January 31, 2006
Docs Rock!
Amazing documentarian A J Schnack, who made Gigantic (a Tale of Two Johns), the doco about the band They Might Be Giants, has been on a campaign to get the televised reveal of the Oscar noms to include docs. No such luck. The argument goes that Today show viewers (shorthand for all Americans) aren't interested in dreary docs. But as he points out:
[A]s of today, March of the Penguins has outgrossed all five nominated films in each of the following categories, all of which were announced this morning live on television:
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Foreign Language Film
Best Animated Feature Film
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Original Screenplay
So there!
– Fenton Bailey
It's Only Ross 'n' Ru
They called it "Night of a Thousand Dianas," but there was really only the one and only Diana Ross vamping it up supremely, singing her cover of "I Will Survive" with the inimitable RuPaul, who famously had Miss Ross as her girlhood hero. Dreams can come true. And it came true for maybe a thousand other queens that night back in 1996, you'll remember, when Di and Ru literally floated down Hollywood's Santa Monica Boulevard, cheerleaders in tow, shooting the video for the Gloria Gaynor anthem. (Watch it here)
Timberlake: Close/Clothes
Justin Timberlake (aww, remember 'NSync?), who appears in Alpha Dog, the Nick Cassevetes' film that closed out the Sundance festival (and had some 'dancers walking out, we hear), has a birthday today. He's 25. According to snowboard champ Danny Kass, the singer-turned-actor is a freeloader. The Olympic silver medalist, who owns a winter sportswear shop, says he's been pressured into giving Timberlake free clothes each time he comes in. "The guy has sold millions of records," says Kass, "and still there's nothing better than free clothing." It's just a case of that Sundance swag fever rich celebrities get now that Epstein-Barr has lost its luster. And about that singer-turned-actor business, Timberlake says, "I've been acting like I could sing for years."
The Hunt for Red October Is Over
WOW's head techie, Tom Wolf, is dying for you to see an episode from the video podcast, Tiki Bar TV. He's been nagging your WOW Report editor about it for two days. These Tiki Bar flies seem to be friends who like to get together, drink, and make mini TV shows in and around a midcentury-chic tiki bar set up in a corner of someone's apartment. They call themselves "sophisticated misfits in a bachelor pad." The troupe falls somewhat short of being a theater troupe and aren't quite up to being a comedy troupe, but they're definitely troupers of some sort. Something involving alcohol. Tom's chosen the episode called "Red October" for your viewing pleasure. (Watch it here)
Wake-Up Calls
• Martin Luther King's widow dies at 78.
• The Oscar nominations are announced.
• New documents show Associated Press two years older than previously thought. And?
• Never mind that it was filmed in Canada, Brokeback spikes Wyoming tourism.
• Bubble trouble at box office.
• Iran agrees not to withhold oil, despite tiff with West.
• Mr & Mrs Smith planned for TV series next year.
• Moscow tab The eXile claims it exposed James Frey before Smoking Gun did.
• Can Mariah and Janet find a song that, er, fits both of them?
• Duh. Not one but 15 years to wipe out poppy fields, realizes Afghan president.
• Warrant out for Party Monster actress – again.
• Google may buy out Napster as entree into digimusic world.
A Cocky Bull Story
A very big bull, curiously called "Little Bird," lived up to at least the second half of his name by flying into the crowd at a bull fight in Mexico. Have a look at the video (via BBC) please.
– Donal Coonan
January 30, 2006
Naked, Stark Naked
So, if you're spending the evening for whatever reason with Daniel Craig, the latest version of James Bond, keep the liquor coming. Seems the drunker he gets, the more clothes he takes off. Especially on a movie set, where he'll agree to anything – even suggesting it himself. Craig, 37, who was naked in his 2000 film, Some Voices, says the scene was supposed to be of him running down the street simply shirtless. But after massive amounts of alcohol, he told the director, "I'll do it naked." He's since vowed never to drink alcohol around directors. We think he should reconsider.
Celebrities at Large
Our receptionist, Kristin Rasmussen, knows from experience how sweet the late Hollywood costume designer Moss Mabry was. Here's her story.
