February 28, 2007
WTF?
Courtney Love's not-so-Golden Globes at the Oscars. Did she make this dress in rehab? The full-length is even worse. Check it out at x17online.
WOW TV: garyglaser: jesus rises
See more at garyglaser.
This is some crazy sh*t! We all know about Jesus being resurrected (well, some of us do), but in Jesus Rises the question rises, What if the only reason he got up out of the 2,000-year-old coffin that James Cameron found was because (wait for it)... Jesus was a zombie? Check it out and see for yourself.
– Selected by Ross Greenberg
Arts and Crafts
I just saw your post on the art of Chris Jordan and it's not clear if his pieces are actual works or just digital art. Soda cans seem quite tall given the large number needed to be stacked to make that Seurat piece. I'm wondering if you're familiar with the art of Jason Mercier? He's a mosaic portrait artist and I'm sure you must have seen his Tammy Faye clock – it was floating around the internet on quite a few art blogs. His holiday piece with the Olsen twins actually makes them look a bit human. If nothing else, Mercier's work is a cute timewaster!
– Quartknee
Down to Earth
WOW's new receptionist Liz Leister noticed the bag o' booze in the hand of that guy behind Helen Mirren at Heathrow's arrivals gate yesterday and wondered if it was hers. We're thinking he might be a stalker. And wondering if Mirren was wearing underwear. (Photo: People)
P Is for Previous
I just typed the letter P into my Google search window and the following list of previous inquiries came up. It was rather shocking. They appear to be from the last week or so. Do I even remember last week? It's comforting to have The Google to remind me of what was once important to me:
Paris Vacation Rentals
Patty Hearst
Paula Deen
Penis Implants
PhD in Psychology
Prince Frederick von Anhalt
PsyD Programs
Puxatawney Phil
– Ray Cochran
Off With Her Headline!
Last week, the editors at the Associated Press decided they'd had their fill of Paris Hilton and took the bold move of decreeing a ban on stories about her, which were averaging two a week. AP's entertainment editor Jesse Washington, bless him, sent a memo saying that, except for any unforeseen major event concerning the socialite, there was to be no further mention of her from the wire service. Washington told the New York Observer, "There was a surprising amount of hand-wringing. A lot of people in the newsroom were saying this was tampering with the news." Another, however, said, "This is a great idea – can we add North Korea?" (Editor&Publisher)
If You Can't Beat 'Em, Invite 'Em In
Because of inclement weather the other night, few celebs showed up for the Gotham magazine screening of Zodiac in New York, so nice-guy costar Mark Ruffalo invited reporters and paparazzi into the theater to see the movie and gave them all gift bags. Said a witness, "When one photographer was late and missed the arrivals, Mark came back out so he could get his shot. Then, after the movie, he extended an invite for them to join him at the after-party. He was by far one of the nicest guys." (Source)
Cans Seurat Seurat
Sure, Damien Hirst's butterflies are impressive, but this guy, Chris Jordan, is some kind of art hero, turning huge numbers of guns, paper and plastic bags, prison uniforms, dollar bills, aluminum cans – pretty much anything – into art with a message. In his hands 106,000 aluminum cans – the number used in the US every 30 seconds – become this. (t/y Nick)
Pup Culture
It's very cute that Jessica Simpson is driving around town with her movie-character-namesake dog Daisy blowing in the breeze, but it seems there's also a baby riding up front too. That's not cute.
Lights Out
Paris Hilton was stopped by LA cops last night for driving without her headlights on and when it was discovered her license had been suspended (remember that DUI?), her car was towed. This time, she appears to be talking to an actual person on her cell. Probably mouthpiece Elliot Mintz, who explained to TMZ that his client was exiting a brightly lit parking structure and hadn't noticed her headlights were off. And the suspended license...? (CelebDrama; photos, Pacific Coast News)
Recently Dead
Peggy Gilbert, the world's leading female jazz sax player and leader of several all-girl orchestras, died earlier this month after hip surgery in Los Angeles. She was 102. Growing up in Sioux City, Iowa, Gilbert was enamored of the jazz she heard on the radio, but when she wanted to play the saxophone, she was told girls could play only piano, harp, or violin. That didn't stop her. In 1923, she formed an all-female jazz band, the Melody Girls, and went to LA. Over the years, the band's name changed to Peggy Gilbert and Her Metro Goldwyn Orchestra and Peggy Gilbert and Her Coeds, and in 1974, when she was 69, she put together the Dixie Belles, a Dixieland band of older women that performed until 1998. Last year, Lily Tomlin narrated Jeannie Poole's documentary, Peggy Gilbert & Her All-Girl Band. (Source)
Ms. Gilbert, who was divorced after an early marriage, is survived by her companion of more than 60 years, Kay Boley, a former vaudeville performer and contortionist she met when they appeared at the same nightclub.
