiful who are happy to donate to such a worthy cause. You know any party that attracts the likes of Betty White has to be a great event. Congrats to Elton for all his hard work this year! There is now over $13 million more dollars made available for AIDS research. Amazing!! [Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]
Lindsay Lohan is feuding with the E-Trade babies. The actress has filed a $100 million lawsuit claiming a television ad for the Wall Street firm that aired during the Super Bowl and Olympics was modeled after her. Talking babies in the ad engage in chatter that refers to “milkaholic Lindsay.” The 23-year-old actress has famously sought substance abuse treatment. Lohan’s name was never mentioned. But her New York lawyer contends that “Lindsay” is an equally recognizable moniker for her client – like that of Oprah or Madonna. Lohan’s legal team is seeking an injunction to stop future airings. An E-Trade spokeswoman is declining to comment. Share and Enjoy:
The rapper amazed revellers at London’s Runway club by having the DJ play a 30-minute set of his songs to signal his arrival and then insisting on having his own Sean John fragrance sprayed into the room every 20 minutes. A source said: “All eyes were on Diddy. You could smell him coming a mile off. It was as if a king had arrived in the building – but you could hardly see him under all that mist from the perfume. “His songs were played back-to-back for 30 minutes for his grand entrance. Girls were throwing themselves at him – it was wild.” According to onlookers, the 40-year-old star – real name Sean Combs – insisted on only drinking Ciroc, the upmarket brand of vodka he endorses, and was followed everywhere by an assistant carrying his scarf and coat in case he got cold. At 6am, Diddy – who was in London to promote his forthcoming new album, ‘Last Train To Paris’ – insisted on continuing partying at the nearby Jet Black nightspot, where he was entertained by magician Dynamo, before returning to his hotel, where he decided to stay awake until it was time to fly back to the US. The source added to the Daily Mirror newspaper: “Even back at the hotel he did not want to sleep for fear of missing something. His team prised their eyes open to stay up with him. “One of them even filmed every move of his wild time in London.” Share and Enjoy:
Def Jam CEO Antonio “L.A.” Reid canceled a key speech at a top music event with his staff claiming his son was seriously ill — but he really panicked over facing questions about his future with the label, sources said. Hundreds of top music industry suits paid up to $1,000 each to hear Reid speak at the Billboard 2010 Music & Money Symposium at the St. Regis last week. But hours before the talk, delegates were told that his son was in the hospital with a head injury and needed surgery. Reid has four sons, from 6 to 29 years old, as well as a daughter, 8. “There was speculation among other music executives that this was not entirely the truth. Reid didn’t want to answer questions about his future with Island Def Jam,” a source said. “The move left organizers panicked with no speaker with just hours to go. Vevo CEO Rio Caraeff agreed to stand in.” The Post’s Peter Lauria reported last month that R&B impresario Reid is under pressure to break a cold streak following the promotion of Lucian Grainge to CEO of Universal Music Group, which owns Island Def Jam. Following disappointing sales from artists including Rihanna and Mariah Carey, Reid has been ordered to rein in his spending and bring in a hit. A friend of the dapper Reid — one of the most powerful men in the US music business — told us, “L.A. had to cancel because he was called away on family business, not because his son was ill. That was just a story that went around. He isn’t afraid to answer questions about his future with the label. He is about to sign J.Lo [Jennifer Lopez] and isn’t going anywhere.” A rep for Island Def Jam said, “It was unfortunate, but he was called out of town on personal business and hopes to be able to participate in a future symposium.” Billboard declined to comment. Share and Enjoy:
The ‘Ghost’ actress and 21-year-old Rumer Willis attended a recent party at exclusive Hollywood venue Chateau Marmont and the 47-year-old beauty was keen to show off her raunchy moves. A source told Life and Style magazine: “Demi got up and impressed everyone, especially when she spun around the pole upside down.” Rumer – the actress’ eldest daughter from her marriage to actor Bruce Willis – then decided to follow in her mother’s footsteps by giving it a go as a host of stars, including Demi’s husband Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Aniston and Leonardo DiCaprio, looked on. The source added: “Everyone was cheering, and Leo gave Ashton a high-five.” Former ‘Friends’ star Jennifer was very generous with her cheers as she has also become a fan of pole-dancing because it helps keep her slim. A source said: “Jennifer can’t get enough of pole-dancing at the moment. She loves getting all the girls together so they can all do it together and have a laugh. “She thinks it’s great for fitness and it makes her feel sexy.” Other celebrity fans of pole-dancing include Britney Spears, Fergie and Kate Moss. Share and Enjoy:
No one is more disappointed that Lil Wayne is jailed on gun charges than the cop who saved the rapper’s life 15 years ago after an accidental shot to the chest. “It’s sad to see somebody get involved with guns like that – any kid, no matter who they are,” said Robert Hoobler, a New Orleans Police Department cop for two decades. Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, began serving a one-year sentence on Rikers Island for having a semiautomatic pistol on his tour bus in 2007. “I’m sorry to see that happened to him, but at least he admitted to what happened and took his medicine,” said Hoobler, 53, who now works for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. Hoobler is more of an AC/DC and Metallica fan, but he has genuine affection for Lil Wayne. They crossed paths in 1994 when Lil Wayne was a seventh grader living in New Orleans’ rough Hollygrove neighborhood. A call came in for shots fired, and Hoobler and other cops rushed to the address. “We heard loud music the first time, but nothing the second time – just a little voice moaning for help,” Hoobler said. The cops kicked in the door and found Lil Wayne covered in blood. He had dragged himself from the bedroom to the front of the apartment, leaving a bloody trail. There were no ambulances immediately available, so Hoobler cradled Lil Wayne in his arms as they raced in a police cruiser to the nearest hospital. That saved the rapper’s life, doctors said. Lil Wayne has acknowledged Hoobler’s heroics in person and in the press and he’s become a a bit of a local celebrity, recognized from a VH1 “Behind the Music” special. At the school where the cop’s grandkids attend, children ask for autographs. Just last week, Hoobler bought his first Lil Wayne album and he has been listening to it on a boom box in his police cruiser after work. “Now that I finally got a hold of his new CD, and see that it really turned out good, I hope he makes more of them,” he said. Share and Enjoy:
The oft soft-spoken host of Project Runway brought out the claws and is lashing out at the Kardashians calling their skin-tight, butt-enhancing and cleavage-bearing outfits, “largely vulgar” and that their look “has a cheapness and tawdriness [to it].” If you’re wondering what could have drew the ire of Tim, it’s the special collection the Kardashians designed for Bebe which they unveiled during last month’s Fashion Week. When asked whether he supported the Kardashian Bebe spring line, a mix of jumpsuits and revealing one-shouldered dresses, Gunn told wonderwall.msn.com that the clothes didn’t talk to him. “I just think the Kardashians have an absence of taste and I don’t think that that should be perpetuated,” he said. “I’m sorry I’m sounding like an old farty, snob, but it bothers me.” Although he’s clearly no fan of their fashion taste or “how they navigate the world,” Gunn did have one nice thing to say about Kim — kind of. “She’s pretty, but she’s a poser,” he told Behar, referring to the way Kim mugs for the camera. “I find that when she’s static and still, she has an attractiveness. I find that when she’s moving, it all goes away for me.” Tim is right. The Kardashian’s are mostly trashy, but that’s what makes them so great. That they revel in it. There’s an attainability to them. Knowing that they look just like the prostitutes that pick you up at the bar and who steal your money while their pimp holds you down is comforting in a way. [Images: INF]Related posts Kim Kardashian is very convincing (2)Does that mean Reggie has to marry Kim Kardashian (3)Kim Kardashian is tweeting more bikini pics (1)Reggie Bush might have to marry Kim Kardashian (3)Kim Kardashian has a commercial (1)
