Saturday, February 27, 2010

Nicole Richie: From Paris To London


She�s no stranger to a crazy travel itinerary, and earlier today (February 26) Nicole Richie was spotted arriving into London, England from Paris, France.

The �Simple Life� starlet looked a bit tuckered out from her trip aboard the Eurostar as she hid behind a pair of stylish red sunglasses.

From there, Nicole headed over to her swanky London hotel where she changed clothes and emerged in a circa-60s-style getup.

Ms. Richie is in town to promote her new fashion collection Winter Kate, another expansion of her ever-growing empire. She tweeted, �Hey London, ill be at Selfridges tonight from 6-7pm! Let�s do a theme. Drag or 80�s?�

Avril Lavigne: Out With Her Ex


Stepping out for a fun-filled evening, Avril Lavigne was spotted at the �Alice In Wonderland� premiere after party in London last night (February 25).

Curiously enough, the �Sk8er Boi� songstress was accompanied by her ex-husband Deryck Whibley despite reports that they�d both moved on.

Furthermore, both Avril and Deryck wore massive smiles on their faces as they hopped into the same chauffeured car at the end of the night.

Ms. Lavigne looked absolutely fabulous in a cleavage-baring little black dress, while Deryck sported a dark suit and tie.

Oscars 2010: Academy�s �best� choice often isn�t

Best picture winners can never be completely forgotten but name recognition is not the same as love or respect. In the light of film history most past winners look sad and safe artistically and politically bland, pedestrian in their approach and bloated in form. A movie like �Driving Miss Daisy,� for example, doesn�t embody what was excellent about cinema in its year (1989). It does quite the opposite: It immortalizes its era�s most obvious misconceptions - about art, movies, human relationships even the truth itself.

Yet in any given year, there is usually one movie that constitutes an artistic breakthrough. That movie is rarely the most technologically innovative (like, say, �Avatar�), because nothing dates faster than technology. And it�s usually not the most popular, because popular movies tend to be people pleasing, and when that becomes the main priority, a good deal of honesty goes out the window.

A breakthrough movie is rather one that, through form, content or both, is so intriguing and arresting and in some cases infuriating that everyone has to have an opinion about it. Sometimes it�s a film that heralds a new direction, that looks like the start of a possible trend or movement. Often, it�s a film strongly guided by a singular directorial vision. �Citizen Kane� is what happened in cinema in 1941. Not everybody liked it, but it�s what happened that year, and look how it�s lauded today.

The same could be said for �Apocalypse Now,� which is what happened in cinema in 1979. Or �Bonnie and Clyde,� which is what happened in 1967. Not everybody liked those either. It�s all very nice when a movie is good enough to like. These were great enough to hate, which is better.

The same could be said for Spike Lee�s �Do the Right Thing,� which was snubbed the year �Driving Miss Daisy� won. Actually, twobreakthrough movies happened that year, and neither had anything to do with Morgan Freeman driving around a cranky old lady. Steven Soderbergh�s debut, �sex, lies, and videotape,� a terrific film in its own right, sounded the beginning of the independent film movement.

So that�s the question the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences should consider asking themselves, assuming they really want to pick a best picture that�s both reasonable today and doesn�t stink in the nose of history a generation down the line: What movie represents the thing that happened in cinema this year?

For 2009, the answer is obvious: �Inglourious Basterds.� It�s brilliant, audacious, innovative, the product of a highly personal vision; it evinces an artist�s understanding of all that has gone before, and it has a strong visceral impact. In 100 years, if someone writes a book about movies in the first decade of the 21st century, �Inglourious Basterds� will be on the cover.

But a decent second choice among the nominees would be �The Hurt Locker,� which is not quite as brilliant, not quite as audacious, but almost as innovative, and which is also the product of a director�s highly personal vision. If academy members don�t have the stomach to vote for the true best film of the year, they should at least find the courage to vote for the year�s second best film. Anything short of that would be a joke.