About four years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Moss Mabry when he participated in the annual Wide Screen Film Festival held on the campus of California State University, Long Beach. We in the film department were "encouraged" to participate in the festival to a certain degree. I was told that I would be picking up Mabry at his house in San Diego County. I must admit that at the time I had no idea of his significance in the film industry, but still I wondered how this man in his 80s was going to handle the drive to the campus in my little two door Saturn.
I was greeted in the driveway by Moss, who insisted I come in while we waited for his caretaker to gather his things. We didn't wait long, and I nervously showed him to the car that I was embarrassed he had to ride in. The hour-and-a-half drive seemed longer going back to CSU. He didn't say much, but instead shifted around in his uncomfortable seat while his caretaker sat squished in the back. We arrived at the school, I showed him to the waiting area, took a seat to listen to him speak about "the red jacket," and waited to take him home.
More...Celebrity Droppings
Nothing much to report from Samuel L Jackson's Handprint Ceremony this morning at Grauman's Chinese, other than the fact that wherever he goes, Samuel leaves a trail of furry Kangol hats behind him on the ground, rather like a dog leaving its scent. – Steven Corfe
Recently Dead
Broadway theaters will dim their lights tomorrow night in memory of playwright Wendy Wasserstein, who died today of lymphoma at age 55.
Agents Provocateur
There's something about these Super Secret Dance Society girls and this video that fascinates us. Is it that they're dressed like sexy private-school girls or that they can do some hot liquid moves when they feel like it or that we couldn't figure out at first in which city they shot this? Or all of that? (Watch the video) Who are these girls? Are they girrrls? Looking at this doesn't really help us understand, but it's fun to wait for that one girl to do the super secret dance move they do. Sitting down. OK, yes, we're mental.
Pup Culture
In some cultures it's the Year of the Dog right now. But it's always Year of the Dog here at World of Wonder. Seems all the staffers have pups tucked away at home and eventually bring them to the office where they make indelible impressions. On the carpet. (No names – that would be dog dish.) Here are a few of the dogs we could obtain pics of on quick notice. We may add more, so check back later.
From top: Randy Barbato's Charlie, Mike Rysavy's Pug, Stephen Saban's Benny, Gabriel Rotello's Ziggy, Afsheen Family's Paddington, Fenton Bailey's Edith, Ben Le Vine's Homer, Jeremy Simmons' Frankie, Nicole West's Charlie, Jordan Ruden's Ms Charlie. (It's official: Charlie most popular name for WOW dogs.)
Recently Dead
In a career that spanned more than three decades and over 80 movies (The Bad Seed, Giant, Move Over Darling, What a Way to Go!, The Way We Were...), Hollywood costume designer Moss Mabry dressed (often iconically) scores of stars, including Grace Kelly, Dean Martin, Lana Turner, Marlon Brando, Liza Minnelli, John Wayne, Doris Day, and Goldie Hawn. Mabry died last week in a hospital in San Diego County after a long bout with respiratory illness and heart trouble. He was 87. In this clip from a 1995 episode of WOW's AMC series, Hollywood Fashion Machine, Mabry talks about what is arguably his most famous piece of movie clothing – James Dean's red jacket in Rebel Without a Cause. (Watch the clip)
Spencer Gift
Now that Princess Diana is a 12-inch action figure called the Princess of Whales, she officially joins Elvis, Marilyn, and Hollywood in the World's Tackiest Unlicensed Must-Have Merchandise Hall of Fame. The collectible, limited-edition plastic doll looks more like Tammy Faye than Di, and neither gal would be caught dead in the ill-fitting white suit. Di's ankles are disjointed (from the crash? Brilliant), she's made up like a whore, and says 25 things at the push of a button (which she actually used to do), like "There’s far too much about me in the newspapers, far too much" and "I don’t sit here with resentment. I sit here with sadness because a marriage hasn't worked...."
Sweep 15
It's old news by now but WOW's own Wash Westmoreland triumphed at Sundance with a DP. No, not double penetration, but a double prize, scooping both the dramatic grand jury prize and the audience award. His film, Quinceañera, written and directed with Richard Glatzer, is a total delight that's sure to avoid the Sundance curse of zip commercial appeal. You laugh, you cry, it becomes a part of you. Audiences will flock.