I totally forgot Holly Madison was dating Benji Madden. And for good reason. They’re boring and Holly doesn’t even show her breasts anymore unless you pay her $80 so Holly wanting to move in with Benji isn’t that big of a shock. A source said: “Benji cares very much for Holly. They have been talking about living together.” Benji may be looking to settle down with Holly, as he recently revealed he is worried he is getting old. The guitarist said he can never trust college students because of the way they look and talk, but realises his statement makes him sound like a grumpy old man. He tweeted: “College kids with their big words and their sandals and their funny hair. I don’t trust ‘em (sic).” He then wrote: “Last tweet=sure sign that I’m getting old. FVCK (sic).” Wait, did Benji Madden of Good Charlotte just comment on how college kids dress? That’s ironic considering Benji still dresses like a loner goth kid from high school. I’d sooner trust a hitchhiker standing in the middle of the road carrying an axe and a severed head than Benji Madden. Related posts Holly Madison was at the Viva Elvis premiere (0)Holly Madison is 30 (1)Practice makes perfect (0)Holly Madison got married (3)Holly Madison was at TAO too (0)
Julie Bowen from Modern Family (which is way better than The Office these days) was in Hawaii on Sunday either celebrating her birthday which was on March 3 or showing everyone she’s a big shot celebrity who can go to Hawaii whenever she wants. She’s not bad for 41, but there’s something off about her body. It looks weird. It could be the belly button or it could be the protruding abdomen. It sort of looks like Chuck Liddell’s gut. Little known fact: Julie Bowen wears a pacemaker. Related posts Belena Rodriguez is playful (0)Are they coming FROM the ocean? (1)Audrina Patridge does FHM UK in her bikini (2)Myleene Klass is in a bikini photoshooting (0)Bar Refaeli is in Mexico (0)
Amy and Matt Roloff from Big People, Little World took a vacation to Hawaii and spent 30 minutes at the beach kicking and thrashing around in the water. Everyone thought they were having fun, but little did they know that Amy and Matt were drowning. This was made worse by the fact they were in the tide pool. [Images: Pacific Coast News]Related posts Belena Rodriguez is playful (0)Julie Bowen is in Hawaii (3)Audrina Patridge does FHM UK in her bikini (2)Myleene Klass is in a bikini photoshooting (0)Bar Refaeli is in Mexico (0)
If I was the paparazzi and I was tasked with taking pictures of Argentine model Belena Rodriguez in Miami, I’d make a game out of it. Like, hopefully I had a partner so every time Belena would turn around and show off her fantastic ass, we’d high five each other and make a note of it. At the end of the day, we’d tally up how many high fives we gave each other and see how big of winners we both were. Related posts Are they coming FROM the ocean? (1)Julie Bowen is in Hawaii (3)Audrina Patridge does FHM UK in her bikini (2)Myleene Klass is in a bikini photoshooting (0)Bar Refaeli is in Mexico (0)
Seven Muslims were arrested Tuesday for trying to kill yet another Muhammad-doodling European cartoonist. Among them was Colleen LaRose, a blond-haired green-eyed suburbanite who met her co-conspirators on YouTube and online forums, under the name JihadJane. According to a federal indictment, the 46-year-old LaRose began her jihad in June of 2008 when, under the username JihadJane, she commented on YouTube that she was "desperate to do something somehow to help" Muslims. She began corresponding with like-minded people in South Asia and Europe, two of whom advised Jihad Jane to take advantage of her imperviousness to racial profiling so they could attack a target CNN identifies as Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who earned a fatwa for depicting Muhammad astride a donkey. Instructed a conspirator: "go to sweden... find location of [Vilks, presumably]... and kill him... this is what i say to u." Jihadis: They resist the 'shift' key, just like us. Later, the same conspirator would note that LaRose "can get access to many places due to ur nationality," asking her to "marry me or get me inside europe." Romantic. Jihad Jane went on to raise funds and recruit more co-conspirators for her mission, the indictment says. She infiltrated an artist colony Vilks frequented and, in the fall of 2009, was revved up for the kill. The New York Times describes Jihad Jane's now-defunct MySpace page. From the cache for myspace.com/BeyondPrincessForever, here it is. Click images to enlarge. Meanwhile, some other white lady named Colleen LaRose is having a really shitty day. Pennsylvania Woman Tied to Plot on Cartoonist [NYT]'Jihad Jane' Indictment Alleges Threat from Within U.S. [LAT]U.S.: Pennsylvania Woman Tried to Recruit Terrorists [CNN]Jihad Jane's MySpace [cached]
This may seem like an easily answered question — people get plastic procedures hoping to look young and beautiful forever — but given a recent spate of cosmetic surgery horrorshows, we increasingly just don't understand why anyone gets "work done." Look at how plastic surgery is trending, right now! Remember Heidi Montag? She's a character from MTV's The Hills who used to be a person. That was many moons and several faces ago, and now Heidi looks like this: Bahhh! That's a new highly humorous PSA about credit card regulations or something, the joke being that Heidi is now entirely made of plastic and chemical, just like the credit cards she's saying bad things about. You know who directed this thing? Ron Howard. What an enabler! But also, why is Heidi joking about her face and not being able to smile and things like that? I mean, she actually can't smile and things like that. And she seems to know that. So why would she get the surgeries done in the first place? In her case the reasoning is, yes, fairly obvious. Because she's dumb and vain and on TV. But she's also young, only twenty-three years old, and used to look like this. She wasn't ugly at all! She had nice sorta WASPy, horsey Kennedy features. She'd have fit right in at Hyannis Port! But now... Oh now it's all an ugly, too-smooth, melony mess. But again, she's a vain and vapid reality star, one who is paid to be vain and vapid, and who is told by the likes of Ron Howard that if she keeps augmenting herself, we'll keep paying attention. This is depressing, but vaguely understandable. But what I truly don't get is how normal people, regular folks like you and your mom, could see those results and still say "Yes, sign me up!" How could they hear about Mexican singer Alejandra Guzman winding up in the hospital, severely unwell, after a botched butt injection, and want to go in themselves. Only to be shocked and horrified when something goes awry for them: Ha ha, a doctor was putting caulk in their ass. (Get it?) I know that people can be, like famous-ish Heidi, vain and dumb creatures (so blinded by vanity they are), but come on. When people found out that Olestra might cause you to poop your pants a little, they dropped that product like a hot potato. Are people really more frightened of the idea of something coming out of their butts than they are with the idea of their butts, in entirety, simply falling off? That's disheartening. In 2010, that is very disheartening. Call me naive, but so much noise has been made lately about plastic surgery disasters — a conversation resurrected from the '90s after a brief lull, it feels — that I'm just staggered that so many people, women especially, are subjecting themselves to the possibilities of, at best, having their faces ending up looking like mangled Laffy Taffy and, at worse, contracting fatal butt fall-offitis. Watching the Oscars on Sunday, there were some celebrities who have maybe gotten work and pulled it off — Kathryn Bigelow, at 59, can't possibly look that good naturally, can she? — but those cases were very rare. Mostly, even in Hollywood circles that can afford the most expensive and exclusive doctors, you get Nicole Kidmans and Meg Ryans. Once-beautiful women who now look like sad, Twilight Zone wax versions of themselves. It seems better, more dignified, to admit to America that, yes, you are in fact a mortal who is affected by time, and let yourself look your age (Meryl Streep), than to strut down a red carpet with an embarrassing bulbous death mask of make-believe skin grafted onto your skull. I guess I just don't get why, when so much evidence seems to suggest that most of this tucking and stretching and squeezing rarely ever works (the Bravo television channel does a whole series about this fact), we're still hearing all these nightmare stories about people who willingly went under the knife. I generally like to think that we aren't that broken of a culture. But maybe we are?
