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Friday, November 30, 2007

Bob-ing for Attention

Happy Day! Happy Day! The much prolonged Broadway Stagehands' Strike that put the Great White Way on lockdown for the past few weeks has finally come to an end as both sides agreed to a new deal that satisfied both parties. As soon as news broke that the Broadway Strike was over and that the shows could start up again, jubilant Broadway folk from the cast of A Chorus Line took to the streets in celebration ... as only Broadway can do:


Broadway producers reached a deal with striking stagehands, paving the way for curtains to go up again Thursday in New York's theater district after a 19-day shutdown. Electricians, carpenters, sound and lighting technicians, scenery and prop handlers working backstage in Broadway musicals such as "The Lion King" had walked out on November 10, costing the city millions of dollars. James Claffey, the president of the 2,200-member union for stage hands, announced the return to work late Wednesday. "The people of Broadway are looking forward to returning to work, giving the theater-going public the joy of Broadway, the greatest entertainment in the world," Claffey said. Charlotte St. Martin, head of the League of American Theatres and Producers, said the two sides had reached common ground. "The contract is a good compromise that serves our industry. What is most important is that Broadway's lights will once again shine brightly," St. Martin said in a statement. The strike closed some 27 Broadway theaters and left disappointed ticket holders arriving at theaters to find doors closed and picket lines set up outside ... However, for shows not run by league members such as hit musical "Mary Poppins," the stoppage helped ensure sell-outs. Off-Broadway productions also experienced a mini-boom thanks to the strike, with many visitors from across the United States and around the world still anxious to see some theater during their New York visit. I had a feeling that this strike wouldn't last too much longer as Broadway producers realized that they would not be able to survive the holiday season if they didn't get the shows back up and running. While I'm very happy that the strike is over, I wish they would've come to an agreement just one day earlier since David and I had tickets to see The Little Mermaid on Tuesday night, the last night that Broadway was dark due to the strike. Ah well, folks are singing and dancing once again on Broadway ... all is right with the world again. [Source]

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were among the attendees of the Bambi Awards (the most important award that is handed out in Germany, one that honors every sector of communication and is also awarded to people in all other segments of entertainment and show business as well as economy, politics and sports) in Düsseldorf, Germany last night and Katie used the occasion to show off her brand new hairdo ... which will, undoubtedly, be splashed across newspapers and magazines the world over ... and which also looks very familiar:


Photo credit: Splash News

So ... okay, Katie's new bob isn't exactly in the same Tootie from Facts of Life/Dora the Explorer vein but it does look similar to little Suri Holmes Cruise's 'do du jour. It's amazing that Katie Holmes has risen to the level where all she has to do is change her hairstyle and it makes headline news. Honestly, I'd have thought that this TomKat craze would've died off more than it has by now ... I guess folks will still be interested in the exploits of the TomKat and their little robot baby until something goes wrong somewhere in the relationship. You know everyone is just waiting for those two to breakup so that Katie can be allowed to tell us what really went down in their courtship and subsequent whirlwind romance and marriage. As for the bob hairdo ... I'm not a big fan ... I like her with long hair ... I think this look ages her. Now she looks more Tom Cruise's age. I bet he talked her into this haircut. [Source]

Let's not forget, tho, that Christina Ricci debuted the new bob-look earlier this year ... and she was spotted out and about in LA this week makin' sure we don't forget it:


I think the look works better for Christina ... and I shudder to think who might also decide to jump on this bandwagon ... [Source]

... EEK! It's not exactly a bob haircut but Matt Dallas also unveiled a new hairdo this week. Here are pics of Mr. Dallas showing off his new set of bangs at the 2007 Family Television Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel last night:


A world of no. I'm not sure what look exactly Matt is going for but I don't think this new one is going to silence those pesky rumors about him. Maybe he should try getting a bob, too. [Source]

David Beckham continues to thrill folks in New Zealand ahead of his friendly soccer match with his LA Galaxy team mates against Wellington Phoenix tomorrow (which is today to us) ... here are new pics of Becks training with the Galaxy boys in front of 15,000 fans at Westpac Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand today (which is yesterday to us):


David Beckham can sure pull a crowd, even at training. Beckham and his Los Angeles Galaxy teammates practised in front of more than 15,000 fans at Westpac Stadium on Friday. The 35,000-seat oval is the venue for Saturday's exhibition match between the Galaxy and Wellington Phoenix. It is also the Wellington home of the All Blacks rugby team and stands a stone's throw from the New Zealand Rugby Union national headquarters. Rugby officials could only watch in envy as Beckham demonstrated the drawing power which has made him one of international sport's most marketable commodities. The All Blacks might draw a few thousand fans to a training session before a major match. To draw 15,000 to a soccer practice, in a country in which soccer is a minor sport, was unprecedented ... The full house signs were expected to go up around the stadium later Friday as the last of the tickets available for Saturday night's match are sold. Since the venue was constructed in 1999, only the All Blacks and an annual rugby tournament have managed to sell out. Beckham is aware his first visit to New Zealand - a country whose population of 4 million is less than half that of Los Angeles county - is encroaching on rugby's territory and giving soccer a profile it hasn't previously enjoyed. "Notoriously, (New Zealand) is big on rugby but I hope that we can change that, just for one day and hopefully going forward because I've seen the potential football or soccer has in America," Beckham said at a news conference after he arrived Thursday ... A contract between the Phoenix and Galaxy stipulates he will play at least 55 minutes on Saturday but Beckham said he hoped to remain on the field for the full 90 minutes again, injuries permitting. The expected capacity crowd for the match will be the biggest for a soccer match in New Zealand's history, eclipsing the 32,000 which attended a World Cup qualifier against Kuwait in Auckland in 1982. "I know it's going to be a big part of history, which I'm looking forward to and I'm hoping that I can play for the whole game because I enjoyed playing the whole game in Sydney," Beckham said. "We'll have to wait and see but I feel good. It's never hard for me to motivate myself to play football, whether I'm kicking around in the backyard with the children or if I'm playing in a World Cup qualifier." Interesting ... there is a contract that Becks must play at least 55 of the 90 minutes of the game ... I'm sure that this sort of stipulation exists in many of the soccer contracts that the LA Galaxy has been signing in recent weeks. It's funny how we never really hear about this side of the sport. In any regard, I can totally understand why 15,000 folks came out just to watch the Galaxy, er, I mean David Beckham train. I've come to realize that it's no longer about the game of soccer anymore ... it's really about his celebrity. It says a lot that folks are sooo interested in a soccer player mostly when he's not playing soccer. With all those high kicks, those bent over positions and all that sweaty shirtlessness at the end ... I soooo get it ;) [Source]

Laguna Beach: The Real OC alum (and sometimes The Hills supporting character) Lo Bosworth was on hand here in LA last night for the launch of Korean Designer Han Ahn Soon at Kristol all by herself ... no LC, no Kristin ... just Lo:


Photo credit: Wireimage

I have been a HUGE Lo fan from wayyyyy back in the day (ie. the first season of Laguna Beach). I have advocated many times on this very blog that she is worthy of her own TV show so I'm still waiting for the day when MTV announces a new show called The LO-C or something along those lines. I was very happy to see Lo show up on this contentious season of The Hills ... especially since she was the one who dubbed Justin Bobby Justin Bobby :) Lo rules ... I hope she gets asked to do more promo appearances like this! [Source]

Well now ... it looks like reports of Hayden Panettiere canoodling with the likes of singer Ne-Yo and speculation that they might be together might've been a bit premature. Hayden is back in SoCal and is back in the company of her hottie Heroes co-star Milo Ventimiglia. Here are pics of Halo as they made their way out of seeing a musical which starred their other co-star Adrian Pasdar here in LA last night:


Hayden Panettiere and her Heroes costar Milo Ventimiglia, spending a night out together to support their castmate Adrian Pasdar. The two took in his Civil War-era musical Atlanta at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. After the show, the Heroes castmembers celebrated at a bash attended by Pasdar, his wife Natalie Maines and Leonard Roberts, an actor on the NBC show and a costar in Pasdar's play. Just friends? Secret lovers? The world is dying to know. [Source]

In other couples news ... and EWishness ... here are pics of Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt wearing matching Santa hats as they shopped for an Xmas tree and kissed at every chance they got (well, in this instance I think the term "sucked face" applies):


Carefully orchestrated and cleverly packaged as any normal family outing, Speidi have really gotten themselves into the holiday spirit this year. I mean, they are really trying to gross us out with all this kissing and smiling and kissing and canoodling and kissing, right? I wonder how they knew this is exactly what I was wanting for Xmas. [Source]

Um ... do you suppose that Mel B, singer and dancer extraoridnaire, is really embarrassed that she lost this year's title of Dancing with the Stars champion to race car driver Helio Castroneves?