But wait, you might ask, doesn�t the academy sometimes get it right? Yes, occasionally, it does: For example, �Grand Hotel� (1932), �The Godfather� (1972), �Amadeus� (1984), �Schindler�s List� (1993). Yet when I see these titles, and others, I wonder. Didthe academy laud these films for their artistry, or rather for their scale and popularity? In other words, did they just happen to like these masterpieces by accident?

This is not a facetious question, but the inevitable consequence of observation. The academy, for example, likes its filmmaking on a grand scale, but it shies away from any grand-scale movie that suggests a one man show, that seems mainly the product of a single filmmaker�s hard-edged brilliance (like �Inglourious Basterds�). So �Citizen Kane� was slighted in favor of �How Green was My Valley.� �Pulp Fiction,� thebreakthrough film of 1994, was rejected in favor of the utterly insipid �Forrest Gump.� And 30 years later, the academy still hasn�t lived down its choice of �Ordinary People� over �Raging Bull,� the most important film of 1980 - and probably of the decade.

The academy wants its best pictures to reflect well on the industry, to be in good taste, the key ingredient in weak art. So Robert De Niro�s getting pounded in the ring and spraying blood in all directions was just not going to cut it with academy voters. Neither was the spectacle, 10 years later, of Joe Pesci�s slicing up a �made guy� in the trunk of a car in �GoodFellas,� thebreakthrough film of 1990. That year, the Oscar instead went to �Dances With Wolves,� a pretty good movie that couldn�t offend anyone, certainly not with its uplifting message about the value of American Indian culture.

Funny thing about the academy. It likes honoring movies with liberal political and social messages, but only at a point when those ideas have become so mainstream that no one could disagree. Oliver Stone�s �JFK,� though brilliantly made, politically daring and an artisticbreakthrough in terms of editing and storytelling, didn�t have a chance with academy voters in 1991. Instead of Stone�s frightening political horror story,the academy chose to honor the more quaint, comforting traditional horror offered by �The Silence of the Lambs,� with its lovable villain who liked to eat people.

In 1981, everyone thought �Reds� would win best picture, for the zany reason that it was the best film of the year. But see, it was called �Reds,� as in the communists. The Oscar instead went to �Chariots of Fire.�

Perhaps the strangest example of the academy�s social and political squeamishness came in 2005. �Brokeback Mountain� was the breakthrough movie of that year. I don�t think it was the year�s best film (I�d choose �The New World�), but its story of two gay cowboys made it the movie to see and to have an opinion about. It was certainly the best of the five films nominated, all of which had social or political themes. The others were �Good Night, and Good Luck,� which used the story of Edward R. Murrow to encourage today�s news media to aggressively track down government lies; �Capote,� with a flamboyant gay protagonist; �Munich,� a tortured, adult examination of terrorism and its repercussions; and �Crash,� a movie about race relations that basically said that people should all get along.

At the time, everyone was shocked that �Brokeback Mountain� lost, but look at those five nominees and what they were saying. The only movie up there expressing absolutely nothing that anybody could find fault with was �Crash.� Can�t we all get along? Brilliant! Give that movie an Oscar.

But if the academy, instead of looking backward, looked forward - if instead of trying to console itself, challenged itself - we wouldn�t see such silly choices. �42nd Street� would have won in 1933, not �Cavalcade.� �The Great Dictator� would have won in 1940, not �Rebecca.� And �Who�s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?� would have won in 1966, not the well-meaning but turgid �A Man for All Seasons.� Had academy members started long ago to ask themselves, �What movie was the thing that happened in cinema this year?� we might have seen even more adventurous choices than the ones I�ve mentioned. Why not, for example, �Three Days of the Condor� - a prescient, disturbing film - instead of �One Flew Over the Cuckoo�s Nest?� in 1975.

Or, if you don�t like that one, why not �Before Sunrise� instead of �Braveheart� in 1995? A hundred years from now, people will still be watching Celine (Julie Delpy) and Jesse (Ethan Hawke) fall in love in Vienna; meanwhile, no one is watching �Braveheart,� even now.