After a long, long (but not long enough?) winter away, our good friends from the Upper East Side have returned to us, dressed all in black and hunting for ghosts. There is no power in the afterlife. Well, only one fellow was looking for an actual ghost, but other people were pursuing things that long ago disappeared in the past, trying to reclaim and rekindle old loves. Guess who's doin' it? Yes, of course, it's young Nate and Serena, whose daring and illicit sexcapade basically kicked off the entire series. It's doubtful that their new pairing is serving as some sort of bookend and thus the series is ending, so don't get your hopes up. No, it's just another excuse for Serena to pout and for actress Chace Crawford to deploy her usual salvo of droning line readings. And for, you know, sexy writhing around. For her part, Blair has sanctioned the fledgling couple, but doesn't think that they should rush into anything. Chiefly she didn't think the kids should be doing sex to each other just yet, mostly because, like the rest of us, she found the idea of those two genital-less HardBodyBots mashing their smooth crotchal regions together unbearably repulsive. Try as they might, and beautiful as they are, Blake Lively and Chace Crawford just aren't terribly attractive, are they? Or, at least, they simply have no chemistry with together. "Hello, pretty." "Oh, hello pretty." "You are looking pretty." "You are looking pretty too." "Shall we scissor without purpose for an hour or so?" "Yes, we shall." Ew. But of course the wacky lovebirds couldn't keep their whirring porcelain hands off of each other, so we were subjected to lots of sexy doin'-it music while these two clowns squeaked against each other like vinyl. There was some kind of supposed drama about Nate wanting to take it slow, because he took some stupid advice from the pile of chins that is Dan Humphrey, and Serena getting pissy. But for the most part their portion of the episode was about sexlessly rubbing up against one another, all of us weeping hot human tears at the grotesqueness of the whole thing. Throwing a monkey wrench into Serena and Nate's fruitless nontercourse was, as always, little Pirate Jenny Humphrey, quickly evolving as one of the most hands-down annoying characters on television. Remember in the books when Jenny was a nerdy frizz-head with huge cans and was likable? Well, she's not on this show, she's just thin and board-like and blonde and wears increasingly bizarre goth clothes. Why are they styling Jenny like this? All these black garments and heavy dark makeup. It just makes no sense. I know trends recycle themselves every twenty years, but are we really at pop-goth again? Oh molasses I hope not. Anyway, last night Lydia Deetz was still doing drug running with her wicked Eurobrat diplobrat friend, the kid from Airbud. The Kid from Airbud, being a Eurobrat diplobrat, is a total ass. See, the Party this episode (there is always a Party, no matter the episode, always some social Something to attend or muck up or wear special clothing to) was a big French Ambassador's Dinner. And, as French Ambassadors tend to be some kinky motherfuckers, exclusively teenagers were invited to the occasion. Just wall-to-wall teenagers and the French Ambassador looking creepily content and humming "Les Poisson." So the Kid from Airbud wanted to do a big drug deal with the French Ambassador's Daughter and needed Jenny's help. She came up with the brilliant and spy-level idea of switching coats. Put drugs in a lookalike coat and have the FAD take the one stuffed with drugs home at the end of the evening. Jenny is basically Mary McDonnell in Sneakers. She is that good. So all was on track with that plan until Nate and Serena fizzed and sparked and said "Malfunction. Malfunction." and had a fight about the pace of their relationship. Upset about the fight, Serena, as rash and slatternly as Kate Keepdown, ran and asked the Kid from Airbud to go to the French Ambassador's dinner with her. See, they used to know each other "at boarding school" (a robot factory outside Concord, NH) and he always had a crush on her. But that was in her wilder days and she is different now, but he doesn't know that! The Kid from Airbud goes and meanly tells Jenny that shit is off with them, he got Sereneer van der Woolens to go on a date with him, so old Depeche Mode Humphrey can go cram it with cloves. But Jenny is never one to back down, her heart pumps black and relentless in her otherwise hollow chest, so of course she went to the French Ambassador's sweet sixteen and saw Nate and was all "Let's be dates." The couples tried to make each other jealous but really nobody cared and in the end the Eurobrat diplobrat was proven to be a rake and a scoundrel, Serena was pulled into a coat closet and robot raped by Nate, and the French Ambassador's Daughter got her meth manteau and all was well. The Kid from Airbud will stick around a little longer perhaps, and will maybe live to perform an Inserting upon Jenny, unless she has a Cure cover band concert to go to. We'll see! Serena and Nate, meanwhile, are happily trying to interlock and interface with each other, sadly unaware that their mutual creator, the wispy and whimsical and wife-grieving white-haired Dr. Lacrimoso made them in such a way that they can never be truly together, because that is his pain, that is all of humanity's pain. Another story line happening this week had to do with those old people that sometimes tell Dan, Jenny, and Serena what to do (though it never actually works). Nobody cares about this storyline except for the fact that Dan got in a fight with the old man character and said, as means to a sad/angry thing, "Make your own damn waffles." Mm. Powerful words. Make your own damn waffles, Rahm Emanuel. Make your own damn waffles, Interrupting Oscar Witch Lady. Make your own damn waffles, scary kids who smoke weed outside my front door. Thanks for that, Dan. Speaking of Dan, he wants to perform an Inserting upon Vanessa, but she was nowhere to be found this episode. Sadly, unbeknownst to Dan, cavewoman Vanessa has been gored by a woolly mammoth and is using her last strength to draw her pictograph story on the walls of a cave in France. Either that or she thinks he's gross and chinny and just doesn't want to call him back. Finally we turn to Chuck and Blair. Blair was wearing a big furry hat and underpants at one point and made an Anna Karenina joke, which is fine. Chuck was all moopy and sad, scouring the riverbed for silt and other detritus as all good catfish do. One piece of detritus he was especially eager to find was his momz. Remember his mom who died in Chuckbirth but who is maybe secretly alive and putting flowers on Bart's grave? Well, Chuck sadly tracked this mysterious lady down and she lied and said "No, my dear, I am not your mother." And Chuck's face fell three sizes that day, and he shuffled off and went to go throw pebbles into a pond and pick at his scabs and sulk, and you wish you could do something, put your hand on this little boy's shoulder and tell him that he is good and that there will be better days, but he's such a stubborn boy and he won't listen, so you just let him sit there, squinting obstinately at the setting sun, occasionally muttering angry little boy things to no one, to everyone. After the big mom disappointment, insightful Blair held back and approached the woman again. She knew she was lying. And Blair was right! This lady is Chuck's mother, if the picture she had of a lady holding a baby is to be believed. (The baby was wearing a purple dandy suit and scowling.) What role will Chuck's secret mom play on the show? Oh god. I can only imagine. That's basically it folks. Oh, except. At the very end of the episode we caught site of Erik, another thwarted and angry little boy, kicking cans all alone down by the railroad tracks. We walked up to him and said "Do you need any help, son?" And he muttered "No..." and kicked another can and so we left him there, train whistles moaning in the distance, this abandoned little fellow not deserving to be lonely and ignored. But that's just sometimes how the world works, people get left behind, trains miss stations. And trains keep running. But what did it all mean for their power standings? Our continued tabulations are below. Dorota:Power Play: Everything falls to shit when she's away: +2Sexual Intrigue: Romantic getaway with her boyfriend Vanya: +1Total: 3Season to Date: 58Power Position: Up Blair:Family Secrets: Finds Chuck's necklace and knows something is fishy: +1Fashion Points: The Anna Karenina hat and negligee: +2, Her sparkly jacket at the ambassador dinner; +1Personality Flaw: Stupid enough to think that Serena can stay chaste: -1, Gets back on the "Serena is a skank" train: +1, Knows that Nate is functionally illiterate: +1Power Play: Cares more about meeting the French ambassador for her secret club than her man Chuck: -2, Is scared of the beautiful girls surrounding her target: -1, Has the balls to approach the French guy on his smoke break: +2, Gives up her chance to talk to him to run off with Chuck: -1, Her high-society coffee klatch idea is stupid anyway: +1, Figures out Chuck's mother is full of shit and tells her if she doesn't stay away then she will fuck her shit up: +3Sexual Intrigue: Gives Serena advice about Nate: +1, Ew, she fucked her best friends boyfriend: -2, Chuck has no interest in playing her aristocratic role play games: -1, Rightly counsels Chuck to be cautious about this woman he thinks is his mother: +2Social Schemes: Using Chuck to get to M. Doree, some