The complete adulation with which the film has been greeted is second only to the almost sickening speed with which the film was conceived, written, and shot. Up at the final Queer Lounge blowout, Mickey Cottrell's "Homos away from Home," Wash was telling me that they had the idea on New Year's day, wrote it in three weeks, and were in production by March. The gestation of indie films can often take years – even decades. The film was also edited by Clay Zimerman, a favorite WOW editor, and produced by Anne Clements, who produced WOW's Gay Republicans and Totally Gay.
Wash wouldn't say what the budget was or where it came from ("investors in the valley"), though he did concede that a fierce bidding war is being orchestrated by masters of the game Cinetic (the militaryindustriallegal complex that is John Sloss).
Even though we had nothing to do with Quinceañera, we're as proud as can be.
– Fenton Bailey
(Photo: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland, John Sloss before the final screening of their film)
Burnsing Down the House
Although Pete Burns didn't actually win UK's Celebrity Big Brother, he sure didn't lose either. The outright star of the series gave the best face, one-liners, and TV moments of the year so far. Check out some of his best bits.
– Johnni Javier
Ahoy There!
Rosie O'Donnell has made her first trip to Sundance with her documentary All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise. Commissioned by HBO, the film profiles gay families onboard the 2004 cruise from New York to the Caribbean organized by Rosie and her partner, Kelli. The first-ever cruise to cater to gay families, it proved a huge success and was smooth sailing for most of the journey. Unfortunately, there was trouble ahoy when the ship docked in Nassau, Bahamas. Waiting for them was a brigade of right-wing Christians picketing the ship of "butt pirates and muff divers" as it made its port o' call to their island. One of the film crew – a straight male – says the protesters gave him wide berth once he came ashore stating, "They were afraid if they touched me they'd get the 'gay spirit'."
Check out this montage clip of Rosie in 2005's Riding The Bus With My Sister.
– Frank Rehwaldt
Take a Look at Me Now
Isabelle Dinoire before the dog attack and after the face transplant. No longer depressed, despite partial paralysis, "loose" lower lip, and sour expression, French single parent Isabelle now shops at the mall, chainsmokes, enjoys omelets, chocolate, and "the odd glass of wine," and is looking into moving to another town and opening a baby-clothes shop. If it weren't for the face thing, she'd be almost entirely uninteresting.
Wake-Up Calls
• Brokeback popular at the DGA ceremony, ignored by SAG voters.
• Body armor saved lives of ABC newsies.
• Chris Penn frequent patron of LA trannie-hustler bar Spotlight?
• Paratroopers from Fort Bragg's 82nd Airborne Division pictured on gay pornsite, since removed.
• Judge causes chaos in Saddam courtroom so...
• ...defendant boycotts trial.
• Investigation shows pols making over 1,000 changes to Wikipedia.
• Latest poll: Men want Jessica Alba!
• Bush administration hands out one-quarter of alloted AIDS-fight funds to religious groups that emphasize abstinence over condoms.
• All but five of 72 trapped in Canadian potash mine rescued.
• Erstwhile Bay City Roller cocaine user, not dealer.
• Chicken needle soup?
• The Dukes of Razzie. Golden Raspberry Award nominations announced.
January 29, 2006
Sundance: A Dave in the Life
At a party for his film The Science of Sleep, Gael García Bernal proves why he is beloved by women, men, and domestic animals. Not only is the diminutive darling a double cheek kisser, he is also a fan enabler. At the swank Dry Goods, a "pop-up" Levi's store that popped up just for Sundance (with all profits going to youth AIDS charities, celebrities were asked to match the dollar value of the swag given to them as a contribution – now that's a way to raise consciousness), Bernal held court like a king. When I asked, "May I take your picture?" he putted, "No, WE take OURRR picture." He grabbed the camera and this is the result. See, the camera really does love him. Me? Well, let's just say I was caught in the flattering age-defying light of his brilliance?
– David A Keeps
Triple Feature – on Wheels
Quartknee in San Francisco writes:
OMG! Friday night was SO AMAZING. The Castro Theater had a roller-disco triple feature, and I can still feel the endorphins flowing in an afterglow of glitter-and-satin overload.