For that matter, what about �Dr. Strangelove� in 1964 instead of �My Fair Lady?� Or better yet, what about �A Hard Day�s Night?� that same year. Think about it. �My Fair Lady� and the Beatles� debut film were both fine musicals, but one looked back, the other looked ahead; one was grounded in the cinematic language of the past, while the other blazed a trail in terms of editing, pace and attitude.

Now that I think about it, nothing could be more obvious. �A Hard Day�s Night� was the thing that happened in cinema in 1964. Sometimes it takes more than 40 years to realize it.

Lindsay Lohan � Vogue.it Womenswear Autumn/Winter 2010 Fashion Show


Wow...!! That's really all I can say. Did you all see Pink's performance last night at the Grammy Awards? It was breathtaking. She sang beautifully, and then stunned the crowd with her phenomenal Cirque-du-Soleil performance. I know it was similar to what she did at the VMAs, but I still thought it was just as impressive and absolutely flawless. What did you think?

Audrina Patridge - shopping at Fred Segal in Hollywood - 25 February - 7 HQ

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Body of Missing Actor Found!


This afternoon Vancouver police reveal that a body has been discovered and they believed it may be the body of missing "Growing Pains" actor Andrew Koenig. CNN.com is now confirming that the body is indeed that of Koenig. Koenig has been missing since Valentine's Day and sources reveal the body was discovered in Vancouver's Stanley Park, which so happens to be an area that Vancouver police were heavily searching in the days since Koenig's disappearance.
Koenig's family and friends decided to do their own search of the area and that is when the body was found. Koenig's father "Star Trek" actor Walter Koenig revealed in a press conference that his son "took his own life".


Koenig's disappearance was first reported after the actor missed a return flight to Los Angeles, after visiting with friends in Canada. He was said to have been in a depressed state leading up to his disappearance and stopped taking anti-depressant medications a little over a year ago.


Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Mary-Kate Olsen Splits with Boyfriend

Actress Mary-Kate Olsen is no longer dating her boyfriend Nate Lowman. The pair began dating in 2008 after meeting through mutual friends. A rep for Olsen confirmed that the couple has broken up. They reportedly split right before Valentines Day even though they were seen walking together in New York City on Feb. 4.

However Olsen does not seem to be too devastated by the break-up because she was spotted kissing actor Josh Hartnett last week at Weinstein Co. and Universal Pictures post BAFTA party in London.

"They were making out in a dark corridor of the party," a source told People. "Everyone danced all night." Olsen's rep denied that the two were kissing.

Whether or not she kissed Hartnett, she is not sitting around crying about the split because she was seen with sister Ashley attending shows at London Fashion Week.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Cast of 'Glee' to Perform at White House


The year 2010 has only just begun, but it is shaping up to be the best year ever for Fox's hit show 'Glee.' The show has already won a SAG award and Emmy this season, so what could be an even higher honor you may ask? How about singing at the White House for the President and First family.

It turns out that along with the rest of America, Malia and Sasha Obama are huge fans of the musical comedy. Not only do the girls love the show, but so does the First Lady. Michelle Obama requested the cast to come sing at the White House Easter Egg Roll, and the cast couldn't be happier to accept.

Top ten Things to know about women


1.Ignore them:
If I come into a room and bounce up to Lou-Lou like a clown, trying to amuse and entertain, she blanks me completely. It�s as if I don�t exist. If I walk straight past her, however, I guarantee she will call out my name and want to play with me.
2. Bribe them:
Gifts work. Preferably something noisy or sparkly. With Lou-Lou, that means stuffed animals that sing or sequined hair grips. With grown women, I suppose that equates to, say, cars and jewellery.

3. Compliment them:I�ve mistakenly always held that compliments are like diamonds: valuable only for their scarcity. Flood the market and they lose all value. Not so. Lou-Lou poos in her nappy, everyone cheers � as if she just came up with a workable solution to world hunger � and she beams like a lighthouse. The same works with grown women, although, of course, only the general principle applies rather than the specific example given here. (I learnt this one the hard way.)