dude who runs some lame secret society she wants to join: +2, Does anyone care about joining her Babysitter's Club?: -1Total: 8Season to Date: 35Power Position: Up Chuck:Family Secrets: Keeping secrets from Blair: -1, Discovers his mother: +3, She lies about being his mother: -2, Has to feel the hurt of losing his mother all over again: -1Fashion Points: Purple!: -1, Excellent coat with a faux fur (PETA hopes!) collar: +1Money: Finds the only jeweler in the world with a confidentiality agreement: -1, Pays him for his secrets: +2Personality Flaw: We knew he had daddy issues, but this new Oedipal Complex is something new and scary: -2Power Play: Gets to have a fancy lunch with the French power broker Blair wants to impress: +1Sexual Intrigue: Turns down a date with hot-to-trot Anna Karenina: -2, Makes up with Blair: +1Total: -2Season to Date: 27Power Position: Down Jenny:Family Secrets: Doesn't tell Lily that her dad is avoiding her: +1Fashion Points: Combines fashion and drugs, her two favorite things: +3, Her drug mule bolero is something you would buy at the Urban Outfitter's remainders sale: -2, Hello spider web gown at the ambassador's dinner!: +2Personality Flaw: Gets called out for her unnatural love of board games: -2Power Play: Has a drug-dealing best friend, Damien, which is pretty rad: +1, But he knows that she is now a character out of an after school special and can tattle on her at any time: -2, The French ambassador's daughter knows she is a waste of time: -1, Tells Nate he is a retard for taking relationship advice from Dan: +1Sexual Intrigue: Gets dissed by Damien for Serena: -2, Gets Nate and Serena back together so she can have her drug dealing man: +2Social Schemes: Show's up and forces herself on Nate. Long live the queen!: +2, Saves the druggie sweater: +2WTF: Fuck, the closer Jenny gets to being the living embodiment of the lyrics to "Cherry Bomb" the more we like her: +2Total: 7Season to Date: 8Power Position: Up Rufus:Personality Flaw: Hip enough to video chat: +1, Feeding people: -1, Takes relationship advice from Dan: -3Power Play: Ignoring Lily's calls: +1, Ignoring Lily in general: +1, But she is his meal ticket: -2Sexual Intrigue: Finally comes back to Lily: +1, He's all angry and calls her a skank: -1, But wait, Lily is a skank: +3, Stops by his new lover's house: +2 (bow chicka wow wow!)Social Schemes: That hot black heiress lady totally wants his jock: +3Total: 5Season to Date: 1Power Position: Up Nate:Fashion Points: Manbangs looking mangey: -1, Amazing tux shirt: +2Personality Flaw: Is functionally illiterate: -1Power Play: Takes romantic advice from Dan: -2, Gets upstaged by Damien, a short jerk with even worse hair: -1, If he had known there were drugs in that coat, he wouldn't have thrown it away: -1Sexual Intrigue: Is the 9 millionth person to sleep with Serena: -2, Has to go on a first date with Serena, even though they had sex already: -1, Is getting laid on the regular: +3, It's by a lady: -1, He is dating his best friend's ex: -1, Blowing it with Serena: -1, Really? In the coat room? Is he some pervy exhibitionist?: -2Social Schemes: Let's Jenny be his date: -2, She brings Serena and him back together, so it's not a horrible decision: +2Total: -11Season to Date: 0Power Position: Down Vanessa:Fashion Points: Wherever she was she still had lady dreads: -2Power Play: Imagining a world without her is sweet indeed: 0Total: -2Season to Date: -10Power Position: Up Dan:Personality Flaw: Gives everyone crappy relationship advice: -3, Owns a Cabbage Patch doll, which we find strangely endearing: +1Power Play: Everyone keeps invading his Brooklyn pussy den: -1Sexual Intrigue: Dan, Dan, Dan, Dan, Dan! You need to get over this whole Vanessa thing: -3Social Schemes: His best friend is sleeping with his ex and he wants to sleep with his best friend. Do these people have no boundaries?: -2Total: -8Season to Date: -21Power Position: Up Lily:Family Secrets: Both Jenny and Dan lie to her about Rufus' whereabouts: -2, Her secret is totally lame. She spent the night in a hotel and kissed her ex-husband. Boring: -1, Also, everyone knows now: -1, There must be something more to this story, and if she is convincing people otherwise, good on her: +1Fashion Points: Does that white dress double as her bathrobe?: -1Personality Flaw: Continues to neglect her depressed, gay, suicidal son: -1Power Play: Tells Jenny to keep the door open when she's in there with a boy, which is sound parenting advice, for a change: +2, Jenny still does what she wants anyway: -1Sexual Intrigue: Rufus doesn't believe she could keep it kosher with her ex: -1, She totally fucked her ex, so at least she's getting some: +1Total: -5Season to Date: -27Power Position: Down Serena:Fashion Points: Nice white cowl-neck sweater dress, which is surprisingly not too slutty: +1, The cleavage in her party dress isn't too outrageous: +1,Personality Flaw: Someone needs to tell her that her boyfriend is gay: -1,Power Play: Damien knows she is a skank who can't keep her clothes on: -1, She gets all huffy and runs off when he says this: +2, But then she ends up taking her clothes off about 72 seconds later, so he was absolutely right: -3Sexual Intrigue: Her chastity with Nate lasts about -29 seconds: -2, On the floor at the Waldorf's, on a couch, is she some kind of public sex fetishist?: -1, We're kind of into that: +2, Is dating her best friend's ex. Ew: -1, Nate only wants to sleep with her once a day: -1, Her vast sexual appetite is like a black hole, pulling in everything close by and rendering it into cold, dead anti-matter: -2Social Schemes: Doesn't need Nate to go to no fancy French embassy party: +2WTF: After diddling Nate in the coat room, she steals someones coat: -1, It is ugly: -2, And she doesn't even bother to put her dress back on. God, Serena. You are the worst!: -3Total: -10Season to Date: -35Power Position: Up! This isn't rock bottom yet, people.
With her latest stab at relevancy—a new single and a VH1 show—Jessica Simpson is yet again being shoved down our collective gullet. It's time for this uninteresting, talentless person to take a hike. Forever! I usually scoff at people who criticize celebrities by saying, "They're just famous for being famous." But Jessica Simpson is something worse—she's famous for trying to be famous. She isn't defined by any quantifiable event, talent, or success, but by a constant striving, one that often leads to disastrous failure. The same came be said for "Who We Are" her new single (below), which is a indistinguishable amalgam of pleasant electronic bleeps that will float across your brain as amiably and forgettably as a cloud in a bright sky. It's the theme song for her new show, The Price of Beauty, that starts next month on VH1 and which features her traveling around the world trying out beauty regimens from different cultures. Not a bad concept if we weren't so sick of seeing her face—plastered over with cosmetics—glaring back at us in the televised version of hell. When she started, she was just another big-breasted, blonde Britney Spears impersonator with a good voice and very determined father. She had some moderate success thanks to corporate marketing and a naive female fan base, but none of her early hits are that memorable. We probably would have been rid of her by now if it weren't for a little thing called reality television. In 2002, MTV debuted Newlyweds, an "inside look" at her recent marriage to boybander Nick Lachey. Her ditsy persona (or was it her real personality?) took off immediately and America tuned in to see her latest bout with sitcom stupidity and her grappling with various food-related mysteries, like what kind of animal a Chicken of the Sea is and where Buffalo wings come from. Simpson quickly morphed into a marketing robot, hawking pizza and dubious skin care regimens. With the sound of cash registers echoing in her voluminous hair, Americans soon forgot who she was. You never said, "She sings that song," or "She's the star of that movie." You said, "Oh, she's the stupid girl from MTV." For a while, Simpson was everywhere and we had no real idea why that was, other than we were told to like her and she was busy pawning stuff off on us. She tried to be more than that, sure. She wanted to be a real star who could do things other than pitch unnecessary corporate goods. But her albums soon stopped selling and she skipped from dud to dud, trying to act in Dukes of Hazzard and something ineffable with Dane Cook. Then, like Jean-Claude Van Damme before her, her flicks went direct to DVD. She tried to make the switch from pop to country, but even stupid Christians in the Bible Belt didn't want her at that point. Like a rotten tomato stuck behind the crisper, she was starting to stink up the joint, but no one could clean her out. Why? Blame the Celebrity Industrial Complex! Even though we were no longer interested in her entertainment products, she'd started a career as a professional girlfriend, going out very publicly with musician John Mayer and then Dallas Cowboy Tony Romo. The rumors are still swirling that she's inexplicably dating Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan, which would be the most interesting thing she's done in five years. And when she needs a little career bump she hits the cover of Vanity Fair or Oprah—not to talk about a project, but her personal life. We find it hard to care about either. Now she's back for another round through the publicity cycle, as if she might have something new or interesting to share with us. Sorry, Jessica, you don't. You're like that sweater we once bought on sale hoping that we would one day fit into it, but we suddenly realized that we will never wear, no matter how hard we try. You won't ever fit us and it's better that we donate you to charity and clear you out of the closet. Because we only have room for so much, and newer, prettier things have come along that we like. Yes, Jessica we're getting rid of you. And since we barely even wanted you in the first place, please do us the courtesy of staying away. [Image via Getty]