Roller Boogie (1979) - You have to rent this movie. The cheesy nostalgia factor is off the charts! Linda Blair is so fucking hot and she's featuring tons of revealing satin numbers, like those short-shorts with the rainbow along the butt. The eyeshadow alone is worth the cost of rental and the skate moves are equal parts cool and weak. The story is a bit tired but the script had a bunch of lines that were so bad you'll be repeating them for weeks. I can't recommend this film highly enough. SEE IT NOW.
Xanadu (1980) - I never realized how creepy Gene Kelly is in this film until I saw it in a theater packed with queens. The comments shouted at the screen by the audience were priceless. So too were the three rows of guys holding up lighters during the cheesy ballad number.
More...Sundance: A Dave in the Life
At the Gateway Center, which is an atrium mall taken over by the festival to sell tickets and T-shirts, the Queer Lounge expanded from one to three rooms, all hosting parties. A wristband got you into any of the rooms but, rather democratically, if you didn’t have one you could simply loiter in the atrium and watch the comings and goings.
On the night that noted interior designer Barclay Butera (shown here with dachshund) hosted a celebration of all the great dramas being shown at the fest, Nick Nolte (above) sat imperiously in a frock coat and swank fedora, a walking stick in his hand. Sitting next to the ever-youthful Timothy Hutton, who seems to have one of those rockin’ yoga bodies, Nolte looked – how shall we say? – rather pimpesque, a marked contrast to the character he plays in Off The Black. In that low-key small town baseball outing, Nolte hits it out of the park as a shambling, deliciously drunken baseball umpire who kinda-sorta adopts the angst-ridden teenage pitcher of the local team played by new Sundance prince, Trevor Morgan. Let’s rave about Nolte – whom we have worshipped ever since Rich Man, Poor Man – for just a second: His gruff but surprisingly tender ump was certainly one of the truest characters in a Sundance film (OK, I saw only, like, seven and walked out of one, Puccini for Begginers, which should have been called Woody Allen Lesbians For Dummies).
Another great performance came from Ryan Gosling, as a crack-smoking outer-borough history teacher in the deeply depressing, turgidly paced Half Nelson. Also at the same party as Nolte, we found Jim Gaffigan (the guy with the red beard, above) whom many in LA know and love as the cute cop in the Sierra Mist commercial. Jim, who looked a little misted holding up a wall, is a comedian, it appears, and was cast in Stephanie Daley, a movie with Tilda Swinton and Amber Tamblyn that no doubt needed his comic savoir faire.
– David A Keeps
January 27, 2006
The Basement Tapes
German chanteuse Klaus Nomi was like a glottal rocket that flared up, illuminated the night sky, and died out way to soon. Literally died. For almost five minutes in the late '70s he was everywhere in New York City, exercising his thrilling, hair-raising operatic soprano voice in downtown rock clubs and frightening hip late-night TV viewers when he performed on SNL with David Bowie. This New York performance of his hit "Total Eclipse (of the Sun)" is included in the film Urgh! A Music War, a music film which includes, um, everybody. We have this clip in our basement because we looked at it while researching our 2001 VH1 production, From the Waist Down: Men, Women & Music. (Watch the clip)
Earbuds Replace Cold Buds on Campus
In yet another way the fun has been deleted from the iPod, Stanford University has uploaded lectures, texts, course-based study material, and other stultifying whatnot onto iTunes for downloading into your shuffle, etc, for focused listening when you could instead be absently enjoying music, which is, we're guessing, what you bought the player for.