Photo credit: INFdaily

Just asking. [Source]

Yesterday I voiced my displeasure and extreme disappointment at comments made by Morrissey in an interview with NME magazine where it seemed like he was making disparaging and racist comments about immigrants in England ... it turns out that Morrissey has now launched a lawsuit against the music magazine on the charge of "character assassination". He claims his statements were misquoted, misused and were taken out of context in order to make him look bad:


Morrissey is to sue the NME after it failed to apologise for an article focusing on his views on immigration. The magazine criticised the former Smiths star for allegedly telling a reporter Britain had lost its identity due to high levels of immigration. A deadline to print the retraction passed at 1300GMT. His lawyers said they were now issuing legal proceedings for defamation on behalf of Morrissey against the NME and its editor Conor McNicholas. In a statement, the singer's lawyers said: "The NME had until 1pm today to print a suitable apology to Morrissey. Their only response to this deadline was to say that they 'do not have time to respond to the allegations.'" Earlier, the NME released a statement which read: "We can confirm that Morrissey's legal representatives have been in contact with NME and, pending the outcome of these discussions, we won't be commenting any further." The magazine quoted Morrissey allegedly saying: "Although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears. So the price is enormous. "If you travel to Germany, it's still absolutely Germany. If you travel to Sweden, it still has a Swedish identity. But travel to England and you have no idea where you are," the singer is reported to have said. The 48-year-old, who has spent the last decade in Rome and Los Angeles, was apparently responding to a question about whether he would return to live in the UK. In a follow-up interview concerning his comments, the NME reported that Morrissey had said: "It could be construed that the reason I wouldn't wish to live in England is the immigration explosion. And that's not true at all. There are other reasons why I would find England very difficult, such as the expense and the pressure," he said. He is alleged to have added that he did not think his comments were inflammatory, but were "a statement of fact". The singer's manager accused the NME of "character assassination" on the singer's fan website, True To You. Tim Jonze, the freelance journalist who interviewed Morrissey, told the BBC that he didn't approve of the singer's comments and had found them "offensive". He said he had asked for his name to be removed from the article because it had been rewritten. "I didn't want my name on something I hadn't written, even if some of it might have been similar to what I wrote originally," he said. What a mess. On the plus side, I'm very happy to know that Moz may have been misquoted and that I was mislead in believing that he was voicing, in my opinion, racist comments in the media. As I said, I really love his music (ever since The Smiths days) and it was very upsetting to read these inflammatory comments. On the downside, if Morrissey's allegations are true, I'm surprised that NME would do something like this. I was under the impression that they are a well-respected British music magazine and I'm shocked they would crook an interview like this in order to sell more mags. In the end, as always, I'm sure the truth lies somewhere in the middle of all of this controversy. I'm sure Moz said some eyebrow-raising things (as he usually does in interviews) and I'm sure NME did their best to publish the story that they wanted. I'm still a huge fan of Morrissey and NME magazine ... it's just a shame that, in the end, one of them did a very shitty thing just for a measly interview. [Source]

MTV is preparing for the season finale of The Hills, which will air on Monday night December 10th at 10pm, and is planning on pulling out all the stops for the occasion. Apparently there will be a huge announcement made during the live broadcast party for the season finale ... which will deffo ensure that anyone with any remote interest in the show will want to tune in to hear it live for themselves:


The half-hour, third-season finale of The Hills on Dec. 10 will be only a small part of a big two-day season-ending telecast that MTV is planning for its popular reality TV series. On the big night, MTV and the cast will present The Hills Finale: Live in Hollywood, broadcast live from L.A. hot spot Area, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The finale itself airs at 10 p.m. ET, followed by a live after-show, during which the ladies will answer questions from viewers and then make "an announcement that will leave fans wanting more," according to MTV. The audience at the live show will include up to 40 winners of "The Hills Biggest Fan Contest," which is accepting video submissions through Dec. 3 from fans explaining why they love the series. I am so embarrassed by how excited I am about this. I've been a fan of The Hills since the beginning but this season has been just too much fun to watch. I wonder what the announcement could possibly be. I doubt it'll have anything to do with Speidi ... or will it? Is LC gettin' hitched ... to Stephen Colletti?!? The possibilities are endless!!!! Woot! I can't wait!! [Source]

Here is the new second Tesco commercial which features the Spice Girls:


Don't you love how Vicki B. always has to steal the spotlight? She may be a robotic beyotch ... but she is one helluva fierce robotic beyotch ... who, apparently, loves lobster. [Source]

Dolce & Gabbana have been airing a very intriguing, somewhat surprising commercial for their line of watches and jewelry, D&G Jewels. If you've been watching MTV, VH1 or The CW at all over the past couple of weeks then you might’ve already seen it ... if not ... check it out:


Not only is the commercial hot but it boldly features same-sex couples kissing and embracing. I figured the ad would only be shown on networks like MTV and VH1 late at night but it's been playing all over The CW in daytime and primetime, too. I'm very surprised to see this kind of bold advertising on American TV. I love it! I can't wait for the day when commercials like this will be commonplace and not just a surprising novelty :) [Source]

BTW, I've also been really loving THIS KIA commercial. Whoever dreamed this up is a genius :)

And finally, Wizard magazine has a new picture of Heath Ledger as The Joker which they have featured in their latest issue:


Hmm ... The Joker looks more like a harmless wrinkled prune than a scary arch villain in this pic. In the mag, Heath talks about how he came up with his version of the Joker laugh and explains how he prepared to take on the role, saying: "I sat around in a hotel room in London for about a month, locked myself away, formed a little diary and experimented with voices — it was important to try to find a somewhat iconic voice and laugh. I ended up landing more in the realm of a psychopath — someone with very little to no conscience towards his acts. He's just an absolute sociopath, a cold-blooded, mass-murdering clown, and Chris [Nolan] has given me free rein. Which is fun because there are no real boundaries to what The Joker would say or do. Nothing intimidates him, and everything is a big joke." The movie opens on July 18, 2008 ... but I'm sure this isn't the last that we'll be hearing from The Joker before then. [Source]

Les News:
Yesterday was a very chill day for me ... I only left my apartment for an hour to get a haircut and then I came home to do some more decompressing. I decompressed so much that I slept thru most of the evening. I did wake up in time to read some (I'm just about finished with The Subtle Knife -- Book II of the His Dark Materials trilogy) and to play some Mario Galaxy on the Wii. My gods, that game is addicting ... I'm sure it'll make a great gift for the video gamer on your Xmas list. It damn near drove me mad ... I had to put it away for a while, even tho I got pretty far.

It's raining here in LA today ... like, actual water falling from the sky. Methinks it might be another quiet day. Have a great weekend, y'all. I'm out.