Corey Haim, the 80s teen movie idol who grew into a cautionary tale of the perils of childhood fame, has been found dead of an apparent drug overdose at the age of 38. TMZ broke the story, and it's now been confirmed by the LAPD. Haim, best known for roles in The Lost Boys and License to Drive, and later for the reality show The Two Coreys (with Corey Feldman, who was far less troubled than Corey Haim), was found in his apartment early this morning: Haim died at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday of an apparent accidental overdose, according to the LAPD's North Hollywood Division. He was found unresponsive at an Oakwood apartment, near Burbank, police said. His mother was at the home at the time. Haim had publicly struggled with drugs for years. He told a reporter in 2007 that he had been taking up to 85 Valium a day at the height of his habit. According to his personal website, a B-movie called American Sunset released in January "is being touted as Corey Haim's big comeback to movies." [Pic via]
Tron: Legacy is undoubtedly the most feverishly-anticipated movie of the year if you’re a boy of very specific age. And now there’s a Tron: Legacy trailer! Exciting! But what does it show? Will it be as good as the original Tron? What’s the Daft Punk soundtrack like? Has Jeff Bridges shaved off that silly beard yet? What is a Tron, anyway? Frankly, if you watch the Tron: Legacy trailer, you’ll end up none the wiser. It’s all flash-flash and bang-bang and you may as well be peering into a distorted kaleidoscope while nightmarish circus music plays in the background for all the good it’ll do, if we’re honest. But never fear – we’ve taken the Tron: Legacy trailer and broken it down scene by scene. You’ll find it much easier to work out what’s going on afterwards, we promise… Without any further ado, here’s the Tron: Legacy trailer in full… No, us neither. Not a bloody clue. Honestly, we may as well have been watching a mid-1970s Kurdish public information claymation film about the dangers of angry horses for all the information we managed to get out of it. Never feature, we’re going to decode the crap out of the Tron: Legacy trailer for you, in incredible detail. Ready? TRON: LEGACY TRAILER SCENE 1 Here we meet our new hero. As you can see, he’s quite good at motorbikes. But don’t bother remembering that, because it almost certainly won’t be important to the plot in any way. TRON: LEGACY TRAILER SCENE 2 Here’s a close-up reminder of the name of the film - Encom TRON Encom. Although technically we think this film is really called Encom TRON Encom: Legacy or Encom TRON Encom 2: The Legacy or Encom TRON Encom 2: Legacy – The Squeakquel. Truth be told, we just don’t know. TRON: LEGACY TRAILER SCENE 3 Cool, it’s the Batmobile! Um, we mean the Tronmobile! Batmotron? Tratmoquad? Oh, screw this. It’s the bloody Batmobile, OK? TRON: LEGACY TRAILER SCENE 4 This is where Tron: Legacy lays out its cards most explicitly. It’s The Matrix… BUT WITH FRISBEES! Also, depending on the gender of the genitalia we’re staring up at, this is either the sexiest or most repulsive scene from the Tron: Legacy trailer. TRON: LEGACY TRAILER SCENE 5 Oh, great, we didn’t know that Kim Cattrall was going to be in this. Hello, Kim! We loved you in Honeymoon Academy! Nice glass penis! TRON: LEGACY TRAILER SCENE 6 Holy crap, it’s OSCAR WINNING ACTOR JEFF BRIDGES! And he’s still got his Crazy Heart beard, too! Maybe at some point in Tron: Legacy he’ll sing a downhome country and western song about the Sapphire HD5850 1GB GDDR5 Graphics Card or something. Fun! TRON: LEGACY TRAILER SCENE 7 Oh wait, it looks like the motorbike scene from earlier in the trailer was important after all. We sure didn’t see that coming. Also, there’s speculation that one of the riders in this scene is actually The Stig from Top Gear. We hope that’s true, because that would increase the likelihood of Tron: Legacy containing a scene where someone throws a red tortoise shell at Jeremy Clarkson and he explodes. Fingers crossed! Follow hecklerspray on Twitter
David Letterman is the luckiest man alive – his extorter has pleaded guilty AND he gets to have sex with his staff. We wish we were him. But anyway, back to the extortion thing. You may remember that CBS producer Robert Halderman had attempted to blackmail David Letterman out of $2 million with information that Letterman had, on occasion, slept with female members of his staff. Well, now Halderman has pleaded guilty to grand larceny as part of a deal that’ll see him put in jail for six months. Really, everyone wins this way. Halderman gets a reduced sentence, David Letterman can begin to get on with his life and Tiger Woods gets a timely reminder that he isn’t the only funny-looking millionaire who dicks around from time to time. Everyone wins. Honestly, this extortion scandal couldn’t have worked out better for David Letterman. When it broke, his refreshingly candid onscreen confession was a ratings winner, finally allowing him to become the most-watched late night host in America again. Then Tiger Woods came along and blew his little scandal clean out of the water. Then his merciless demolition of Jay Leno during the Tonight Show wars consolidated his success, then his Super Bowl advert with Jay Leno showed that he could be the nice guy too. And now Robert Halderman has pleaded guilty to extorting David Letterman just as Jay Leno got The Tonight Show back, which means that everybody will be tuning in to see Letterman give his side of the story. He’s hardly put a foot wrong throughout any of this. He’s put his penis in the wrong place, admittedly, but you have to admire where his feet have been. But the point is that Robert Halderman has pleaded guilty in a deal that effectively shaved 14 and a half years off his prison sentence. Here’s how Reuters reported it – and, incidentally, you should absolutey click on that link, because it contains a photo of a policeman pulling the single most disapproving face you will ever see: Robert Joel Halderman reached a deal with prosecutors in which he pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny in exchange for serving six months in jail, performing 1,000 hours of community service and giving up his right to appeal. Halderman, appearing in front of New York State Supreme Court Justice Charles Solomon, said he felt “great remorse” for his actions and apologized to Letterman. At least now everything can go back to normal. Halderman can slowly learn the error of his ways and realise that blackmail is never the answer. David Letterman’s wife can start drawing up a contract saying that she’ll get most of his money if he ever sleeps around again. And, most importantly, the general public can gradually lose interest in David Letterman and start watching Jay Leno in their millions again. Because the general public are nobsacks. Follow hecklerspray on Twitter
Lindsay Lohan’s career is on the wane – the films have dried up, the music’s gone AWOL and the fashion is hopeless. What can she do for money? Simple, the same thing you’d do if you found your employment prospects compromised by bad personal and professional decisions – she’s suing an online share-trading firm for allegedly stealing her identity in an advert about a talking baby called Lindsay who’s a ‘milkaholic’. For claiming that a drunk baby stole her identity, you might assume that Lindsay Lohan has lost her marbles – but hear her out. After all, it’s not as if she’s suing E-Trade for a hopelessly inflated, Dr Evil-style sum of money that would instantly make you question her basic relationship with reality, is it? What? She’s suing E-Trade for $100 million? Okaaaay. It must be so awesome being Lindsay Lohan. Sure, it’s dried up professionally for her a bit, and she still seems like a bit of a mess, but think of all the things she can do. She gets to go to all the coolest parties. Her voice is so deep and gravelly that she can legitimately phone restaurants and book tables under the pretence that she’s either Morgan Freeman or the dead mother from Psycho. And she gets to believe that every single thing that happens on the face of the planet is somehow related to her. Like the E-Trade advertising campaign, for instance. If you’ve never seen an E-Trade commercial, you’re basically missing out on a short video of a talking baby. It’s not funny, it’s not clever, but it has stolen Lindsay Lohan’s identity wholesale. At least according to Lindsay Lohan, it has. One recent E-Trade advert featured a talking baby called Lindsay who was described as e a ‘milkaholic’. Look, here it is… And Lindsay Lohan’s understandable reaction to that was… well, let’s let EW take over: The Mean Girls star claims that one of the online brokerage’s recent TV ads featuring a ditzy, “milkaholic” baby girl named Lindsay is modeled after her and improperly invoked her “likeness, name, characterization, and personality” without permission, violating her right to privacy. Lohan is suing for $50 million in compensatory damages and an additional $50 million in exemplary damages. Now, look. We’re not lawyers or