4. Listen to them:
I�ve spent my life trying to preempt what women want. I needn�t have bothered. If I just pay attention, Lou-Lou will tell me exactly what she wants: eat, dance, doll, jump, run, sing, play, read. Then all I have to do is organise it. How much simpler my life would have been if I had listened and acted accordingly.

5. Apologise:It doesn�t matter what you�ve done. It doesn�t matter if you don�t even know what you�ve done. I might have slighted Lou-Lou by putting the wrong doll in the pram. What seems to you or me like a minor infraction is, to her, on a par with genocide. The best policy is to throw yourself on her mercy and beg forgiveness. But you must sound sincere. You don�t have to be sincere, just sound sincere. This is so elementary, yet how many men ignore this advice?

6. Let them do it:
Whatever �it� is. No matter how ridiculous it may seem to you, let her do it. When Lou-Lou gets an idea into her mind, there�s no talking her out of it. In fact, be supportive, encourage her even. Then sit back and hope she discovers for herself that it was a stupid idea. The downside is that she might decide it was an excellent idea. One day, I found myself playing dolls� tea party for two whole hours and drank so many cups of imaginary tea, I was imaginary peeing all afternoon.

7. Don't tell them what to do:
The best way to guarantee that she doesn�t do what I want is by telling her to do it. The clever thing is to make it seem like her idea � and make it seem fun. One of my proudest moments was convincing Lou-Lou that watching the rugby World Cup final would be more fun than playing in the sandpit.

8. Don't complain to them:
This is a tricky one. What I mean by this is, don�t burden her with your petty problems. When I complain to Lou-Lou about a bad meeting or a sore back, she couldn�t care less, but if there�s genuinely something wrong, she will instinctively sense it and, with one hug, pick me up more than I thought possible.

9. Don't argue:
There�s simply no point. You will never win, and if you do win, it will be a hollow victory because of the mood she�ll be in for a long time afterwards. Quite frankly, who needs the aggro? This leads to my final and most important point.


10. Don't make them cry:
There is nothing more distressing than watching Lou-Lou�s enormous, innocent brown eyes overflow with tears, while her mouth becomes a gaping, drooling, mournful air-raid siren that pierces through to the core of my heart. I�m utterly defenceless when she cries. And there�s no known antidote. Food? Monkey impressions? A pony? Stabbing myself in the eye with a chopstick? I will agree to anything to stop her crying � and doesn�t she. (Source:Timesonline)

World Richest Female Athletes 2010

1.Maria Sharapova

Tennis-$26 million

Top-10 More Earning Female Athletes in 2008
There's nothing like the combination of talent and good looks to woo corporations looking to spend endorsement dollars. Sharapova's Australian Open title this year was her third Grand Slam win, along with 16 other singles titles. She's recently added Sony to an endorsement portfolio that includes Pepsi, Colgate-Palmolive, Nike and Motorola.



2.Serena Williams

Tennis-$14 million

Top-10 More Earning Female Athletes in 2008
The younger of the storied Williams sisters, Serena has bounced back with a vengeance with three tournament wins this year, matching her combined total from 2005 to 2007. Her endorsement stable includes Hewlett-Packard, Nike and Kraft.


3.Venus Williams

Tennis-$13 million

Top-10 More Earning Female Athletes in 2008
Big sister Venus defeated Serena at this year's Wimbledon final, showing she's got plenty left in the tank. She's parlayed success on the court into her own fashion line, EleVen, a collection of casual and performance footwear and apparel


4.Justine Henin

Tennis-$12.5 million

Top-10 More Earning Female Athletes in 2008
After ringing up $5 million in prize money during a white-hot 2007, Henin walked away from the sport this past spring, just before her 26th birthday.


5.Michelle Wie

Golf-$12 million

Top-10 More Earning Female Athletes in 2008
A limited schedule this year (injuries, college enrollment) didn't hurt Wie's endorsement career. But if the teen sensation wants to extend her deals with Nike and Sony, she'll need to spend more time on the course in 2009.


