August 31, 2008
Quote Unquote
"Basically it was: Daniel's the outlaw; I'm the riverboat gambler who gets all the pussy, the shallow good-looking sap; Stephen's the village idiot; and he's the fucking hero! He's the one who saves the day at the end, he's the Clint Eastwood. That's the movie he wanted to make about his brothers." – William Baldwin, to The New Yorker, on the screenplay his brother Alec wrote for himself and his siblings. (Page Six)
Fat White Dude Marries Asian Model
James Gandolfini, 46 (looks older), married former model Deborah Lin, 40 (looks younger), to the strains of the "Hawaiian Wedding Song" played on a harp yesterday in Lin's hometown of Honolulu. The bride wore Italian lace and the best man was the eight-year-old son from the groom's first marriage. Our former colleague Moye Ishimoto might have said it best on her Chopstix blog last january when news of Dandofini's proposal to Lin first surfaced: "So, to all the Asians out there – is this a win or a loss for us? You know, like, one less fug for our men (aka me) or goddammit, fat white dudes need to stop having fetishes?" (Peeps)
Alaska? ALASKA? Alaska? Come on, Man
Diddy, whose "government name" is Sean Combs, opines on Senator John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate. After looking at this clip for four minutes, we give Diddy the "nickname" Dizzy.
August 30, 2008
Johnny Depp: Jumpin' Jack Sparrow?
Last night, Friday, Johnny Depp strapped on a guitar and sang backup vocals with his old high-school band, The Kids, reuniting for a fund-raiser at Club Cinema in Pompano Beach, Florida. The band played a 90-minute set in front of 2,500 fans, including Depp's wife and nine-year-old daughter. Proceeds from the two-day benefit will go to the Dan Marino Foundation, which funds programs for kids with special needs. This amateur video probably doesn't do the band justice, but they sound terrible.
Snap!
Ambitious revelers at the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert today competed in the swimming leg of the annual Black Rock City triathalon. (Photo: Brad Horn/AP)
It's Johnston & Murphy, Not Masters & Johnson
Just a couple of days ago, David Duchovny, who plays a sex-obsessed character on Showtime's Californication, was Celebrity #1 at Nashville-based menswear company Johnston & Murphy, with the execs "thrilled" to have snagged him for its national print campaign launching in September in Esquire, Forbes, Fortune, Men's Health, etc. But immediately after the shit hit the stands yesterday that he'd entered rehab for a real sex addiction, reports Page Six, a poster like the one above was removed from the Johnston & Murphy window on Madison and 54th. "We got the call from corporate this morning to take him down," said a clerk in the Manhattan store. Does anyone see the contradiction here?
The Met's Fat Lady Sings for Wainwright
The piece that New York's Metropolitan Opera commissioned Rufus Wainwright to compose will not be performed there after all. A difficult Wainwright insisted his Prima Donna, about a day in the life of an opera singer, be performed in French, even though the Met requires all new works to be in English to appeal to a wider audience. On top of that, Wainwright wanted his opera staged NOW, and not in the 2014 season for which the Met had scheduled it. So Wainwright has taken his opera back and shopped it elsewhere. If you want to see Prima Donna, you'll have to go to England's Manchester International Festival next summer. If you want to see a prima donna, you can probably find Wainwright in West Hollywood right now. (LA Times; photo: Getty)
Quote Unquote
"We went out and Demi was dancing up on me and humping me from behind. She was lactating at the time and she was squirting breast milk at my lesbian friends. My friend Michelle called me the next morning and asked me: ‘How do I get breast milk out of my black dress?’ I replied: ‘How the fuck would I know? Call Demi!’" – Christopher Ciccone, on a night at the clubs with Madge and Demi Moore, in his book Life with My Sister Madonna. (The Sun)
Winehouse Says No No No to French Festival Promoters Again
For the second time in two years, Amy Winehouse has canceled her gig at Paris' Rock en Seine festival at the last minute. "Amy Winehouse was regrettably unable to perform at the show in Paris, due to illness," her spokesman informed the promoters two hours before she was to perform in front of 25,000 fans. "She was taken ill at her house and wasn't able to travel to France for the concert." The promoters are understandably peessed and contemplating legal action. The girl just isn't cracked up to be a rock star. She's just cracked up. (Agence France Presse; photo: Juan Medina/Reuters)
Irrefutable Proof That Christian Bale and Kermit the Frog Have Followed Identical Career Paths
Sure, we were skeptical when dlisted raved that ferdalump at Oh No They Didn't had discovered that Bale and Frog might as well have been separated at birth, but then we went there and the evidence is just too damn damning. Positively ribbeting.