anything, and we’d rather not get involved in any of this, but let’s try and smooth things out by breaking down Lindsay Lohan’s claims to see how well they stand up. Likeness – Hard to argue, surely. If the baby really was modelled on Lindsay Lohan, then it wouldn’t really look like a baby – it’d look like a structurally-compromised Terrahawk puppet, have the voice of Dr Claw from Inspector Gadget, chainsmoke and often forget to wear knickers in public. But it didn’t. It looked like a baby. Name – True, the baby was called Lindsay. But Lindsay Lohan isn’t the only Lindsay or Lindsey on the planet. Surely if Lindsay Lohan can win $100 million from this then Lindsey Buckingham, Lindsey Shaw, Robert Lindsay, the entire town of Lindsay, Nebraska and the Lindsey Hopkins Technical Centre in Santa Clara, California deserve something as well. Characterisation and personality – Here’s where we think Lindsay Lohan’s claim really falls down. For starters, the Lindsay in the advert was a milkaholic – but Lindsay Lohan isn’t addicted to milkahol, she’s addicted to alcohol. That’s a big difference. Also, you can more or less understand what the E-Trade Lindsay is trying to say, which nobody has really been able to do with Lindsay Lohan since about 2004. Finally, at no point during the commercial did E-Trade Lindsay attempt to sue an embryo called Lindsay for $100 million just because it had the same name as her. But, hey, what do we know? Follow hecklerspray on Twitter
Julie and Julia has all of the winning ingredients of your lady-happy chick-flick, mixed with some run-of-the-mill award baiting biographical gubbins and sprinkled with a couple of ‘it’ leads – but this recipe is overcooked. It’s hard to find a more likeable lady in Hollywood than Amy Adams, with the innocent twinkle in her eye and an irresistible charm to her performances, she is perfectly capable here of portraying one half of this twin-bio as Julie Powell. The other half comes from Meryl Streep, in another performance for her to literally chew on in the hope it’ll shit out a few more awards. Here she jumps into some big shoes to play the hormonally challenged Julia Child. It is really Streep’s show – as you would expect – managing to make a decent embodiment of Child and her eccentricities, including the voice that sounds like a drowning goat. It’s a thorough performance and slaps a bit of smugness on Streep’s part (she must have had some space in her awards cupboard to fill). As Julie starts blogging her way through Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, we get flashbacks to Child becoming the legendary master chef that she was known as. It’s a tale of two women who struggle through culinary woes and the only missing piece from the biopic checklist is the usual drug addiction act – but the only cold turkeys are the ones in her fridge. The film never really exceeds its expectations but manages to be an enjoyable romp. It doesn’t even act as gratuitous food porn (you’ll have to look elsewhere for that), as all the culinary delights on offer won’t urge you to be prepping lobster thermidor any time soon. As the plot trickles on we just see the two characters’ meteoric rise to success, with few struggles on the way. Only Julie comes across an obstacle in the form of the most pathetic break-up argument ever to have been committed to the silver screen (we’ve shouted at children in the street with more ferocity). In fact, Julie’s boyfriend Eric (Chris Messina) is a wet blanket, given nothing to do but stuff his ridiculously sculpted face and then hit on Adams – how could we possibly like a character who gets paid to do that? The film seems to build-up to a meeting between the two leads that never happens, and the happy ending is loosely pinned together in the cheesiest way possible. Julie and Julia themselves are a couple of sweet characters with a nice bit of decorative icing on top, but after indulging on them for too long we felt the urge to be sick. ‘Spray Rating: 3/5 Follow hecklerspray on Twitter
We’ll tell you what he loves what he really really loves. Oops, wrong band there, and completely the wrong gender. Saying that though, some of The Spice Girls looked like they could have been closet transsexuals didn’t they? Elsewhere, we had Take That – a watered down music act for girls to love. Instead of telling girls to embrace their inner rebel, Take That made all girls drool from their chops. With a well-timed move here and a ripped shirt there, Take That had a massive audience, even if their songs were arse. Out of all the members, Robbie Williams stood out to all the band’s fans. Once he left, he went onto release a variety of albums, spot a variety of UFOs and – for the entirety of 2009 – smoke a variety of marijuana. He says it’s lovely, so therefore we think it is too. Don’t believe us? Well, here’s a lovely comment made from the porky singer. Only now can we realise that making fun of his weight was cruel – it wasn’t his fault; it was because he had the munchies. Soon we’ll be apologising to ginger people when evidence emerges that their red hair comes from dipping it into lava. Anyway, Robbie said: “Weed, it’s such a lovely drug. It is such a lovely drug. But it doesn’t mix well with me – at all.” Doesn’t mix well? As in it’s a dangerous concoction like water and electricity, woman and technology or a Twilight fan with a grain of intelligence? Say it isn’t so, Robbie Williams. We wouldn’t want to lose you as a musician. After all, you’ve given such epic songs as erm… Rudebox, and that one where you sing about the year 2000 We think lots of stuff is lovely. Like the confused look on a puppy’s face when you squirt it with water, or when Page Three models try to give an informed opinion on the day’s news. But smoking marijuana? Come on Robbie, it isn’t the mid nineties again, you know. Back then, all the kids were spending their pocket money on drugs instead of chocolate. Have you just caught up now? Perhaps you could educate the youth of today by giving up the drugs and telling them about the wonders of pie addiction. After all, there are so many different types. Pork, beef, apple and our favourite 3.14 with double cream. Add in a handful of chips and you’ll soon be a young porker like Robbie Williams. He may need to actually start doing this, as the drug charity types aren’t impressed about his marijuana promotion. David Gilbert, chief executive of drugs education and awareness charity DARE, said: ‘This is grossly irresponsible. He is a role model. Young people look up to him, they admire him, they want to emulate him so saying something like this is thoughtless.” Can we suggest sending Robbie Williams to a desert island so he’ll never bother us again with his evil drug-taking antics? Actually, scratch that. Let’s send him to a dessert island instead! Haw haw. Ahem. Follow hecklerspray on Twitter
MTV News is sending a team of reporters to Haiti to chronicle the recovery effort in the wake of last week's devastating earthquake. We will be following their journey to Haiti through e-mails, tweets, BBMs and video in the lead-up to Friday night's "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" telethon, which will air on MTV and dozens of other networks at 8 p.m. ET. Reporter Suchin Pak, production manager Adam Stewart and producer Sean Lee departed Miami on Wednesday on their way to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where they will embed with the military for a relief flight to Haiti. Suchin Pak, 11:20 a.m. (Wednesday, January 20): "We are waiting for our military contact and the private plane terminal is filled with young doctors in scrubs. I talk with Rodney Napier, 24, who works in a Haitian restaurant here in Miami and is going with the surgeons to Haiti tonight. They're here with a volunteer organization based out of Canton, Ohio called the Granted Wish Foundation. Rodney has been to Haiti before with his father, who has been working in Haiti for the past six years. I asked him what he thought and he said he was nervous, but mostly sad. His last trip to Haiti two years ago was heartbreaking enough. His family left in tears and today he'll be in the same city. We wished each other well." Adam Stewart, 12:05 p.m. (Wednesday, January 20): Our two Air Force pilots arrive at the terminal in Miami to begin fueling and prepping the Lear Jet. It's very small, but also apparently very fast. We'll make the approximately 400 mile trip in about one and a half hours, as opposed to the three it normally takes when flying in a prop plane." 12:25 p.m.: "I just had an informal conversation with our initial military press contact Raymond Sarracino (retired Air Force). He was giving us some of the broader details on the operation going on in Port-au-Prince, specifically diving into one of the primary functions of the two aircraft carriers stationed there (one of which we will be our home on Thursday and Friday night). The two massive ships are each able to produce approx 5,000 gallons of fresh water per hour via reverse osmosis treatment of sea water. The hard part, however, is that there is no direct pipe that runs from the ships to the mainland, so each bottle of fresh water has to be hand-filled and transported via helicopter. It's quite a daunting task, but one that has produced millions of gallons and provided clean drinking water for thousands of the quake victims already." Head here to learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Join George Clooney and Wyclef Jean for MTV's "Hope for Haiti" telethon, airing commercial-free Friday, January 22, at 8 p.m. ET.