Fabruary
Our artist-filmmaker friend Rodney Ascher sent us this Top 5 for February video from his friends Andrew Andrew and it seemed post-appropriate on this last day of the month.
Good Daddy
Ryan Phillippe took the kids Ava and Deacon to LA's Third Street Promenade over the weekend. Those are not Cokes or mocha frappuccinos, they're Jamba Juices. (Life&Style; photos, LimelightPics)
Quote Unquote
"I met with Ang Lee on that movie, I read 15 pages of the script and got a little creeped out. It was very graphic, descriptive – the spitting on the hand, getting ready to do the thing. I told Ang Lee, 'I like you, you're a talented guy, if you want to talk about it more....' Thankfully, he didn't. ...I didn't rush to see Brokeback, it's just not my deal... Obviously, it was done in taste – look how it was received." – Mark Wahlberg explaining why he's not sorry he and Joaquin Phoenix were passed over for the leads in Brokeback Mountain. (Starpulse)
February 27, 2007
WOW TV: Fab Films TV: 'Peter Vs Robot' - New Music Video by Black Peter Group
See more at FAB FILMS TV.
i love this new indie music video post. DEBBIE from avenue d (yes they have a WOW TV channel) is giving face for this which is an extra treat. the song is purdy darn good. i first saw Gio at Linda Simpsons SLURP in NYC in Nov 06 (yes i have pics). Im glad so see the BPG on WOWTV.
– Selected by Thairin Smothers
Children of Media
If you're a fan of Children of Men – and who isn't? – you'll love this footage of all the advertising, product, and media placement in the movie, set to King Crimson. Watch it here. More good stuff at Foreign Office. (t/y Nick)
A Program Note
It seems like only yesterday that the WOW docuseries One Punk, Under God began airing to popular and critical acclaim on the Sundance Channel, yet it's already being released on DVD. Tomorrow, in fact. A miracle? You can order the six-parter right now at Amazon.
Voice Mails from a Father
Joe Barbato leaves messages for his son Randy. A WOW Report irregular feature. (Listen)
Holmes Schooling
Why is it that three-quarters of the people who know who she is think Victoria Beckham is a "classy" dresser? Is it because she once called herself Posh, what the cheap seats call the orchestra folk? Here she is at the restaurant Spago in LA, dressed as if she meant to be mistaken for a Euro schoolboy, which is made all the more ridiculous by giantess best friend Katie Holmes' protective motherly hand on her shoulder. (Mavrixchatter)
WOW TV: She's Crafty: Homemade
See more at She's Crafty.
In this episode of She's Crafty, Mary Ann shows you a quick and easy way to make your own Twinkies. I'm hungry, but I guess I'm going to have to opt for the original store-bought kind.
– Selected by Ross "How long do you cook minute rice?" Greenberg
Of Interest
Robert Zimmerman, noted singer-songwriter, and Josh Richman, director of Teddy's at the Roosevelt Hotel.
Look at Us, We're Working (It)
Two of bloggers' many mainstays (and often inert filler), Lindsay and Paris, are captured by photogs as they go about their daily business, Lohan filming I Know Who Killed Me (the movie we're already sick of), and Hilton wandering aimlessly with boyfriend Stavros Niarchos but without the cell phone clamped to her ear (it must be love). (Dirty Laundry & x17online)
Nap Time
Justin Timberlake and Christina Ricci do the black snake moan in this scene from Black Snake Moan.
Lap Time
Diddy's kid, Justin Combs, 12, got lapdanced from some unsavory types the other day. Don't know if it was his first or what the occasion was, but we think it kind of broadens the definition of "child services." (TOB)
The Inconvenient Truth About Jennifer Hudson's Bolero
Blame Jennifer Hudson's fashion shame on Vogue's pretentious behemoth Andre Leon Talley, who puts the large in editor-at-large. Page Six reports today that:
Jennifer... did win big – but lost big, too, because of the much ridiculed metallic bolero Andre Leon Talley made her put on. (Post fashion editor Serena French said it made her look "lost in space.'") "Jennifer was kind of sponsored by Talley and Vogue," said one fashionista. "Andre insisted she wear that hideous Oscar de la Renta dress with the awful, awful gold python bolero. Jennifer really didn't want to, and so [noted stylist] Jessica Paster got her a beautiful gold Roberto Cavalli custom-made. But when Andre found out, he went ballistic. Moments before she left for the show, there was a power struggle and Jennifer ended up putting his outfit on."