[Permalink]


Thursday, November 29, 2007

Angels & Airways

As if Britney Spears wasn't capable of garnering any more attention (mostly negative attention, mind you) just by going out to pick up some coffee in her PJs (or some other heinous outfit), comes the new report that Brit Brit has taken to engaging in the 5-Finger Discount when she embarks on her daily shopping excursions. Does Britters have a Winona Rider complex? Does she really have sticky fingers or this just another desperate cry for attention? Here are new pics of Britney doing some "shopping" at her friendly neighborhood Target and Barnes & Noble stores this week:


Photo credit: X17

Shortly before 1 a.m. on November 18, Britney Spears entered the X-rated Hustler Store in West Hollywood. Spears loaded up on naughty skivvies and headed to the fitting rooms. But store employees "told her they don't allow people to try on underwear," a source at the scene says. "She was really upset." Adds the source: "She looked out of it. There was nothing going on behind her eyes." At that point, Spears threw a fit, and took off her own underwear before trying on a pair of boyshorts (with "Barely Legal' stitched across the rear end) in the middle of the store while 15 other customers looked on. An eyewitness tells Us, "The employees kept saying 'Don't change out here!' She's just like, 'Well, I couldn't take them in the fitting room!' It was like dealing with a child." Spears' tantrum only continued. "The staff told her she had to pay, and she rolled her eyes, but paid with a credit card," the source tells Us. As payback, "on her way out, she went up to a mannequin, snatched the wig off the head, and stole it!" Yep ... the shoplifting is deffo a new cry for attention. Clearly the stripping off of underwear in plain sight of anyone with eyes is just your run-of-the-mill, everyday Britney BehaviorTM. I bet she thinks the cops pictured above are shadowing her to offer protection but I'm guess they're just trying to make sure she doesn't lift anything from the stores she shops at. Um, do you suppose it might be time for Miss Spears to start thinking about entering a new rehab program? It sounds like she's about due for another stint. [Source]

ATTENTION: PROJECT RUNWAY SPOILER ALERT WARNING

Even tho I was flying home from NYC at the time that Project Runway was airing, I knew that I wouldn't be able to go to bed without watching the ep beforehand. The promos for this week's ep promised a challenge that had "never been done before" so I was expecting something really challenging, really entertaining. You can imagine my disappointment with what we actually got. I still love the show very much but, again just like the debut challenge of the season, I was very unimpressed by last night's supposed challenge:


I guess I don't really understand the complexities of the seeming impossibility of designing men's clothing ... but it seems to me that designers at this level should be able to know how to make a pair of pants and a dress shirt. I was just really surprised that not only were some designers incapable of making a properly finished product but some weren't even able to complete an improperly finished product. Carmen absolutely deserved to go home ... in fact, she should've been flogged on her way out. I guess I didn't realize that Project Runway had never had an entire challenge devoted to designing men's clothing but I was really not impressed at all. Add to that, Tiki Barber was pretty boring as hell. Not only did the designers have to make men's clothing but they had to make boring-looking men's clothing that could be worn on the Today Show. I just think last night's ep really dropped the ball ... so far, I'm not all that jazzed about this 4th season. I always wondered what it would be like when Project Runway ran out of really cool challenges ... I guess now I know. I just hope things get better next week. I absolutely see why Jack won, his outfit looked like it came from Banana Republic or Gap ... I really preferred Kevin's design because it looked very fashionable and it had great color. Heidi Klum was right, it was a design that would've worked well on David Beckham ... they should've gotten him for the show instead of Tiki, he would've really made the show more interesting. I'm pretty sure that Carmen had much more to offer the competition but if she couldn't even finish a men's outfit then I guess she doesn't deserve to stick around and get the chance to shine. I'm glad Christian didn't get on my nerves too much ... Ricky and his crying are gettin' real old. Please start to Wow me Project Runway ... quit playing games with my heart. [Source]

Last night, Victoria's Secret took over Virgin America Flight #317 from NYC to LA and turned the entire plane into a mid-air Fashion Show and Pajama Party. I was one of the lucky folks allowed to fly the Virgin airways with the Victoria's Secret Angels ... here are a few pics from yesterday's one-of-kinda experience:


Photo credit: Bob Riha, Jr.

VS Angels Miranda Kerr and Selita Ebanks played host to the in-flight Fashion Show and PJ Party and made sure that we all had an amazing time. Virgin America is the official "Airline of
the Angels" and the plane used for yesterday's event was the very same plane that jetted the VS Angels to LA last week for the big party at the Kodak Theater (which will air on CBS on December 4th). I jumped at the chance to be on this one-of-a-kind experience ... and will post more deets at the end of this post. [Source]

David Beckham and the LA Galaxy have left the sunny shores of Australia and has made their way up to spend some time with the kiwis in New Zealand. Here are a few pics of Becks getting a traditional New Zealand welcome upon his arrival:


David Beckham got up close and personal with a number of women in New Zealand yesterday, but wife Victoria needn't worry, they were just saying hello. The England player pressed noses with a number of Maoris – a traditional greeting known as a hongi – after arriving at Wellington airport with his LA Galaxy teammates. Around 500 people - many of them teenage girls - gathered to see the star who is in town for a friendly game against local side Wellington Phoenix. The entire LA Galaxy team were then treated to a traditional Maori powhiri and Beckham said he was honoured at the reception. "I have always wanted to see it face-to-face. I would love to stand in front of the All Blacks and see them do it." Said the 32-year-old. "It's just nice to be able to visit a country and be given a welcome like that...it doesn't happen every day." He added. "The love and the passion we've been shown by the people has been incredible so far." ... Organisers of the match against Wellington Phoenix on Saturday hope to break the all-time record for a soccer crowd in New Zealand, the 31,000 mark set in 1982 when New Zealand played Kuwait on the way to that year's World Cup finals. Lawd have mercy! I think I'm gonna hafta get in on this Maori way of greeting people ... that way when I eventually get to meet Mr. Goldenballs himself, I'll be able to rub my nose on him in this manner. Le sigh. [Source]

Kristen Bell and her Heroes co-star Ali Larter were among the celebs at a very strange event last night for the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup which was held at Tiffany & Co. in NYC ... uh, yeah. Here are a few pics:


Photo credit: Wireimage

Yeah, I don't really understand the connection but an event is an event, I suppose. Ali looked really chic in her grey dress while Kristen looked a bit frumpy in her little red number. At the very least, Kristen should've worked that outfit a bit more instead of just standing there with her slumped shoulders. Maybe she was confused by the marriage of NASCAR and Tiffany's and just didn't know what to do on the red carpet? Weird. [Source]

In other Kristin news, Life and Style magazine is reporting that Kirstin Cavallari and her boyfriend of some months, Nick Zano, have broken up ... just in time for Xmas. Word on the street is that they are dunzo:


There will be no kissing under the mistletoe for Kristin Cavallari and Nick Zano this Christmas. "They broke up," a friend of Kristin's reveals exclusively to Life & Style. "She moved out of their house. They're going in separate directions." Kristin, 20, just moved in with Nick, 29, this summer. So what happened? "It wasn’t working out," explains the friend. "She was bored, and I think she realized she was better off keeping her options open." In other words, Kristin missed the single life. "She used to be the It girl, and now she sees all of these other girls who would normally be in her shadow stealing the spotlight," says the friend. "I think she wants back in on the scene. So get ready, Hollywood — here comes Kristin Cavallari again! Living together put a real damper on things," says a friend. Hmmm ... I suppose I can understand how the living together sitch could put a strain on their relationship ... and it's not that I'm happy that they're broken up but it would be very nice to see her out and about again. Wouldn't it rule if she made a cameo on The Hills? [Source]

Altho this new report from Life and Style claims that Kristin and Nick have broken up, KC was seen this week with Nick as she made her way to a salon in Beverly Hills ... are they really broken up or are they now just friends?