By Joel Hanek This may be the first time in "American" Idol history that the most buzzed-about contestant is someone who hasn't even been on the show yet. Andrew Garcia, an "Idol" auditioner who was featured in a preview for next week's round of episodes, is already picking up a lot of Internet buzz. Was last night's "Idol" that lackluster, or is this guy really going to be that big? Although Mr. Garcia has an active Twitter account, a YouTube ID and a MySpace page, little is known about this young singer. Various posted photos show him posing with a child (possibly his son), but all of the music and video content that was uploaded is no longer accessible or has been replaced with a stark sign informing the visitor that the item has been "removed by user." Some fans have been left in disarray without the songs — in fact, one commenter on his MySpace page asks, "Why did you take your song off? I listened to it everyday!" So has the eager army of "Idol" fans stumbled upon a struggling, enigmatic and charismatic singer who has already been blessed by Simon Cowell's Midas touch, or is this just a guy who is business and Internet savvy? Both possibilities are realistic, especially since this is also the first season that there has been an alleged "leaked" list of the top 24 contestants. It lends a new dynamic to the show: With this privileged knowledge out in the open, the minds behind "American Idol" are in less control of building the stories and characters of the contestants. One could argue that the power has slightly shifted towards the contestants themselves. Either way, we won't know who this Andrew Garcia guy is until next week. But until then, we can speculate: Is it legitimate buzz or is he a great simply a savvy opportunist? Let us know in the
On Wednesday night's (January 20) episode of "American Idol," the audition tour stopped in Orlando, land of Mickey Mouse and Skiiboski's mugshots! The proximity to Miami allowed for Simon, Randy and Ryan to party hard and show up to work blatantly hungover (professionalism!) while guest judge Kristin Chenoweth's proximity to Kara DioGuardi turned Kara into a hyperactive eight-year-old child with Sapphic tendencies. (No wonder Simon ditched "Idol" — Kara and Kristin's high-pitched squeals could be used by Jack Bauer to torture hostile suspects.) None of the talent featured in Orlando inspired me to jump up and down and pack up my Kradison shrine just yet. But the lackluster auditions (and unfortunate positive reinforcement the judges doled out all night long) inspired my wife to coin a new term: The Golden Picket. The Golden Picket refers to any Golden Ticket given to a contestant out of pity. Golden ticket + Pity=Golden Picket. And boy, the Golden Pickets were being handed out left and right in Orlando. The first picket went to Seth Rollins, an instantly-likeable father of an autistic child whose buttery R&B tones were a nice addition to the old standard "Someone to Watch Over Me." But his voice wasn't on the level of the hosannas it received from the judges. Perhaps I'm just cynical because they used Coldplay's "Fix You" on the soundtrack, one of the quickest (and laziest) shortcuts to tears in the Cantiello home. (For my wife. Not me. I swear. There's just something stuck in my eye!) Shelby Dressel was another Golden Picket recipient. She was the insecure waitress with the paralyzed mouth who adorably cursed when she forgot the words to Norah Jones' "Turn Me On." The judges themselves admitted that they weren't "blown away" by her voice, but applauded that she could sing in tune given that her paralyzed face was freaking them out. (That's essentially what Randy said. A way with words, that man.) Later, Jay Stone walked into the "Idol" audition room looking like a weird mash-up of Robin Williams and Blake Lewis. Fitting, then, that the dude maniacally beatboxed his way through a Beatles tune. But unlike Blake Lewis, Jay boasted that he can beatbox and sing ... at the same time! (One could argue that humans can eat while sitting on the toilet, yet those are two activities shouldn't necessarily be combined.) While the judges didn't necessarily pity him, I certainly did for thinking he was more unique than Blake Lewis. Thus, Jay left Orlando with a Golden Picket. If you doubt that the judges went soft for bad reasons, look no further than Cornelius Edwards. Simon, Randy and Kara were beside themselves when Corenlius leaped in the air, landed in a split and ripped his pants. (Rickey.org cleverly noted that the segment should have been called "Torn Pants on the Ground.") Even though Cornelius sounded like a dying goose while singing "Proud Mary," the guy with a crushed crotch was unanimously given a free ride to Hollywood. Thus, Cornelius Edwards is a Golden Picketer. Speaking of splits, the judges went out of their way to keep Jersey sisters Bernadette and Amanda Disimone together, even though the older one was the superior singer. (Between the orange tans and the shellacked hair, I couldn't tell them apart.) You know what that means: They each got Golden Pickets. They'll never make it past day one of Hollywood Week, but cheer up ladies: You could always have careers playing villains in a telenovela. (You already have the outfits!) Or you could battle Charity Vance's family to an in-house salon hair-off! Pity was but a tiny factor in Matthew Lawrence's success. (No relation to that Matthew Lawrence, younger brother of Joey.) He's an ex-con with a heart of gold but it was his husky voice that turned the judges to goo. Lawrence's take on Ray LaMontagne's "Trouble" was earnest, convincing and "authentic," according to Randy, who seems to have learned a new buzzword for this season. "Idol" producers framed Matthew's incarcerated past as a badge of honor, as if to say, "Look! He just wants to make his family proud! This is his now!" It felt out of place and weird, if only because minutes earlier they showed security escorting Jarrod Norrell out of the audition area in handcuffs. (Jarrod refused to lave after his "Amazing Grace" was compared to a lawnmower.) Perhaps in five years, Jarrod can come back from jail and audition again. He'd probably get more screen time that way! My favorite contestant of the night was Jermaine Purifoy, who showed off a quiet confidence as he unexpectedly fluttered into his falsetto at the end of "Smile." I grinned as the judges backed up how I was feeling. Kristin loved his pure voice, Kara called it "honest" and Randy reverted back to being a five-year-old when he invented the number "two bazillion percent!" My only wish for Jermaine is that he ditch those curly-cue Ed Hardyesque shirts. In the end, the Happiest Place on Earth was less than magical. In keeping with the Disney theme, it was more "The Great Mouse Detective" than "The Lion King." Where are all these amazing girls we keep hearing about from the judges? Are next week's Los Angeles girls going to "blow us out of our socks," to paraphrase Kristy Lee Cook? And did you think the judges were too hard on the night's first contestant, the theatrical Theo Glinton? (I didn't think his voice was that bad!) Hit me up in the
In the midst of the late-night wars (which, sadly, will be coming to a close far too soon), nobody has talked much about George Lopez. It's not entirely surprising, as though he manages to book solid guests for his TBS show, he has yet to make a real impact on the late-night landscape with any sort of signature bits or guests. (Also, Lopez is often painfully unfunny.) But on Monday night (January 18) night's edition of "Lopez Tonight" may have changed all that. Jennifer Lopez hijacked the top of "Lopez Tonight" last night to mixed results. "Welcome to 'Lopez Tonight,'" she said as she opened her monologue. "Where nobody gets fired — they just get replaced by a bigger star with the same last name." Though she seemed a little uncomfortable at the top of the show, she eventually settled into her role as a pundit. The highlight came early, when she referred to former Alaska governor and new Fox News contributor Sarah Palin as "la cabrona," which is slang for "bitch." The singer seemed to be enjoying herself, and even engaged in some late-night wars fisticuffs. When talking about the drink named after Captain "Sully" Sullenberger, Lopez quipped, "The same bartender has made a drink for Conan. It's called the 'Go Back to Manhattan.' It's a Manhattan made with sour grapes and a knife in it." Her best line came right after that: "NBC is considering changing their peacock logo to a cougar, because they're trying to attract young people to an old host." Shortly after that, George returned to reclaim his show. The artist formerly known as J-Lo won't be ascending to the top of our next wave of late-night shortlist, but she did manage to get a few genuine laughs. If there's one suggestion we can offer for the future, it's that she ditch the plain while jacket she was wearing in favor of more amazing catsuits.
Alison Smith is a medical student at Tulane University who will be posting frequent reports from Haiti to the MTV Newsroom blog this week. She is also forwarding reports from some of her peers, who are doing medical work on the ground in affected areas. Jessica Schuster, 25 and 2007 Tulane University, grad is the executive director of the Bilco Foundation, a non-profit that does work in Nepal and the Philippines, Wednesday (January 20): "On day one, we flew into Santo Domingo and as we were leaving the airport, my dad met another doctor and a nurse and invited them to fly on our charter plane (along with three photo journalists and two Haitian-Americans). They offered to work with us as translators and also provided us a place to stay at one of their aunt's guest homes. We all sleep outside in a tent as no one is safe to stay indoors. "We started clinic work on the second day, waking at 4:30 a.m. We worked until around 5 p.m. and left before dark for safety reasons. Former President Clinton and daughter Chelsea came to the University General Hospital of Haiti and spoke to Dr. Schuster about a patient needing urgent care. Later, CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta also came and spoke to Dr. Schuster about the same patient. We have limited supplies, but all of the organizations are sharing their supplies. "Yesterday evening, Dr. Schuster bought meals for all of the starving patients and we also met up with Dianne from the Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB) and today she is scouting another area that is in great need. The hospital we're working at has been claimed as the central focus of the entire disaster relief effort. "There is no way to give a number to the patients we have seen, but it is surely in the hundreds range. There have been many who have died and up the road from the hospital, bodies and body parts were piled up. We have had many die in the hospital as well. There have been many amputations of limbs because the wounds are so deep and have been infected for far too long. "The doctors do not have the proper resources to save the body parts and do follow-up care. There will be a large number of people missing limbs moving forward. Hopefully, prosthetic specialists will provide a solution in the future. Many have lost everyone in their family. As you drive to the hospital, you pass by huge areas where everyone is living on blankets or makeshift tents. Everyone is starving and clean water is extremely difficult to find. They are still finding people buried under buildings and buildings are still collapsing. "People are waiting in long lines for the supermarket and many find that they have done so in vain, as there is no food or supplies left. A small baby was brought in yesterday that was found buried under the rubble. She came in smelling of rotten flesh. We tended to her all day and she survived. All day long, all I hear are the tormented screams of pain from the patients in the hospital. They cry and scream from physical pain and the terrible reality that if they live, they have no family left, no home to return to, and no food or water. "At night, I lay in my tent and I hear someone crying. The sound is so long and so mournful, so pleading and desperate. Is it from an injury, or is it the loss of their family? All I know for certain is that the sound fills my days and haunts my dreams." Head here to learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Join George Clooney and Wyclef Jean for MTV's "Hope for Haiti" telethon, airing commercial-free Friday, January 22, at 8 p.m. ET.