God Bless the Queen
Best-actress Oscar: $330. Christian LaCroix gown: $5,000-$10,000. Hair and makeup: $2,000. Eating a burger in front of Oscar while wearing the gown at the Vanity Fair party: Priceless. (VF)
Hostel Takeover
Bijou Phillips gives good head – hers – on the Hostel Part II poster you're not likely to see at your local Bijou. (via Bloody-Disgusting)
Jake on Dave
If you're a fan of Jake Gyllenhaal – and who isn't? – you'll find his visit last night to David Letterman's Late Show heaven. (via Just Jared)
February 26, 2007
WOW TV: Shotby Thairin: Greer Lankton 1995 Whitney Bienniel
See more at shotby thairin.
In this edition of Shotby Thairin, check out never-before-seen footage of Greer Lankton's sculptures of famous Andy Warhol transsexual Candy Darling. RIP Greer Lankton.
– Selected by Ross Greenberg
Oscar Down!
Like Eddie Murphy's dreams of winning, Oscar is knocked down to the dust and whisked away.
– Steven Corfe
Separate but Sequel
When Vivid Entertainment, the 800-pound gorilla of porn production, announced they were re-making the seminal '70s adult film Debbie Does Dallas, we grabbed our cameras and rushed over to see how it all came together…and who came together. The end result is a seven-part documentary series called Debbie Does Dallas…Again, premiering March 9th at 11pm.
The original Debbie Does Dallas is one of the few bona fide porno mega-hits, grossing an estimated $100 million and spawning a whole cottage industry of sequels and spin-offs – everything from Debbie Does New Orleans to Debbie Does Dishes (which, as it happens, is an excellent film). So what makes this version different? For one thing it’s got five of Vivid’s hottest stars: Stefani Morgan (above), Monique Alexander, Sunny Leone, Cassidey, and the one and only Savanna Samson.
Of course, only one of them can be "Debbie," which sucks for them but is great news for fans of catty backstabbing and bitchy jealousness - topped off with a heapin' hunk of hhhhot sex, of course. But we're not allowed to tell you exactly when or where it's going to air, although show time is 11pm on Friday, March 9th. Get it?
– Chris May
Montagne de Brokeback
In this French television commercial for Canal+, a woman tries to explain the plot of Brokeback Mountain to her friend who inexplicably has no clue. Things get lost in translation, although the gist is still there. (t/y Jerome)
Gone With the Rewind
These are the top-10 TiVo rewind moments from the Oscar party I attended yesterday:
1. J-Lo's face on the red carpet as some ABC numpty tells her it's good of her to come, as she "doesn't have to attend every year." Way to remind a gal she's never been nominated!
2. Reese Witherspoon on the red carpet. Look, someone's hand just reached into shot to pouf up her hair!
3. Wait, did Ellen just call Penelope Cruz Mexican? Oh. Maybe not.
4. Will Smith's eight-year-old boy just fucked up his lines! That kid needs a new publicist.
5. Did someone really just holler "Get off!" during Ennio Morricone's honorary Oscar acceptance speech in Italian?
6. Kate Winslet's confused expression and glance at the camera during the above Italian acceptance speech, versus Gwyneth Paltrow's nodding smiling pretense at understanding.
7. Jodie Foster's entrance. She walked to the wrong side of the stage, hee hee!
8. The Pilobolus shadow dancers' gun shooting something across the stage. A ball? A dancer? A testicle?
9. Freeze-framing the exact millisecond where Peter O'Toole realizes he will never win for Best Actor. Did he actually just give up and die right there in his chair?
10. Is Clint Eastwood's wife jerking him off during Martin Scorsese's acceptance speech??
– Steven Corfe
The Script Keeper
Court TV is taking a stab at scripted programming, adding 'Til Death Do Us Part to its Monday lineup beginning March 19 at 10. The macabre series will feature John Waters pulling an Alfred Hitchcock, introducing each 30-minute playlet about matrimonial homicide and returning at story's end to drive in the final nail. Calling himself the "Groom Reaper," he leads viewers through the action, from the wedding to the murder of one spouse by the other. Sounds more like a reality show. (t/y MK at Popbytes)
Dance With Me, Hyundai
Remember when Ellen said the Pilobolus dancers were naked behind that screen? As good as. Anyway, here's the company's Hyundai commercial.