iPod Is the New First-Aid Kit
Arizona cardiovascular surgeon Dr Grayson Wheatley is giving his patients iPods so that they can learn about diet and exercise as it applies to heart maintenance. He's being credited as the first doctor to do so. (Does he slap the price of the Nano onto their bills? Is an iPod covered by insurance?) Patients are able to have balloon angioplasty, stenting, and bypass surgical procedures performed in the palms of their hands, relieving doctors of hours of repetitious explaining. Or, as Wheatley puts it, "They can watch it several times, and... get a true understanding of exactly some of the complex things that we're doing." The Arizona Heart Institute in Phoenix is the first medical institute to use iPod vodcasting for patients. You can log on for free and check it out right here. (Ivanhoe via Micro Persuasion)
Oprah's Poot Club
A Million Little Pieces author James Frey was ill-advised to chat with an incensed Oprah in a weak attempt to explain his lying in the memoir she had embraced in her book-club bosom. Nobody can win against Oprah, it's a fact. Now, in this enhanced snippet from the show, we see how Frey's appearance further humiliates himself and Oprah. (Watch the clip)
The Life Aquatic
Under construction in the Arabian Sea in Dubai is the world's first underwater hotel, and if all goes swimmingly, the $550-million structure, 66 feet below the surface of the Persian Gulf, will open next year. It's no Hilton or Ramada, Ian Schrager is not involved, and no one's consulted Philippe Starck on furnishings. (Though may we suggest gravel floors and a tiny castle in each room?) It's the big baby of developer and designer Joachim Hauser on land belonging to His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. They're calling the project Hydropolis, and why shouldn't they? It should sound like something fantastic that will propagate sequels. The 220-suite luxury hotel features three sections: a land station, where guests will be welcomed; a connecting tunnel, which will transport people by train to the main area of the hotel; and 220 suites in the undersea complex, rates for which are expected to be $5,500 a night. But will it have a pool?
(Additional, t/y Ben)
Dick Doc at 11 O'clock
Getting to and from screenings here at Sundance can be a bit of a hassle. Parking is impossible so you have to allow plenty of time to ride the shuttle and be sure to arrive at least 20 minutes early even if you have a ticket. The nice lady at the shuttle stop told me I didn't have a chance in hell of getting to the 11:30 of This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Kirby Dick's doc about the skullduggery of the gay-hating, violence-loving, studio-brown-nosing MPAA. Hmm, what to do? Just at that moment, Kirby himself hurried by. There was only one place he could be going.
"Kirby, are you going to your screening?"
"Er, yes." (Translation: Who are you?)
"Could I get a ride?"
"Er, yes." (Translation: What the fuck?)
I have to admit it was brazen and shameless, but he and his family couldn't have been nicer to this hitcher cum hijacker. And the film is brilliant. Totally brilliant.
– Fenton Bailey
Dogcast
WOW producer Thairin Smothers chats on the phone with WOW intern Tasha Goldthwait, whose father's film Stay, the story of a woman and her dog, just "fetched" a reported "jillion" dollars at Sundance. Tasha, living in a Park City condo with Dad and the cast and crew of Stay, says Bobcat cried a few times when he got the news, lit up the sky with fireworks purchased in Vegas, and has been running around in a fur jockstrap ever since. (Listen here)
Wake-Up Calls
• Quitting cigarettes on sudden whim more successful than planned strategy.
• Revenge of the Sith: Star Wars thieves brought to justice.
• Cash crash: Joaquin Phoenix's car loses brakes, overturns, collides.
• Say it ain't so! Clay Aiken has sex romp with Green Beret in Quality Inn near Raleigh.
• Ford employees must drive Fords or park elsewhere.
• Ten-foot-tall Bigfoot spotted in Malaysia; scientists investigate.
• Dead wood? 72-year-old Larry King, in Indian costume, beds panting, chaps-wearing wife.
• Los Angeles sues makers of Grand Theft Auto game for embedding explicit sex acts.
• US president with difficulty walking, talking, writing, and swallowing?
• 150 best-selling books.
Mr & Mrs
Tonight sees the Celebrity Big Brother come to a close with the six remaining housemates battling it out. Unbelievable to some, sharp-tongued Pete Burns, the obvious star of the series, is still one of the main contenders to win. And we know he can come over as a hard-man, but there are many sides to Pete, all of them being flawless. Even when he has a little cry. (Check out this rerun)
– Johnni Javier
The Cold Shoulder
Noel Gallagher from British rock band Oasis, has launched a shocking attack on his brother, Liam, and children in general. In an interview with a Norwegian newspaper, he said that children are "fucking idots" and Liam is "not a good person – when he walks into a room, everything freezes." Even if the room is really hot?