I guess we won't really know for sure what is going on with these two until one of them is seen with a new person. Perhaps Nick is happy to drive Kristin around on all of her errands until she finds a new boy to take over his responsibilities. [Source]

In other break-up news of sorts, Entertainment Weekly has sniffed out the identity of the mysterious Roxy who showed up on this week's ep of The Hills as the personal lackey to the evil She-Spencer. It turns out that she is none other than Roxy Olin who plays Michelle on the ABC show Brothers and Sisters ... and, evidently, she is already over being on Team Heidi:


Despite blogosphere reports that actress Roxy Olin (Brothers & Sisters) will serve as Heidi Montag's maid of honor in an upcoming episode of MTV's The Hills, the Hollywood Insider has learned that the famous daughter of Ken Olin and Patricia Wettig won't be donning a Nicole Miller frock after all. According to Wettig, Roxy only appeared in one episode of the reality show and though "they wanted her to do another one, she's going to try to stay out of it." Wettig continues, "Roxy appeared as a favor.... She met Heidi but Roxy went to high school with (Hills' co-star) Spencer Pratt so that's the connection. I'm pretty sure she's not going to do any more. They kind of pigeonhole you into stuff there." How is it that a working Hollywood actress thought it would be a good idea to agree to not only appear on a faux-reality show but to appear on the show as a bratty, condescending busy body who sticks her nose into other people's business. Her agent should be fired. I don't think it's in anyone's best career interests to align themselves in any way, shape or form with Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt. [Source]

In nice and happy news (despite the look on his face), Joel Madden was snapped making a coffee run for his babymama Nicole Richie in LA this week:


Photo credit: Splash News

I bet that Joel really loves running these sorts of errands for his pregs lady. Joel is such a great nurturer ... I know that he's very much looking forward to taking very good care of his growing family. [Source]

Morrissey seems to have publicly put both of his feet into his mouth in a new interview where he openly complains that he no longer wants to live in England because it has been taken over by "immigrants". It's a shame ... I never would've pegged the Mozzer, who is the son of immigrant parents, as a racist:


The pop singer Morrissey claims he can no longer live in a Britain he believes lost to an "immigration explosion". The former frontman of the Smiths, who is now based in Rome, claimed England was just 'a memory now'. The 48-year-old added: "Other countries have held on to their basic identity yet it seems to me that England was thrown away. The change in England is so rapid compared to the change in any other country. If you walk through Knightsbridge on any bland day of the week you won't hear an English accent. You'll hear every accent under the sun apart from the British accent. The British identity is very attractive, I grew up into it and I find it quaint and very amusing." Morrissey, who has sung of his love for English culture and can count Tory leader David Cameron as a fan, is the son of an Irish immigrant family which settled in Manchester ... Morrissey's comments were made in interviews with the music magazine NME ... Tim Jonze, the reporter who conducted the interview, said: "Morrissey has had a stormy relationship with this magazine and its readers over the last three decades. He might once have been the voice of a generation but given his comments in these two interviews, he's certainly not speaking for us now." It's such a shame to hear these sorts of comments come from a man whose music I love and respect. It's sad enough to hear these sorts of things from uneducated, ignorant people (in this country and abroad) but to hear them from one of my fave musicians is very disheartening. We are all immigrants, he should really remember that. [Source]

In happy news, Kylie Minogue has announced that she will be hitting the road on a new tour next year. The announcement was made on her official website yesterday evening:


Kylie is to tour Europe with a brand new show in 2008! Inspired by her new album 'X' (released this week), Kylie and her creative team have devised a new show that she describes herself as "fresh, exhilarating and innovative". The new show will be a totally different concept to previous Minogue spectaculars, which have seen her fuse her remarkable creativity with groundbreaking technology to become one of the most respected live performers of our time. Kylie's 2008 tour opens in Paris on May 6 and progresses throughout Europe, reaching the UK on June 26 when she plays at Belfast's Odyssey. The tour then continues with dates in Glasgow, Manchester and London, concluding at London's 02 Arena ... Kylie said today: "I am putting together a show that is going to be a new and exciting experience for both the audience and myself. The eclectic mix of sounds on 'X' is affording me an opportunity to explore and develop a new live show that will be fresh, exhilarating and innovative. After two celebratory tours, 'X' will be a look to the future but will definitely include favourites alongside the new. I can't wait to share it with you next year! See you soon!" OMG! As much as I would love for Kylie to bring her show to the US, I realize that that may never happen ... so I'm gonna have to get my butt overseas to see her for myself. I was really hoping that Kylie would be doing a tour next year ... so I can start planning a trip for David and me to see her on stage ... at long last :) WEEEE! Click HERE for a full list of tour dates and info on how to get tickets. [Source]

In other tour news, OK! magazine got a sneak peek at some of Roberto Cavalli's design sketches for costumes he whipped up for the upcoming Spice Girls Reunion Tour ... take a look:


Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli is the man the reunited Spice Girls have turned to outfit them for when they hit the road this winter for their The Return of the Spice Girls tour. As the sketch shows, expect the Spices' getups to be sparkly and sexy, just like much of Cavalli's famous clothes, and fitting right in with the image the Spice Girls' going-for-glam image. "I have known Victoria Beckham for a long time," explains Roberto. "And I have always admired her style and personality. When we talked about the worldwide tour, The Return of the Spice Girls, she put forward the idea of me creating all their costumes to which I immediately agreed. When I met them, I immediately understood the reason why the world went crazy for their unique brand of girl power as they are an irresistible mix of energy, pure joy, humor and a spicy dash of glamour. I'm sure their strength will take us by storm again," the designer added. Yes, their strength and their amazing costumes will surely take the world by storm ... cuz the live singing is severely lacking. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm really excited to see the Spices live on stage for the first time ever. The tour kicks off in Vancouver, British Columbia on December 2 but I'll be at the two LA shows on December 5 and 7. Holla! [Source]

Here is the cover artwork for the live CD and DVD releases of the Rufus Wainwright doing his Judy Garland shows this past year. The CD is titled Rufus
Does Judy At Carnegie Hall
while the DVD is titled Rufus! Rufus! Rufus!
Does Judy! Judy! Judy! Live At The London Palladium
:


Honestly, the artwork is not what I expected it to be ... I thought it would be more campy and less futuristic. Nonetheless, I can't wait to get my hands on both of them. I got to see his last performance at the Hollywood Bowl this past September and I have been anxiously awaiting these releases. Click HERE to get the CD and click HERE to get the DVD. [Source, Source]

Here are a few very pretty, yet unknown photos of Kristen Bell:


Some of the pics are really cheesy but she does look good. I miss her as Veronica Mars but her new stint on Heroes is the best thing she's done for her career so far. [Source]

And finally, Mischa Barton is featured on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of Arena magazine:


I can't help but think of Gossip Girl's Blake Lively whenever I see Mischa Barton anymore ... which is kinda funny because Blake done stole Mischa's career right from under her. That being said, I really like these hipster-esque pics of Mischa. It's a look that works for her, I think. [Source]

Les News:
So, yesterday was my last day in NYC and I did my best to make the most of it. I managed to take a nice walk thru SoHo before I had to make my way to the airport to get the party started. Victoria's Secret and Virgin America got the festivities going while we were still on the ground as food and free PJs were distributed at the boarding gate for our flight:


But once we got in the air, things were put into overdrive. The pink lighted plane was all decked out for the party, with a huge gift bag with fun stuff on each seat. I can't even begin to tell you how cool the plane itself was ... touch-screen everything, state of the art, really effing cool. I was able to chat with folks in other seats with the little keyboard that was attached to my seat. Lauren who blogs for StereoHyped and her sister Tia were also on the flight with me so we had a lot of fun enjoying everything that VS and VA had to offer.

Here is a video of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show that took place while we were 30,000 feet above middle-America on Virgin America Flight #317:


It was such a fun experience, I feel so lucky that I was able to partake. I have to send out lots of love to Chet for helping me make it onto the plane and Britta who really went out of her way to take care of every person on that plane. It was really a special event ... and a very cool way to get from NYC to LA :)

I'm so wiped from my long week away ... I plan on doing nothing for a few days, tho, I must get a haircut STAT cuz I'm really hating how long my hair has gotten. I hope y'all are having a great Thursday ... I'm out.


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Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Gangster Glam

It would seem that Britney Spears hasn't entirely given up on doing any promo work for her latest album, Blackout, which was only released last month and seems to have already fallen off the face of the Earth (even tho it's sittin' in the #23 position on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart) ... as she actually showed up to the set of her second music video from the album for the single Piece of Me. Here are pics of a pajama-clad Brit Brit as she made her way to Social Hollywood club to shoot scenes for her Wayne Isham-directed music video:


Photo credit: Splash News and Mr. Paparazzi

Balancing mommy duty and her music career – it's all in day's work for Britney Spears.