August 29, 2008
Jim Howley: Brave Nude World
Jim Howley, our favorite contestant on World of Wonder's transgender reality show Transamerican Love Story, gets a lot of press as an activist in the trans community. And very often he does it naked, like he did for "The Naked Truth," this Advocate piece on "the beauty and blemish of the human body." He tells us, "People are going to start not being able to recognize me with my clothes on!" (Photo by Eric Schwabel)
Michael Jackson and Emanuel Lewis Vintage Video
They were both pretty very cute adorable here, back when they were The Gloved One and Webster. Happy 50th birthday to Michael today. (t/y William)
Ed Magaña's Friday Vid Bits
A Jeep jingle a la Agatha Christie; a slightly manipulated scene from Back to the Future; Kristin Chenoweth hosts a meth intervention, musically; and a scene from Anchorman, done typographically.
Michelle's Temperature Spikes
The Michelle Williams-Spike Jonze relationship seems to be moving forward. The couple, pictured here in Cannes, are spending more and more time together. Jonze was recently spotted at a convenience store in Williams' Brooklyn neighborhood, buying a toothbrush, toothpaste, eggs, and pancake mix. A nosy local told OK! mag that Jonze told her "he was visiting his girlfriend and just needed to get a few odds and ends. They were going to try and make breakfast for her daughter.” Eggs and pancake mix seem so much more than odds and ends if you're going to make pancakes. Apparently, Williams isn't handy in the kitchen.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Isn't Fiction?
Remember when Mary-Kate lost her pants two days ago? Now, as unlikely as it seems, Blake Lively lost hers outside the Letterman studio yesterday. Guess it's not their turn to wear them. (Lively photo: Splash via Hwd Tuna)
See Blake Run
OMG, we see Blake get out of the car! And walk. Wow, OK. Ahem... On today's run, Blake gives his own personalized, if necessarily brief, tour of the Universal Studios back lot – with a glimpse of fun movie lore at the end.
Barack Obama: It Figures
When Barack Obama accepted the nomination for president at the DNC yesterday, an estimated 38 million viewers watched on TV and set a new record for convention viewership. Obama’s speech reached more viewers than convention speeches given in 2004: John Kerry’s acceptance speech had 24.4 million viewers, and George W Bush’s drew 27.5 million. In pop culture terms, Obama’s speech reached more viewers than the Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing, the final American Idol, or the Academy Awards this year. Now, if all that would just pay off. (TV Decoder; photo: Bradley C Bower/AP; t/y Thairin)
Paris Hilton Auditions for The Queen
In this "lost screen test," the hotel heiress reads for the part of the British monarch with her best English accent. Which, of course, is hot.
Quote Unquote
"For years, I tried to get producers to have Vinny sell his Hummer and buy a Prius. Then I realized this show is entertainment. I know that Entourage is often demeaning and crude, but there's also a lot of social commentary." – Adrian Grenier to Sunday's NY Post, explaining how environmentally green he'd like his HBO character to be.
That Beckham Smell
Victoria Beckham did publicity for her new scent Signature at the posh Harvey Nichols store in London this morning. The Mail says that while she may look angelic, the trophy wife doesn't wash her dirty ears. (Photo: WENN via Gossip Girls)
Another Gay Sequel: Out Now
Does the Lady Bunny stretch her acting chops to the breaking point playing against type in the film Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild? You'll have to see. It opens today. The comedy also stars RuPaul, Scott Thompson, and Lypsinka.
It's Birthday, Bitch
Rebecca DeMornay, 46
Michael Jackson, 50
Robin Leach, 67
William Friedkin, 69
Elliott Gould, 70
John McCain, 72
Richard Attenborough, 85
Charlie "Bird" Parker, 88 (deceased)
Isabel Sanford, 91 (deceased)
Ingrid Bergman, 93 (deceased)
Preston Sturges, 110 (deceased)
– Lindsey Hager
Going for the Gold
Not one to be outdone by some boring old supermodel, British page-3 girl and ordinary model with God-given boobs, Keeley Hazell gets the jump on that giant gold statue of Kate Moss the British Museum isn't showing until October. (via Egotastic!)
Itemizing
• Hoops legend Charles Barkley wants to run Alabama.
• Owen Wilson moves to Hawaii, goes green.
• The XXX Files: Californication star David Duchovny asks for respect and privacy as he heads off to rehab to deal with a case of sex addiction.
• The suit Barack Obama wore last night to accept his nomination was a union-made Hartmarx, sewn in Chicago.
• Lindsay Lohan's Uncle Paul has been sentenced to prison for defrauding 9/11 relief funds.
• Michael Phelps nixes dinner as plan for first date with Carrie Underwood.
• Homer Simpson gets a colonoscopy.