– Donal Coonan
The Secret of Atrousal
The Sun reports today that "a LESBIAN seduced another woman by pretending to be a MAN." But how exactly did Samantha Nicholls achieve such a remarkable disguise and successfully seduce the female "victim"? She "wore trousers and called herself Josh." And then the two of them had simulated sex. Easy. So straight single man should stop wearing shorts and change his name from Paul immediately.
– Donal Coonan
January 26, 2006
Sky Stallone
Astronomers said yesterday they have discovered what could be the first "rocky" Earth-like planet found outside the solar system. "This new technology has revealed the most terrestrial planet ever," said team leader Geoffrey W. Marcy, who had obviously forgotten about Earth, which is totally more terrestrial than OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb (that is seriously its name).
– Ted Kupper
Six Degrees of Sundance
The co-director of a documentary getting some buzz, An Unreasonable Man, about the career of consumer advocate Ralph Nader, is Henriette Mantel. She played a police officer in our film Shantay, a spy adventure starring RuPaul as a kind of James Blondish supermodel secret agent, and was Alice in The Brady Bunch Movie, which of course featured RuPaul.
Blades of Glory
Writes Randy Barbato:
SKATING WITH CELEBRITIES. It's official. I have lost my mind. I am watching this show. Here's why.
• THE ANTI-HOST - Scott Hamilton: He's so bad, he's good. Everything about him screams – and I mean screams – never ever hire me to be a host of a TV show. And yet there he is.
• THE PERFECT JUDGE - Dorothy Hamill: Forget Celebrex, Dorothy has found her groove. If Paula Abdul wasn't on drugs and was smart and funny and pretty (and talented), she would be Dorothy Hamill. Okay, that was totally mean, because I am actually loving Paula Abdul this season AND it appears that whatever substance abuse problem she may have had she no longer has. But I digress. Dorothy is loving this gig and turning it out. This week her outfit even revealed some flesh and she was wearing glitter body makeup! Who knew?
• THE CONSPIRACY THEORY: The best team is Jillian Barberie and John Zimmerman. They will win and, frankly, it seems like a set up. Why did Jillian get the best looking skater? Because she's already on Fox? I suspect there is some Jillian Fox reality show in the works. Or Jillian/Mike celebrity wedding special. Meanwhile, Jillian has been on TV for like 300 years, so how is it she always looks younger and younger? And what exactly does she do? Weather forecaster? Style commentator? TV hostess? Actress? Whatever? She's one of those 21st-century, postmodern "whatever" celebs. And John Zimmerman... Well, if truth be known, we tried to cast him ourselves (casting tape for your viewing pleasure), so maybe it's just sour grapes.
More...Whose Knife Is It Anyway?
Currently available only in the UK, on the Channel 4 website, This Is a Knife (think Crocodile Dundee and stop scratching your head) is a series of daily head-scratchers the WOW London team finds in the wonderful world of cyberia. Every day of the week you Brits can catch fresh, three-minute podcast episodes of sliced-and-diced weirdness with your hosts Donal Coonan, Rachna Suri, Susan Hickey, and Al Sutton. Each mini show investigates a batch of web stories just hitting the news and whets the appetite for exploring sites featuring amputee art, Vincent Gallo’s sperm, and journals by 80-year-old women. (Watch the trailer)
Cohencidence
In Paris with a "pal," Bravo's vice president of production and programming, Andy Cohen, just happened into the happening and legendary eatery Maxim on gay night. In his cleverly named blog, Andy's Blog, on the Bravo website (a kind of travelogue this time out), he tells of stumbling across the schism of Madonnaism in Europe.
The place was empty at midnight and packed by two. When "Hung Up" came on there was a stampede to the dancefloor. Pandemonium. No matter what country - Madonna will make the people come together. It's a given. I asked a French youth what the chances of hearing another Madonna song was. "Zero chance," he spat back. "You're lucky you heard any. Absolutely none, you should go somewhere else if that's what you want." About an hour later, they played "Hung Up" one more time. Another stampede. More global unity. I spied the nasty naysayer.... on the dance floor.