After spending Tuesday with her two sons Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, Spears switched into pop-star mode, arriving at L.A. restaurant and nightclub Social Hollywood to shoot the video for her tabloid-bashing single "Piece of Me" – the second single off her album Blackout. (It's being directed by Wayne Isham, who helmed Spears's "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" video.) Spears and her backup dancers donned identical blonde bob wigs and black trench coats. The premise? "The paparazzi are following [Britney], so they're dressed alike to trick them," a source close to Spears tells PEOPLE. "They all go into a club to get away. One [photographer] sneaks in, but Britney, in the end, discovers him." The stakes are high for Spears, whose video for "Gimme More" was poorly received when it was released in October. (The song itself, however, was a hit.) "[Spears] is really freaked out about everything," said the source. "She's just really nervous and feels like everyone might make fun of her again."
Hmmm ... I kinda doubt that Britney is at all "nervous" that people might make fun of her ... cuz if she really cared, she'd take her work more seriously and she'd make sure that she couldn't be made fun of. I'm hopeful that this video will turn out a'ight cuz the album could use a new jolt of publicity to help move more copies. You just never really know what you're gonna get outta Britney Spears. The video could be really hot, Wayne Isham is a great director ... or it could be a steaming pile, ready to be cleaned up off the floor with a $5,000 designer dress. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. [Source]

In other Brit news, it looks like she's gonna need to hire a new driver before she gets to spend time with her kids again ... cuz the driver she had hired has already decided that it is time to cut and run:


Photo credit: Splash News

Britney Spears finally wised up and hired a driver to help, er, curb some of her recent mishaps behind the wheel. Good move! Except that just days later, he is already "on his way out." TMZ has learned that the chauffeur/driver Spears hired to drive her, the kids and a court-ordered monitor around town is quitting -- because driving for Brit Brit is a "liability." Obviously! A source close to Spears tells TMZ, that the driver and a monitor both had very close calls with paparazzi and other vehicles while driving Miss Britney. I would imagine that it would take a driver with a very strong sense of fortitude to brave the open roadways carting around Britney Spears and her spawn as cargo. It doesn't really sound like a job for the faint of heart. Perhaps she should find someone who has prior stunt driving experience? [Source]

Last bit of Britness ... In Touch Weekly is reporting in this week's cover story that Britters has confided to some friends, via email, that she's pregs with JR Rotem's baby:

On November 14, Britney Spears confided to her friends in e-mails that she was four weeks pregnant - and that she was sure the father was J.R. Rotem, a music producer she's been seeing on and off since she separated from ex-husband Kevin Federline in 2006. When asked about the pregnancy, J.R. confirmed exclusively to In Touch that Britney is carrying his child. "It's true," he says. On November 16, she proudly e-mailed a copy of the ultrasound to her inner circle.

But Us Weekly is now reporting that this pregnancy report is "completely fake":

Britney Spears has not done it again. In a text message to Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM radio show in L.A. Wednesday, her pal Sam Lutfi debunked In Touch's new cover story that declares Spears, 25, is expecting a baby with her ex J.R. Rotem. "It's BS," he said. "Don't know who made it up. J.R. doesn't even know what's up. It's fake. Completely fake."

And the world heaves a collective sigh of relief.

ATTENTION: DANCING WITH THE STARS SPOILER ALERT WARNING

Those of you who watch Dancing with the Stars and have yet to learn who won this season's competition and you wish to remain unspoiled until you learn for yourself might want to skip over the next part of the blog. Now, I'm not a big DWTS fan at all ... in fact, I think I've only seen maybe 3 eps this season (all while hanging out with my BFF Sarah who is a big fan of the show) ... but it's a pretty big pop culture story so here goes ... the winner of this season of Dancing with the Stars is:


Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves won top hoofer honors Tuesday on the ABC hit show Dancing With the Stars. "It feels totally different from winning a race," Castroneves said after the show. "I wasn't kidding. This goes right between my two Indy trophies. Otherwise, it would have been a big blank space." Castroneves, nicknamed Spider-Man by racing fans, proved nimble enough to best entertainer Marie Osmond and Spice Girl Melanie Brown. Monday's cartwheel-infused freestyle dance with professional dance partner Julianne Hough drew a bit less approval and points from the show's three-judge panel. But the judges account for 50% of the overall score, and fan votes supply the remaining half. Brown's final dance tied Castroneves' perfect score, and her overall numbers were good enough to beat Osmond. Castroneves, 32, is the fourth consecutive male to win the ballroom dance competition. The Brazilian's goals were modest before the competition began. "I just didn't want to be the first voted out," he said. Sarah was really pulling for Jennie Garth to win it all and was LIVID when she was ousted and Marie Osmond was kept in the competition. The common belief is that Marie was the beneficiary of lots of sympathetic votes since her father passed away recently and her son was sent to rehab. Mel B's dancing partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy was no fan of Marie Osmond staying in the competition either ... he was quoted with saying: "Frankly, I think there were a lot of other people better than Marie ... I know firsthand there are a lot of celebrities on the show that went through similar situations [family issues] this season and decided not to make it public." From what I saw, I think I would've liked to have seen Mel and Maksim win it all but the public voted and Helio (don't call him a phone) won. Congrats!! [Source, Source]

Nicole Kidman, her hubby Keith Urban, Daniel Craig, Eva Green and others were all on hand for the UK premiere of the new movie The Golden Compass. Here are a few pics from the red carpet event that was held at the Odeon Leicester Square in London, England last night:


Photo credit: Wireimage

I am so excited for this movie ... I can hardly stand it. I had only just heard about the His Dark Materials trilogy of books by Philip Pullman (Book I is The Golden Compass) a few weeks ago. I was reading an article in Entertainment Weekly about how these stories are written from an atheist point of view (and there was studio fear that Christians will boycott the film, etc.) and I became immediately intrigued. I'd never heard of books aimed at children that were written from an atheist perspective ... so I read The Golden Compass as quickly as I could and I loved it! I'm more than halfway thru Book II: The Subtle Knife and I really can't get enough. Honestly, I don't find the books overtly atheist at all ... had I not read that article, I don't know that I would've even noticed. In any regard, I'm really anxious to see how the movie version shapes up to the book version ... I found the book's ending troubling ... it left off with a huge cliffhanger ... I wonder if movie audiences will feel frustrated if the same ending is used in the movie. [Source]

David Beckham is making the most of his Aussie trip down under as he has been appearing at as many events as possible ... and still finding the time to update his blog. Here are pics of Becks at a Motorola launch event to promote the RAZR 2 in OZ:


Photo credit: Wireimage

With no time to change, Becks then made his way to a Myers store in Sydney to do a personal appearance to promote his fragrance Intimately Night ... unfortch for the usually fashionably faboo Becks, he apparently forgot to either pack or put on his dress socks in all the hectic PR melee:


Photo credit: Splash News

The suit was neatly tailored, his crisp white shirt pressed to perfection and shoes buffed to a shine, but David Beckham still managed to commit a major fashion faux pas during a promotional appearance in Sydney. The football ace surprised onlookers when he sat down for an interview at a press conference and revealed that despite his carefully preened outfit, he was in fact wearing no socks - a look not popular since Don Johnson hit screens on Miami Vice in 1984. It's not clear if the decision to roam around with bare ankles was intentional, or merely a hasty oversight. You know ... something tells me that David Beckham is just too bizzy to take care and dress himself properly and he might be in need of a personal valet to help him get dressed on a daily basis. I would personally like to volunteer for this position as it would thrill me to no end to be the person to help Becks go from completely nekkid to completely dressed and back again on a daily basis. It sounds like tough work but I think I'm up for the challenge. [Source]

To round out the day, Becks took part in the Hyundai Club Challenge on Tuesday night, which is all well and good, but it's the new pics of half-nekkid Becks walking around on the field afterwards that really grabbed my attention:


See ... that's all he really has to do to make people happy. All that running around on the soccer field for 90 mins is just the foreplay ... it's the sweaty, nekkid afterwards that people really pay their money out for in the end. That's why I purchased season tickets for the LA Galaxy last season :) [Source]

Milo Ventimiglia was among the guests at the one year anniversary event for Live Sets on Yahoo! Music at the Fox Studios lot in Los Angeles last night ... here are a few pics of Milo on the red carpet:


It's always nice when Milo goes out for an event on any given night because we get to enjoy pics of him out and about the next day. Wee!! [Source]

Patrick Dempsey seems to be enjoying the time off that he's been afforded by the Writer's Strike since he now has more time to go out for leisurely bike rides around the greater Los Angeles area:


Photo credit: INFdaily

And more bike rides means more spandex, which always seems to hug those snug bulges in all the right places. Yeah, I knew there was a silver lining to this Writer's Strike thing. [Source]

Here are a couple of really great pics of Blake Lively and Penn Badgley lockin' lips, swappin' spit and makin' some XOXO on the NYC street set of the hit CW show Gossip Girl:


Photo credit: Wireimage

As much as Gossip Girl is pretty much an NYC-version of The OC (which I was never really a fan of) I must admit that I kinda like the show. David and Monique pretty much live for GG but I, too, find the show marginally entertaining. The plotlines aren't all that difficult to follow and I really respond to Kristen Bell's voiceover narration of the drama as the clandestine blogger Gossip Girl. I understand that the books from which the TV show has been adapted have much more homosexual content than the show has shown thus far (in fact, I believe Penn Badgley's character gets his gay on in the books) and I just hope, for purity's sake, that the spirit of the books will make it's way to the small screen. I wouldn't mind a few scenes where Penn Badgley and Chace Crawford are the one's making the XOXO. [Source]

After completing 0.1% of her concert tour, Amy Winehouse has decided that she simply cannot continue to sing on stage while her poor hubby is locked away behind bars on the charge that he and his cronies attempted to pervert justice by tampering with witnesses (or whatever the hell his dumb ass is in jail for) ... so while her concert promoters tried to get Amy to carry on with her Back to Basics tour she, quite appropriately said, No No No:


Amy Winehouse's career was in freefall last night after she cancelled the rest of her tour and returned to rehab. The crisis-stricken singer blamed her inability to continue on her enforced separation from her husband Blake Fielder-Civil. But privately friends said she was beginning to realise she had lost control of her life and had finally decided to seek help. She was driven to drastic action after a series of disturbing pictures emerged last week showing her with a suspicious white substance lodged in her nostrils after several gigs in which she slurred incoherently and stumbled onstage. Yesterday she was seen by doctors at the London Clinic in Harley Street, who ordered her to seek help for her drug addiction. Last night she was thought to have returned to the Causeway Clinic in Essex, where she has already undergone two unsuccessful attempts to wean herself off drugs. A spokesman said: "Amy has cancelled all remaining live and promotional appearances for the remainder of the year on the instruction of her doctor. "The rigours involved in touring and the intense emotional strain Amy has been under in recent weeks have taken their toll. In the interests of her health and wellbeing Amy has been ordered to take complete rest and deal with her health issues." Winehouse, 24, told fans in a statement: "I cannot give it my all onstage without my Blake. I am so sorry but I do not want to do the shows half-heartedly. "I love singing. My husband is everything to me and without him it is just not the same." Um, pardon my cynicism but I have a hard time believing that Amy Winehouse really put herself in rehab. My guess is that this is just a sham so that she could cancel her tour dates and blame it on her doctors. I really wish the troubled chanteuse would get help but I doubt that she's there yet ... I just hope she gets the help she desperately needs very soon. [Source]

Here is a new movie still from the 4th installment of the Indiana Jones Franchise, titled The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, featuring both Harrison Ford as Indy and Shia LeBeouf as his son:


I'm intrigued by this new chapter of the Indiana Jones franchise ... I just hope that Harrison Ford can keep up in fine Indiana Jones style. I suspect there will be a few old timer jokes thrown in the mix but I'm a Shia fan so I think it'll work. Indiana Jones and The Kingdome of the Crystal Skull is due to hit theaters next year. [Source]

Xtina Aguilera bares her soul and her bare pregs belly on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of Marie Claire magazine ... take a look:


Pop megastar Christina Aguilera is downright giggly as she opens up for the first time about her baby boy, her marriage, and her future in the "Sexy Mama" cover article featured in the January 2008 issue of Marie Claire, on newsstands nationally Dec. 11. It turns out the pregnancy was a bit of a surprise for her and husband Jordan Bratman: "We were planning on starting to try after the tour. And so, I had gone off the Pill to prepare my body, because I didn't know how much time it would take. You’ve heard it takes some time—except with Power Egg and Super Sperm here ... I'm like, Oh, my God, can you believe it just happened?" [said Aguilera.] Aguilera figures she got pregnant when Bratman was visiting her in Georgetown, during the U.S. leg of her 'Back to Basics' tour ... Only problem was she still had a month left on an eight-month world tour where she changes costumes at least 10 times during the show, hangs from a circus pinwheel, rides a carousel horse, plays a dominatrix, and wears major heels throughout: "I was paranoid. There are so many things that could go wrong—somebody could slip, somebody could fall, I could fall. There was no way in hell I was going to jeopardize my baby for my show." So she wore a well-concealed heart monitor. She didn't want to broadcast the news. "I didn't want to make the audience uncomfortable, like, 'Pregnant lady onstage! Is she going to be OK?' But I had to announce it to my band and my dancers, because I wanted to make sure they had my back." [In the interview] Aguilera talks about her simple decision not to announce her pregnancy. Somehow it figures that the criminally uncircumspect Paris Hilton would be the one to spill the beans, at an MTV Video Music Awards party. [When asked] if Hilton's faux pas angered her, she shrugs it off. "Because I hadn't said anything, people thought I was trying to keep it this big, bad secret, and that's not the case at all. I just wasn't commenting. I'm not being like, 'Hey, everybody, I'm pregnant!' I'm not that girl." Aguilera says she likes the idea of a big family, although she doesn’t have a set number of kids in mind… But the domestication of Christina Aguilera is likely to be complicated. What will it mean for someone who has treated her confrontational sexuality as both a rallying cry and a right? "We're so labeled. If you're too sexual, you're slutty. If you're not sexual enough, you're a prude. I like to put it out there as a topic of conversation. Why does it bother you? What's your problem with it? Am I really hurting you? Let's get to the root of it. I have more than one side of me that likes to get out on a stage and sing. Sometimes I want to be aggressive, sometimes I want to feel empowered in my sexuality and my vulnerability. I want to put all that out there." And clearly, by posing nekkid on the cover and in the pages of Marie Claire magazine, she is really putting it all out there. I had a feeling that Xtina would pose for this type of magazine cover (after all, Britney Spears did it during her last pregnancy on the cover of Allure magazine) but I thought it'd be something like Vanity Fair (a la Demi Moore). Kudos to Marie Claire for scoring such a coup! Xtina looks great ... if a bit too orange on this magazine cover. [Source]

Kristen Bell has been dubbed The Girl of Next Year by Complex magazine and she graces the duo of covers that the magazine publishes for it's newest issue:


She looks great in both pics but I prefer the smoochy lips one over the other. I don't think that even Hayden Panettiere has appeared on both Complex covers in the same month before. Score for Kristen!! [Source]

And finally, Star magazine has sniffed out the shady, criminal past of the She-Spencer who tried to whip up drama on this week's ep of The Hills. It turns out that homegirl likes to cause trouble off camera as well ... trouble of the shoplifting variety. Here is her mug shot from her arrest last year:


Fans of The Hills got a double dose of drama on Monday when Spencer Pratt's younger sister Stephanie Pratt came to visit. Until now Stephanie has stayed out of the public eye — and Star knows why! Early in the evening of May 8, 2006, in Honolulu, Stephanie, then 20, and a 20-year-old friend — the daughter of a production executive on the locally filmed ABC series Lost — were arrested by the police after security guards at ritzy Neiman Marcus department store caught the duo attempting to shoplift a number of clothing items. According to police records, Stephanie and her friend had tried on more than 50 pieces of clothing in a dressing room, then left the store after the friend paid for five items. When apprehended outside by store security, Stephanie was wearing two stolen items of clothing and carrying five more in her shoulder bag, while her friend was wearing one stolen item and carrying five more in her bag. Together, the value of the stolen merchandise totaled $1,300! Stephanie and her friend found themselves in even more hot water after they were arrested on charges of second-degree theft and transported to police headquarters. After they both claimed they took prescription medicine and gave permission to have their bags searched, Stephanie was then arrested on further charges of "promoting a dangerous drug" in the third degree, and "promoting a harmful drug" in the third and fourth degree (her friend was also arrested on a single drug charge). The friend didn't help matters when, according to the police report, she told an officer that she'd call her lawyer and "be out of this mess and then fly to Paris." She then added: "If I leave the state, then f--k you guys and your charges! You can't do anything to me once I'm not here!" The two young women were each released on $15,000 bond. News of her arrest hit Stephanie's family hard — especially her 24-year-old brother! "Spencer was so upset that, for a time, he refused to even speak to his sister," says a family insider. "Their dad's a respected dentist, and they had a privileged upbringing in Southern California's Pacific Palisades. Stephanie's arrest was like a black mark on their perfect family." This report doesn't mention the name of She-Spencer’s criminal accomplice but it sounds like the work of her minion Roxy. LOL! How is it that the Pratts are such a wealthy family and yet one of their children has to resort to shoplifting to get her rocks off? Could she get any lamer? I guess we'll have to wait until the next ep of The Hills to find out. [Source]

Les News:
Blah ... I had hoped to get out of the house so that I could do some Xmas shopping in SoHo yesterday but I started feeling a bit ill and then realized that I was having an allergic reaction to something in the air. My hives returned and kept me couch-bound for most of the day. I started feeling better later in the evening so David and I went out for an amazing tapas dinner at Tasca. After we were sufficiently fed, we made our way to Union Square to see American Gangster:


I have only heard good things about this movie so I was deffo interested in seeing it but I'm not too big on crime movies so I wasn't sure I was gonna love it or not. I am happy to report that the movie rules. The acting is superb and the writing is excellent ... it's a very engrossing film. Stark, dark and sometimes violent ... it really sucks you in and takes hold. I won't be surprised if Denzel Washington or Russell Crowe each receive Oscar nominations. I'm not the biggest Russell Crowe fan but he oftentimes surprises me ... he was a revelation in this film. I liked his flawed character very much. I really hated the ending tho ... the part where Denzel and Russell were collaborating on busting the crooked cops was just dumb. That may have been the way things really went down but it was a lame way to end this great movie.

So ... I'm basically on my way out the door as I head home to LA tonight. I am catching a Virgin America flight back to LA which is to be transformed into a Victoria's Secret Fashion Show/PJ Party ... seriously. I'll be winging my way back home with a bevy of VS Angels so I'm sure I'll have some fun deets to share tomorrow.

I'll be comin' atcha from the West Side tomorrow ... I'm out.


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Tuesday, November 27, 2007

She Walks Among Us

Britney Spears must be in a hella good mood these days ... at long last she decided to love herself enough to have her old, ratty hair extensions ripped from her head so that they could be replaced with a new set of lush, clean, fake hair ... behold:


And no, thine eyes to not deceive thee ... that is make-up that she is wearing in the first two pics. Shocking, I know. But, for some reason, the girl seems incapable of operating a motor vehicle without introducing some semblance of hazardous behavior while she is behind the wheel. I guess I don't understand the rationale of putting the lives of others in danger while driving a car on the public roadways in order to try and hide behind things so that one's photo won't be taken. The pictures get taken anyways irregardless of whether or not a person hides while driving. Dumb. But at least the girl's got some nice, new hair for us to enjoy ... the old ratty stuff was gettin' kinda rank. [Source]

Huzzah! Huzzah! The good news doesn't stop there, folks. The Spederline lawyers met in a closed hearing yesterday to try and hammer out which Spederline parent would get to enjoy Xmas day with the children, Sean Preston and Jayden James, and it turns out that Britters will get to spend Xmas morn with the lads. As always, Mark Vincent Kaplan represented Kevin Federline and Britney Spears was repped by her hawt new female attorney, Anne Kiley (who is basically a Laura Wasser clone ... much prettier than her previous, old male attorney) ... here are pics of the legal eagles as they made their way into court yesterday:


Photo credit: Splash News

Lawyers for Britney and K-Daddy have worked out an arrangement for who gets the kids for the Xmas holidays. We've learned, under the deal hammered out by Fed's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, and Brit's disso-cutie, Anne Kiley -- Spears will open presents with the kids on Christmas day, and eat whatever best accompanies a Fanta. It's only fair, since K-Fed got the kids for Thanksgiving dinner. You know, for all this legal-wrangling going on back and forth, the interested parties are pretty much behaving appropriately ... well, now that Britney is actively complying with the stipulations set forth by the court. Something tells me that this legal back and forth will continue on for some time ... I don't see eiter side caving into the other any time soon. Isn't it great that the Spederline custody battle is doing so much to keep the court dockets nice and full? [Source]

In absolutely ABSURD news, Kevin Federline graces the cover of the new issue of Details magazine as he is named as one of the mag's picks of the 50 Most Influential Men under 45. Coming in at #7 on the list and labeled as a "Good Father", here is K-Fed's cover photo:


Kevin Federline, father of the year? Well, not quite, but Details magazine has deemed Britney Spears' famous ex one of its "50 Most Influential Men under 45." To be specific, Federline, 29, is listed in the No. 7 slot as a "Good Father" alongside Larry Birkhead. Federline, a father of four to be exact, tells the magazine that "To be a father is ... everything. It shows me how little I am." Little as he might be, his acting career is getting bigger, at least by Federline's standards. One lament: "I'd actually like to play somebody other than a bad guy or an ass," he tells Details. And although the decisions in his ongoing custody battle with Spears speak for themselves, Federline reveals a snapshot of life inside his household. "My TVs are pretty much G-rated right now. Anything from "SpongeBob" to "Finding Nemo," and you know, I’m still trying to decide which one I like more." I guess the question becomes, what is it exactly that qualifies Kevin Federline as a "good father"? Is it the fact that he takes custody of his kids 5 days out of the week? Is it that he isn't really seen hitting the party circuit like he used to when he was married to Britney Spears? Is it that he no longer has the money to blow on expensive toys for himself so, instead, he buys diapers and food for his sons? Well guess what ... THAT'S WHAT HE'S SUPPOSED TO DO! This title and rank is an absolute joke. Where were these platitudes regarding the joys and wisdom gleaned from fatherhood when he abandoned his other children with Shar Jackson? And who, exactly, is K-Fed (or Larry Birkhead, for that matter) influencing? At best, these two sorry excuses are influencing other deadbeat dudes who are looking to make a quick buck and attain instant fame by latching themselves on to more successful (or famous) women long enough to impregnate them ... give me an effing break. Clearly, Details magazine doesn't know what the shizz they're talking about ... and only put K-Fed on the cover to generate buzz for the magazine. Obvs it worked but it's just a really gross display. Click HERE to see who else made the cut of Details Power List for 2007. [Source]

ATTENTION: HEROES SPOILER ALERT WARNING

Ugh ... let's move on ... last night's ep of Heroes was pretty good ... a few more pieces of the puzzle were revealed and we are set up for the big finish which will air next Monday night. At long last, we finally got some decent Sylar in this ep (and half-nekkid Sylar at that) who has been sorely missing pretty much all season thus far (and we *still* don't know what happened to him that stripped him of his powers) and, I believe, our first major character death of the season with the promise of more on the way next week ....