August 28, 2008
RuPaul's Drag Race Wrap Party
Last night, cast, crew and friends of WOW joined drag queen superstar RuPaul in the Storefront Gallery for the wrap party of her new competition series RuPaul's Drag Race, which finished filming this week. Partygoers drank Absolut® vodka specialty cocktails, danced to a mix CD made by RuPaul, and shared tales of the catfights, tears, artistry, and general drag-queen drama that has filled their lives for the duration of the shoot. Get ready to separate the Creatures from the Features when RuPaul's Drag Race airs January 2009 on Logo Network.
Photos by Debbi Rotkowitz and Alicia Gargaro
Artsy Bartsy Banksy
A virtual album's-worth of Banksy graffiti sightings in New Orleans. Being exposed as the unhippest dude alive hasn't kept him home nights. (t/y Chris)
Juans Upon a Mattress
Every year for 388 years, the town of Castrillo de Murcia in northern Spain has held the El Colacho festival as part of its Corpus Christi celebrations. The idea behind the festival, which involves men dressed as devils rushing out of a church and leaping over mattresses full of vulnerable babies, is to purge the town of evil and make international blog fodder. (Der Spiegel via Lady Bunny
Crowning Achievement
After RuPaul's Drag Race wrapped set yesterday, final team members Erik Jeffrey and Kristy Benjamin stayed on to tie up loose ends. In a moment of random abandon, Kristy dramatized what being announced winner of said race would be like, even though she was born with realness. (Photo by Mac)
RuPaul's Wrap Session
Last night the legendary RuPaul celebrated the wrap of his World of Wonder reality series, RuPaul's Drag Race. Crew and friends gathered in the World of Wonder Storefront Gallery for a private party sponsored by Absolut. Here's a brief glimpse of the event.
Gets Out Stubborn Axl Grease
Heatherette's Richie Rich and gal pal Kelly Osbourne were at the Hollywood launch party for the new Tide and Downy Total Care washing liquid when they ran into aging Guns N' Roses rocker Axl Rose taking a breather from completing the Chinese Democracy album, lol. "He was really weird with Kelly," Rich told OK! mag. "He kept leering at her and saying, "I want to fuck you!" We're sure she's heard worse. But, hey! What? A launch party for a detergent? As our James commented, "What was it they used to say about Sylvia Miles – that she'd go to the opening of a toilet lid?"
Kate Moss: Goldminger
On October 4, the British Museum will unveil its Marc Quinn statue of supermodel Kate Moss that cost $3 million in materials and labor alone. Called Siren, it will be part of the museum's "Statuephilia" show. Quinn, you'll remember, is the artist who created the Alison Lapper Pregnant sculpture that sat in Trafalgar Square for more than a year and a half. The Moss statue, made entirely of gold, is said to be the largest statue since the glory days of ancient Egypt, but since it's hollow it weighs only 110 pounds, a bit more than Moss herself. The museum is releasing only this wee glimpse of the mammoth piece, but it's likely to turn out to be of Moss in a rude yoga position similar to this other Moss work by Quinn. (Daily Mail; photo: PA)
Ali Oops
We're thinking Ali Lohan might have Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria syndrome, because the 15-year-old has gone from looking 30 a couple of months ago to around 40 on this Supermodels Unlimited magazine cover. Supermodel? Sorry, Ali, but you're not even a regular, limited model, no matter what your mother says. (via Socialite Life; t/y Lindsey)
Scenes from a Marriage
Jim Wirt, manager of the World of Wonder Storefront Gallery, received these photos from his sister of a wedding that took place in a Waffle House down south. No more is known.
Madonna Onna Guitar and Inna Groove
On the "Sticky & Sweet" tour. Doesn't Madge always look uncomfortable playing guitar?
It's Birthday, Bitch
LeAnn Rimes, 26
Jack Black, 39
Jason Priestley, 39
Billy Boyd, 40
Shania Twain, 43
Jennifer Coolidge, 45
Scott Hamilton, 50
Daniel Stern, 51
Luis Guzmán, 52
David Soul, 65
Donald O'Connor, 83 (deceased)
Leo Tolstoy, 180 (deceased)
Elizabeth Ann Seton, 234 (deceased)
Johann Von Goethe, 259 (deceased)
– Lindsey Hager
Quote Unquote
"I understand there are a few other people using Facebook pages under my name – which I find more flattering than creepy – but this is me. I don't know how I can prove that, but feel free to test me. ... I figured a good first step in my preparation would be finding out what Facebook is, so I've started this page. (Actually it was started by my researcher, Ian Reichbach, because my grandmother has more Internet savvy than I do and she's been dead for 33 years.)" – screenwriter Aaron Sorkin on his Facebook page, revealing his plans to write a movie about the founder of Facebook. (Reuters)
Suge: The Dark Knight
Death Row Records founder Marion "Suge" Knight was released from jail this morning after posting $19,000 bail. He'd been arrested yesterday morning in Las Vegas after officers arrived at the scene of a minor traffic accident and found him beating up a woman in a parking lot off a highway near the Strip. He was wielding a knife, and in possession of ecstasy and Vicodin. Because of his whopping size, one or more of the cops drew their Tasers as they approached him, but Knight dropped his knife and was taken into custody without incident. He was jailed on assault and drug charges. The unidentified woman he was pummeling, said to be his girlfriend, was taken to the hospital for non-lifethreatening injuries. She was not stabbed. (AP)
Gossip Not So Hot?