And btw, people are saying Cohen is the new, gay, man-about-town. In fact, someone described him to us as being "like Liz Smith meets Army Archerd meets oh I don"t know." Let's hope the "oh I don't know" is a young thing like Dakota Fanning because Liz and Army, though greatly revered, gotta have about 160 years between them.
Frankie Say Remember the '80s
We've always found it difficult to breathe when Debbie Harry's in the room, such is her magnificence. And now we're experiencing that same shortness of breath watching this footage of her with Andy Warhol, as Debbie's "French Kissing in the USA" plays in the background. It happened back in 1986 on Warhol's MTV show, Andy Warhol's 15 Minutes. Andy and Debbie together in the same frame is a powerful pop-icon combo (people have been known to faint), plus Debbie's wearing something by Stephen Sprouse, in a camouflage design from a painting by Andy. Later in the clip, designer Katharine Hamnett, who made all those "Frankie Say" T-shirts that were mad popular in the '80s, talks about fashion as a non-verbal language, while period models swing from the ceiling and explain that it's possible to be both beautiful and brainy. (Watch the clip)
In part two of our return to the past, Andy chats with Mick's wife Jerry Hall. And we mean chats. "Drag queen is such a down word," he says. "It should be an up word." Whew. Debbie says "neo drag is what we call the drag of the '80s," and the scene shifts to New York's legendary and hilarious Pyramid club, with performances by John Kelly and Ethyl Eichelberger. (Enter here)
Sundance Kid Report
Tasha Goldthwait, who interns at WOW, is at Sundance for her dad Bobcat's movie. The movie is Stay, screening in the drama category even though it's a Bobcat film and about a woman who fellates a dog. We are HUGE fans of Bobcat, so were thrilled when Tasha agreed to file some mini reports with photos from the festival for the WOW Report, starting now:
Park City Main Street – where everything goes down.
Bobcat Goldthwait at the popular breakfast stop of Sundance. Look closely and you'll see the most fabulous thing on the menu: Right where his tongue is pointing, it says "San Francisco Tossed Salad."
(More after the jump)
More...Wake-Up Calls
• Penn death update. Drugs?
• Madonna looks "ropey" at Gaultier show.
• Saddam to sue Bush, Rumsfeld, Blair for using WMD on Iraq.
• Nicole Kidman to become UN goodwill ambassador.
• Chain-smoking face translpant woman now allowed flowers.
• Man kills mother with crossbow.
• Jamie Foxx can't get laid.
• Mine blast survivor out of coma,
• Release of Iraqi women prisoners a coincidence?
• Hattie McDaniel gets stamp of approval.
The Sheep of Things to Come
The Mirror reports today that fake sheep are being placed on the village green in North Bradley to recreate its once idyllic appearance. England has long held fears that our "green and pleasant land" is being overrun by concrete and artifices; these "sheep" could be just another example of that.
But others are not so worried. Therre is no way that farmers would ever accept the substitute of an artificial sheep. It wouldn't "feel" right.
– Donal Coonan
January 25, 2006
Sitings
• Christian swimwear. It's even worse than you imagine. (t/y Todd)
• The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny. Ultimately fascinating. Very cool. (t/y Eduardo)
• OO (t/y Xoie)
An Actual Motley Crew Showed Up
Steven Corfe writes: Motley Crue received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this morning, to the cheers of a thousand diehard fans. Upon realizing that I stood no chance of fighting my way to the front to get a decent picture, I instead turned my camera on the aging groupies to capture the flavor of the ceremony. Here's some of my favorite photos and sound bites from the assembled Crue-sters:
Missy and Pete, Torrance, CA
Pete: We dropped Ecstasy backstage with the Crue back in '89. In our eyes, man! I'm now legally blind.
Missy: But it was so worth it! Are we waving in the right direction?
Fergus, Van Nuys, CA
Fergus: During the Swine Tour, the Crue hired me to walk around their parties with a tray of cocaine strapped to my head. That was pretty rock 'n' roll.
Marie & Dave, Echo Park, CA
Dave: Marie got invited backstage by Motley Crue 9 months ago!
Marie: But I didn't have sex.
Dave: Who said you did?