You and I weren’t the only ones sneaking booze around last night — George Clooney had a secret stash of the good stuff at Sunday’s Academy Awards. E! Online says George Clooney was hiding a secret on the red carpet — a flask! [At one point during the night], George… opened his tux jacket. And there, gleaming and looking awfully deliciously discreet, was a silver flask. Oh, come on — who among us hasn’t sneaked in a flask of whiskey to a boring social event? Or to a job interview, for that matter? A niece’s bat mitzvah? Parent teacher conference? Intensive care unit at a burn ward? You know what they say — if I had a nickel for every time I went somewhere with a flask, well, then, I’d be the happiest goddamn woman on the planet. I’ve been searching and searching for a job where I get paid to get drunk all day long. Blogging is just the closest I’ve gotten so far. With girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis at the Oscars (thumbs 1 &2); him with a decent haircut and her in a better dress at the “Up in the Air” premiere (the rest): PHOTO SOURCE: Bauer Griffin Online Related Stories Mariah Carey Might Be Pregnant, FatGeorge Clooney’s Girlfriend in German FHMS.S. George Clooney’s New Girlfriend… TOPLESS!!!Phone Tapes to Be Released Proving Lindsay is an AddictS.S. Dennis Quaid Doesn’t Get a DUI
I don’t know why the hell Nicole Richie would have been invited to the Oscars, given that “The Simple Life” was her greatest acting accolade to date, but you can guaran-damn-tee she won’t be invited back after showing up in this hot mess of a Reem Acra dress. Just think of how many early seventies sofas had to be massacred to make that frock. And then how many Bedazzlers had to give their beaded lives to try to make the dress not look like it was scalped from the couch in your meemaw’s basement. It’s just a colossal waste of upholstery and appliqué any way you cut it. The rest of the worst-dressed after the jump. And now, from Marchesa’s cauliflower-ear collection — Vera Farmiga: Miley Cyrus’ Jenny Packham dress isn’t the problem; it’s her sudden case of hunchback-itis. Plus I hate her: Far be it from me to knock the Godfather of Fashion, so I’ll just assume it’s Sarah Jessica Parker’s fault this Chanel Haute Couture looks so hideous and shapeless: I like boobs. I like cinnamon rolls. I like Charlize Theron. However, I do not like the combination of all three in this Dior: Amanda Seyfried’s Armani Prive dress is boring and uninspired. Much like Amanda Seyfried. From a distance, it almost looks like bubble wrap. Diane Kruger’s Chanel sheath is so structurally incongruent and unflattering. It looks like somebody stuffed some old bedsheets in a leaf shredder and added some ruching and feathers as a last-ditch Hail Mary to save the dress: Rachel McAdams’ Elie Saab dress proves Scarlett O’Hara isn’t the only girl who can make a dress out of curtains. In this case, out of late eighties beach house curtains: Givenchy obviously drew inspiration for Zoe Saldana’s dress from those paper flowers you see at hat dances and cock fights or whatever it is Mexicans do when they aren’t crossing the border illegally: Carey Mulligan’s Prada dress is very cutting edge. Because there’s tiny scissors on it. FAIL: PHOTO SOURCE: Bauer Griffin Online Related Stories S.S. Sarah Jessica Parker in Elle Magazine2009 Emmy’s Best Dressed — and It’s Everybody!S.S. Like a VirginSarah Jessica Parker’s Mole is Back for SATC 2S.S. Sarah Jessica Parker Gets Her Vein On
The 82nd Annual Academy Awards were last night, and other than The Dude winning for “Crazy Heart” and “Avatar” getting rightfully snubbed (“unobtainium,” anyone?), it was a completely forgettable affair. I remember some big fat black chick winning for something, and then she somehow turned into an even bigger, fatter, blacker chick by the end of the night, for which I have no explanation other than James Cameron and possibly peyote. But the one thing I do remember are the dresses, and while there were plenty of disappointments, a few stars really stood out this time. Kate Winslet, for one. And her dress wasn’t even that spectacular, but paired with the jewelery and the hair and the makeup… I don’t know… she just looked perfect. Versace did Demi Moore and Elizabeth Banks proud, and as much as it pains me to say it, I thought Kristen Stewart’s dress was fantastic. I’ll save the rest of my vitriol and condescension for the worst-dressed, coming up next. Stay tuned! If you care about this sort of thing, a list of the night’s winners here. Kate Winslet in Yves St. Laurent and $2.5 million Tiffany jewels: Elizabeth Banks in Versace: Demi Moore in Versace: PHOTO SOURCE: Bauer Griffin Online The rest of the best after the jump. Kristen Stewart in Monique Lhullier: Jennifer Lopez in Armani Prive: Cameron Diaz in Oscar de la Renta: Sandra Bullock in Marchesa: Penelope Cruz in Donna Karan: Related Stories Oscars, Oscars, Oscars!George Clooney Was Drunk at the OscarsMariah Carey Might Be Pregnant, FatOscars Worst DressedThe Golden Globes Were Last Night
Mariah Carey and her bulging Valentino dress intimated that she might be pregnant during an interview at last night’s Academy Awards. The Daily Mail says To the glitz and glamour of the Oscars red carpet last night, Mariah Carey added a touch of intrigue by hinting that she was pregnant. Looking radiant, the 39-year-old told reporters that ‘something special’ was about to happen but refused to elaborate further. We don’t necessarily know that she’s referring to a pregnancy here. That “something special” that’s “about to happen” could just be that an entire triple-layer cheesecake is about to drop into her lower intestine, giving her enough room to down another couple of plates at the Oscar buffet. I don’t want to go putting words in her mouth here. Mostly because she would probably try and eat them. With husband Jack Sprat Nick Cannon on the red carpet: PHOTO SOURCE: Bauer Griffin Online Related Stories Mariah Carey is a Consummate ProfessionalMariah Carey Got FATGeorge Clooney Was Drunk at the OscarsHeidi Montag Has Already Sold Her Baby’s First PicsKelly Clarkson Still Really Fat
Holly Madison hosts the Adriana Fernadez bikini launch, and — surprise! — they’re all in bikinis. (Moe Jackson) No way that’s Christina Ricci. (Socialite Life) Christina Hendricks deserves an Oscar for her amazing rack display. (UseMyComputer) Miley Cyrus’ mom, or down-on-her-luck dayshift stripper? Only her stylist knows for sure. (Hollywood Rag) Leighton shows some leg. (Dirty Rotten Whore) Find out what Ryan O’Neal had to say about the Academy snubbing Farrah Fawcett in the “In Memorandum” segment of the show. (Wonderwall) Hilary Swank had the Vanity Fair Oscar’s party’s best dress, pants hands down. (Holy Moly!) Bar Rafaeli looked like sex on a stick at the Academy Awards. (CelebSlam) Lindsay Lohan’s boobs make a surprise reappearance in Dior! (Derek Hail) Alessandra Ambrosio stretching in a bikini to give you that uncomfortable afternoon-at-work-boner. (The Superficial) The most divisive movie in Pajiba history, and it’s NOT Avatar. (Pajiba) Gabbie Sidibes’ dress is porno-riffic. And vomit-tastic. (LitelySalted) Sandra Bullock picks up her Worst Actress of the Year Award a day before she wins Best Actress at the Oscars. How fickle is Hollywood! (Celebrity Odor) Related Stories Quickies: Resplendent Quickies: Hangin’ ToughQuickies: Lip ServiceQuickies: Work It Real GoodQuickies: Karma Chameleon