WOW TV: Kids Row: Franklin on the Montel Show
See more at Kids Row.
For us here at the Report, this clip's really about producer Kristin Rasmussen on the Montel show, so we asked her to tell us what it was like:
OK, about three weeks ago we get a call from Montel Williams' talk show saying that they want to do a piece on "Kids Row," our show on WOW TV. I think great, how exciting! Franklin will get to go to New York and if I'm lucky I'll get to tag along with him. The excitement turns to nausea instantly when the producer at Montel says they want me on as well. I suck it up and try to focus on the free trip to New York. We show up at the set, oh, I guess I should have mentioned that the producer made it clear over the phone that they have a strict dress code and no jeans, tennis shoes, tattoos, or piercings are permitted. I think, Well, there goes any option of my wearing my own clothes; however, she promised to get me something "hip." We show up at the studio and once I've signed my life away in their release I see it, my biggest fear...what I can only refer to as the most hideous polyester, "power dyke" suit imaginable. To make matters worse, everything is two sizes bigger than I told her I wear. Needless to say, I'm not comfortable. But really, what can I do, besides take one for the team. I waddle out to my seat hoping that my pants don't fall down on the way and I wait for my turn to speak. They prepped us before hand so supposedly we know what's going to be asked before it is. What they failed to mention is that Montel is quite passionate and doesn't always stick to the script. By the time he turns to me and DOESN'T ask me what he was supposed to, all I can do is blurt out "Wow TV!" The rest is a blur. Oh, and because some people might not believe me, here's a picture of the real me, minus the collar. Enjoy!
– Kristin Rasmussen
Of Interest
Although the first thing we all thought (but not seriously) when we saw Jack Nicholson's bald head at the Oscars last night was that he had shaved his head in support of Britney Spears, the truth is that he's gone topless for his role in Rob Reiner's dramedy The Bucket List, in which he and Morgan Freeman play cancer patients on a last-fling adventure. Sounds hilarious. (Jack photo: Getty Images)
There's Something About Marijuana
Is that a trend we smell? Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz shared some Maui Wowie on the beach in Hawaii last week. And you'll remember that Paris and Mischa were also caught last week taking a toke or two in the, uh, privacy of their cars. (Photo: SplashNews)
Stars' Night Out
Vanity Fair's Oscars after-party at Morton's in West Hollywood. Photos via Vanity Fair's Little Gold Men, from top: Kidman, Streep, Blige, and Winfrey; Paltrow, Ritchie, and Stefani; DeRossi and Degeneres; Lee and Bloom; Penn, Fisher, and Cohen; Madonna and Whitaker; Mirren; Von Furstenberg; Geffen and Diller.
February 25, 2007
Carrion Luggage?
Getting off my plane at JFK was someone I thought was a host on the Food Network – you know, one of those Bobby Flay-alikes – because they were decked out in such a schleppy way. So imagine my shock when it turned out to be Project Runway supremo Michael Kors. I snapped a discreet shot of the unfashionable carry-on that he wheeled behind him – an ugly misshapen thing that kept keeling over (above). Truth be told, he seemed embarrassed by the dreadful accessory, and complained until his cute young companion took the reins and stuffed a Louis Vuitton bag on top, presumably to cover up the dreadful faux pas (below left).
But wait, there's more! Let me tell you, deplaning at JFK's international terminal is very much like walking an (endless) runway, made all the more fashionable thanks to Diller and Scofidio's installation of terrorist surveillance chic (above right). Michael was so not ready for a runway of any description; he wore a pair of grungy black slacks that needed hemming or turning up, and a ratty old pair of sneakers. And on red-carpet day of all days!
– Fenton Bailey
February 24, 2007
Recently Dead
Grammy-nominated audio and mix engineer Ethan Willoughby died last Sunday when the car he was driving on the 101 in Sherman Oaks was hit by a drunk driver who was traveling in the wrong direction. He was 30. Willoughby worked with the Black Eyed Peas and will.i.am and collaborated with Justin Timberlake on his 2002 Justified album and was Grammy-nominated for engineering Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds CD last year. We callously make light of Nicole Richie's impaired thinking and wrong-way freeway driving, but it's just such irresponsibility that caused Willoughby's death. His friends remember him on his MySpace.