Last week's ep really set up the question, "Who is Victoria?" and last night's ep gave us the answer ... she is the scientist who developed the Shanti virus back in the 70s and was believed to be the person that unleashes it in the future (when we know it should be Adam who is playing Peter like a fiddle). I kinda expected more from her revelation but ... at least she's dead and out of the way now. Adam tried to unleash the virus in the 70s and will, apparently, be successful in the future unless the Heroes can stop him ... which is, I'm sure, where next week's ep will take us. It's about damn time that Sylar got more screentime last night ... he has been sorely lacking all season long ... and our patience was rewarded with a half-nekkid shot of the sexy beast. While I was bummed that Peter didn't have any shirtless scenes this ep (a first for this season, I think) nekkid Sylar made up for it. I really hope Sylar did kill Alejandro ... who has to be the most pointless Hero ever created, with his black tear-stained sister Maya right behind. These 2 are deffo the Paulo and Nikki (from Lost) of this season of Heroes ... they suck, they shouldn't have been added to the cast and their exit from the show will be totally meaningless. I kinda wanted more from the Claire and Elle face off but that should come next week ... as should the showdown between Hiro and Peter. The preview for next week promises that "2 Heroes will fall" so I guess there will be more Peacing the Spork Out to come. Woot! [Source]

ATTENTION: THE HILLS SPOILER ALERT WARNING

Again, I was hoping for a little more oomph from last night's ep of The Hills as well. The promise of She-Spencer slithering up from the depths of Hades to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting people of LA was intriguing ... in the end, it turned out to be nothing more than a minor annoyance. Eh, I enjoyed, nonetheless:


I was really disappointed in the non-importance of She-Spencer and her lackey Roxy (seriously ... her name is Roxy!). The two drama queens did their best to whip up some conflict but were both shut down by LC and Brody. Man, I don't think I've ever respected LC more than I did last night ... she was basically all, Beyotch, you don’t know me so get the eff out of my face without saying as much in any sort of confrontational way. The looks on their faces after they were completely shut down was awesome ... it was funny how She-Spencer was trying to talk up the confrontation the next day ... saaaaaad sad sad. You know, LC should let Audrina borrow her spine ... it would've saved her a lot of heartache if she could've gotten rid of Justin Bobby ages ago. Doesn't it seem like Audrina was just holding on to Justin Bobby for fear that she couldn't get anyone else? Blah ... I'm over his Johnny Depp-wannabe ass ... I hope he is gone for good. I dunno ... it really feels like they are running out of ways to make Speidi interesting for the show ... introducing Spencer's pointless sister got them some screentime last night ... and their new fight next week promises some more ... but it just seems so contrived. Wait, what am I saying? The whole show is contrived ... but you see what I'm saying. I will say, tho, that I never thought I'd ever see the face of true evil incarnate ... heaven help us all. [Source]

Ew. Hayden Panettiere seems to be picking up some very bad habits from her fellow Hollywood "It" Girl Britney Spears ... check it out:


Well, as far as bad habits that could be picked up from Britney Spears, I guess this one isn't all that bad after all but still ... I really hope we aren't faced with months of seeing Hayden wearing those same boots day in and day out in Britney fashion. [Source]

David Beckham and the LA Galaxy faced off in a friendly match against Sydney FC in Australia last night and the good news is not only did Becks score a goal in the game but he also looked damn good doing so ...


... the bad news is that the Galaxy ended up losing to Sydney FC 5-3 and poor Becks got a little boo boo along the way. Ah well ... better luck next time, Becksie poo. [Source]

Nicole Richie met up with her on-again BFF Paris Hilton for a nice lunch at Forte restaurant in Beverly Hills, CA yesterday ... here are a couple of pics:


Photo credit: Splash News

Yeah, I guess Nicky Hilton was included for lunch as well but does anyone even care? In fact, I doubt that many folks really care about the whole Paris and Nicole thing anymore either. I am very much looking forward to new mom Nicole staying in with her new baby in the new year ... which I think might help make Paris Hilton irrelevant. Maybe she can be put out to socialite pasture ... never to be heard from again. Ahh ... it's nice to dream. [Source]

Robbie Williams has had to deal with persistent rumors that he has been hiding behind a beard for the course of his career (in regards to rumors about his sexuality) but, in this case, the rumor is finally true. Here are new pics of Robbie rockin' a full grown beard of his own growing:


Robbie and his new chick, actress Ayda Field, are trying to lay low in Amsterdam ... which may explain the bearded disguise. Honestly, I think it's a good luck for him. I hope he keeps the beard ... er, the facial hair, not the chick. [Source]

Johnny Depp and his BFF for the past few years, director Tim Burton, were spotted doing some Xmas shopping together at comic/sci-fi shop Forbidden Planet in London, England this week ... here are a few pics:


Photo credit: Splash News

While I'm sure that Johnny was picking up a few things for his daughter Lily Rose, I wouldn't be surprised if some of those toys were for him too ... he just strikes me as the kind of guy who likes to collects stuff like that. [Source]

Britney Spears isn't the only person in Hollywood sportin' some new hair these days ... actor Brendon Fraser, who terrified the world in recent years with his nearly entirely bald head, has been seen with a full head of lush, thick hair once again ...


... just in time to begin shooting scenes for the latest installment of The Mummy movie franchise titled Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, which has just begun production in Shanghai this week. Brendon will deffo be a shoe in at Oscar time for the award for Best Wig. Wow ... what a difference a rug makes. [Source]

New mom Salma Hayek has finally gotten around to introducing the world to her new baby daugther, Valentina, in a press release photo that was unleashed yesterday afternoon ... take a look at Salma's darling little girl:


SALMA Hayek has released a picture of her baby girl Valentina Paloma, and it looks like the little bub has taken after her. Hayek, 41, gave birth to little Valentina in September. The father, Francois-Henri Pinault is the billionaire boss of the Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent fashion empire and PPR luxury brand. They plan on getting married early next year. Valentina is the first child for the actress but it's been rumoured her fiance is the father of former supermodel Linda Evangelista, who has never publicy revealed the father's identity. That little girl is cute ... and Salma looks great. I'm glad to know that she wasn't hiding away this little bundle of joy for any unfortunate reasons ... cute cute cute. [Source]

Here is the just-released promo poster artwork for the Dr. Who Xmas special which will air on the BBC this weekend and guest stars our very own Kylie Minogue:


Unfortch for me, I have no idea what Dr. Who is all about but I am hoping that BBC America will air the special here in the States this weekend as well so that we can see Kyles in action on the show. [Source]

In other Minogue news, here are a couple of super sexy pics of Kylie's little sister Dannii Minogue wearing a Team Minogue t-shirt ... and not much else:


Bless Dannii's heart ... the dear lass always resorts to using her sexiness to get attention. She is a sweetie, tho. And she does look really hawt in this t-shirt so I guess we can cut her some slack. [Source]

Here is the cover artwork for the new issue of Entertainment Weekly which features JK Rowling as the magazine's Entertainer of the Year:


I don't know that this cover is the most flattering photo they could've used but the honor remains the same. JK totally ruled this year ... she deffo deserves the accolades. [Source]

And finally ... the little online game that Empire magazine started yesterday that promises to reveal, bit by bit, a new photo of what was presumed to be The Joker from the new Batman sequel The Dark Knight has already been plundered. Here is the cover photo for the new issue of Empire magazine which features a new, very cool picture of Heath Ledger as The Joker:


Click above to see the larger full size image

What a great photo. It might've been more fun if the reveal was able to play itself out with getting spoiled but ... I guess I'm all for instant gratification. Click above to see the magazine cover artwork in full size. [Source, Source]

Les News:
I pretty much spent the day inside yesterday, out of the cold rain, but went out for dinner with David and our friend Monique (who just flew in from Buenos Aires, Argentina). We had a great meal at Yama before coming back home to watch a whole bunch of TV.

I think David and I are gonna lie low again tonight (it is our fave thing to do) but I might venture out to SoHo for a bit later on this afternoon.

Tonight is my last night in NYC for some time ... so I hope to make the best of it. And ... that is all ... I'm out.


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