Seems that despite its being the most-talked-about show on the CW (at least around the WOW water cooler), Gossip Girl is not a ratings hit. It averaged only 2.2 million total viewers for last year's premiere season and was the 230th-ranked program of the year. Which would be a big uh-oh if the suits at CW weren't so proud of it. "It's a signature show for the CW that has become a cultural phenomenon," recited a muckamuck at the network. But more importantly, "advertisers eagerly embrace the show," he said. The greatly anticipated (by us) second season premieres Monday. (Rush&Molloy)
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Snap!
Optimus Prime rolls onto the set of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen in Long Beach, California, which has been temporarily transformed into China. (get the big picture)
August 27, 2008
High Art
The BuildingSpotter at Curbed LA has noticed the Space Invader second-story job on our building and was kind enough to post a lovely photo and detail of it today. We have a sort of endearing and enduring history with Curbed LA, which, if you're interested, you can check out here and here and now here and here.
Dollypop Art: Daveland
Over the course of approx one month, artist Dave Decaro, who goes by the name Daveland, created a portrait of Dolly Parton as the red-headed wench from The Pirates of the Caribbean exclusively for the "Dollypop" show at the World of Wonder Storefront Gallery, which opens on Friday September 12, with a country-fried reception from 8PM to midnight. Here, ripped from his website, is the painting's progression from drawing to as-good-as-finished-save-for-the-tweaking, a work's most important moments. To see Daveland's other gorgeousness, go here.
[Ed note: Look at which area Dave began his painting.]
Snap!
In light of the disquieting news that Hollywood royal Mackenzie Phillips was arrested at LAX this morning after heroin and cocaine in balloons and baggies allegedly were found on her person, director William Luther resurrected this photo he took of Phillips with Fenton Bailey at a Sundance Channel party in Utah back in 2005. "We should have helped then," he says.
Not the Daily Freak Show – Just Freaky
Today's questionable-taste clip is of a man with a cute little vestigial tail protruding out of his lower back, similar in appearance to those pineal glands wriggling out of foreheads in From Beyond. (via Metacafe; t/y Jason)The Daily Freak Show
Damiana goes to the inaugural picnic event of MIX-LA, a queer film/video/performance festival that also has incarnations in New York, Mexico, and Brazil. At the picnic, she seeks to define the slippery notion of "queerness," and along the way encounters Vanessa (sexy star of LOGO's "Curl Girls" reality series), who helps Damiana get in touch with her own lesbian tendencies! She also chats with the night's emcee gay rapper Deadlee, festival organizers Rudy Garcia and Irinia Contreras, queer performance artist Ian MacKinnon, LA-based choreographer Mecca Andrews (whose dance troupe gives an exquisite performance at the picnic), and oodles of sexy queer film/video enthusiasts!
Bubbles & Cheesecake: "Editing Is Cool"
Just a quick blast to let you know that "Editing Is Cool," the follow-up to my Bubbles & Cheesecake 900,000+ YouTube views and Webby Award-honored "It's a Woman Thang" song/video/web smash-up, is finally up on YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, and all the other obligatory residential areas. I'm incredibly proud of this one as there's total integration between all the art forms I work in, my life philosophy, creative process, and lifestyle. It's the most personally satisfying work I've ever done and it sho be funky on top of it! (Watch it here)
The House Is Always Full and the Senate Is Flush with Them
The Gay Republican Hypocrites playing cards are well suited to a game of 52 Pickup. Guaranteed four queens per deck. (via Towleroad)
Jay Bakker: Heeling Soles
In this ad for Kenneth Cole shoes, featuring Revolution Church pastor Jay Bakker, you don't see the shoes. You have to have faith that they exist.
Quote Unquote
"I haven't let you down before, and I won't let you down now. Until you hear from me again remember, You are the sun. I am the moon. You are the words. I am the tune. Forgive me. I love you. Neil." – Neil Diamond in a