21st-Century Vox
Oscars and Angels
This entry is going to be bifurcated, and if you don’t know what that means look it up or just continue reading. Tomorrow night is the Academy Awards, also known as The February Event Where Hollywood Celebrities Come Together and Celebrate Themselves. I say this is the February Event because God knows the celebrities don’t like to miss a month without giving each other an award. You know, kinda like employee of the month or top salesmen of the week for other people. Only we don’t usually bask in the moment wearing $15,000 gowns and give speeches about how fantastic it was to go to work. I don’t take flowers to the girl at McDonald's for showing up and packing the biggest box of fries, so I guess it seems weird to me that they win awards for doing good work. When I'm nominated for one, I promise I will come back and apologize for this blog entry, but until then let's move along to the most pretentious night in all of Hollywoodland.
More...
Wish I'd Said That
"As ever Matt Damon looks like he is playing Robin to some imaginary Batman at his side." – Peter Bradshaw
"Joyless crypto fascist Ann Coulter's eyes are a portal to infinite nihilistic oblivion." – Charlie Brooker
– Fenton Bailey
February 23, 2007
Sitings
• Old man with a horn. (t/y Eduardo)
• African kings put the silly fashion weeks in Paris, Milan, New York, and Los Angeles to shame. Big time. (via b3ta)
• Soft-porn sculpture from Love Land, a huge theme park in South Korea. (t/y Eduardo)
• Famous cousins who married cousins. One is, of course, Jerry Lee Lewis, but another is Rudy Giuliani.
• The Turtle Kid. Pointillism schmointillism, this three-year-old artist puts Seurat to shame. Small time. (t/y Steven)
She's Helen Heels
This year's Oscar winners Peter O'Toole and Helen Mirren (was that a spoiler alert or wishful thinking?) at the Miramax/Jo Malone party at Sunset Tower yesterday. Helen, always hot, was jacked up on five-inch heels she bought at her favorite hooker-shoe haunt on Hollywood Boulevard. (via Faded Youth)
WOW TV: Up the Arts: Frank Lloyd Wright: Murder, Myth, and Modernism
See more at Up The Arts.
Frank Lloyd Wright, the self-proclaimed World's Greatest Architect. Frank Lloyd Wright: Murder, Myth, and Modernism delves deep into the troubled and tragic life of this American icon – the bitter rivalries, financial chaos, and the personal tragedy.
For sale for $5 (please log in to purchase)
– Selected by Ross "World's Greatest Selector" GreenbergThe Butterfly Effect
The party: Damien Hirst's "Superstition" show opening
The place: The Gagosian Gallery, Beverly Hills
The people: Courtney Love, Kirsten Dunst, Flea, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brandon Davis
The art: 28 giant canvases with butterflies arranged to resemble stained glass windows
The butterflies: Dead. As dead, if not deader, than Hirst's sharks, cows, and lambs in formaldehyde
The drinks: None. You'd think that at $500,000 a canvas with all 28 sold, a couple of bottles of cheap red could be found
What not to wear: Butterfly print. Three offenders spotted, two women, one man. Also one piled-high hairdo full of butterfly clips, causing her to look as if she'd scraped her head against one of Hirst's canvases
(Text & photos by Steven Corfe; guy in the hat is Damien Hirst)
WOW TV: World of Wonder: Podcast 2-22-07
See more at World of Wonder.>
Spoiler: Oprah, Madonna, and the Today show are not mentioned in this podcast. Jennifer Aniston's manly face and nipples. Farrah Fawcett's nipples. Anna Nicole's trial. Britney's umbrella attack. Kevin Federline and his friends. The judge awarding custody of Anna Nicole's body to Dannielynn. Larry Birkhead at Tori & Dean's garage sale. His hairdo. James certain that he knew Birkhead from the scene, that maybe they used to go to the movies together or something. The Academy Awards. James' reminiscences about traveling on party buses. Jennifer Hudson on the cover of Vogue, the magazine's worst cover ever, worse than the Renée Zellweger cover. "Andrew" Leon Tally doing red-carpet commentary at the Oscars. American Idol. Chris Daughtry. His eyebrows. Anna Nicole and the concept of famous corpses.
Curtain Up!
If you're a fan of Harry Potter and Daniel Radcliffe and all the folderol surrounding his nude performance in Equus, then you're familiar with this shot of him with the horse and you've been waiting for what the less sophisticated among us are calling "the money shot." Well, it seems