6.Annika Sorenstam

Golf-$11 million

Top-10 More Earning Female Athletes in 2008
The Swede has racked up more career prize money than any female golfer in history--some $22 million. The eight-time player of the year has 72 LPGA tournament wins to her credit, including 10 majors. Sorenstam has announced she'll retire from the tour after the ADT Championship in November, just after she turns 38.

7.Lorena Ochoa

Golf-$10 million


Top-10 More Earning Female Athletes in 2008
Six tournament wins so far this year have netted Ochoa $1.8 million in prize money to go along with major endorsement deals with Audi and Lacoste.


8.Danica Patrick

Auto Racing-$7 million


Top-10 More Earning Female Athletes in 2008
Patrick's Indy series win in April should set her up for more riches to come, provided she avoids becoming a one-hit wonder.


9.Ana Ivanovic

Tennis-$6.5 million

Top-10 More Earning Female Athletes in 2008
The 20-year-old Serb has shot up to No. 1 in the world after winning the 2008 French Open. She counts Adidas, Yonex (rackets) and Juice Plus among her major endorsements.


10.Paula Creamer

Golf-$6 million

Top-10 More Earning Female Athletes in 2008
Cramer's victory in the 2005 Sybase Classic made her, at 18, the youngest LPGA event winner in 53 years. She's signed on with Adidas, NEC and Taylor Made.

Top Ten Richest Women in the World 2010

No.1 Christy Walton

The 54.years old with $20 billion is now the world�s richest woman.


No.2 Alice Walton

The 59 years old with $19.5 billion is now world�s IInd richest woman .Father Sam and Uncle James started general-store chain in Bentonville, Ark., in 1962. Today Wal-Mart is world�s largest retailer: controls more than 7,900 stores, has 2 million employees and has sales of $400 billion.

No.3 Liliane Bettencourt

The 86 years old with $15 billion is now world�s III rd richest woman and also Europe�s wealthiest women.

No.4 Susanne Klatten

The 46 years old  Germany with $12 billion.world�s 4 th richest woman


No.5 Birgit Rausing

She is in the Packaging industry in Switzerland.@ the age of 85 net worth of $11 billion world�s 5 th richest woman


N0.6 Jacqueline Mars



No.7 Anne Cox Chambers


No.8 Abigail Johnson


No.9 Savitri Jindal


No.10 Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken

Bristol Palin Acting Debut


Bristol Palin, daughter of former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, is set to be joining the cast of ABC's 'The Secret Life of the American Teenager'. Bristol will make her debut on an upcoming episode when the show returns for its third season this summer. She will be playing herself on the show and befriend new teen mom Amy.

Executive producer Brenda Hampton thinks that casting "the most famous teenage mom in America" will draw special attention to the show's topics. “I think she will bring additional attention to the issues facing teen parents that we’ve been exploring for a couple of seasons now.”

The young mom is excited to be part of the show, too. “I am thrilled to be on this show and to be a part of a program that educates teens and young adults about he consequences of teen pregnancy,” Palin said in a statement.

Sliding Kitty!

Here is your dose of cute for the day. Check out this adorable video of a curious cat sliding into a box!

Charlie Sheen Goes to Rehab

Actor Charlie Sheen has entered rehab for undisclosed reasons.

"As a preventative measure, Charlie Sheen has entered a rehabilitation facility," his rep said in a statement. "He will take some time off his series Two and a Half Men."

His wife Brooke Mueller also entered rehab earlier this month for a crack and alcohol problem. She recently switched rehab centers for privacy reasons.

Sheen is also dealing with domestic violence charges due to the fight with his wife on Christmas day. He was allegedly drunk at the time of the assault.

The actor has reportedly been in rehab twice before for drug and alcohol abuse. This time his trip to rehab could be a result of dealing with his domestic violence case which has increases his stress level and made him more vulnerable to drugs and alcohol.

"Charlie is stressed. He's tired. The kids are on his mind. Brooke's on his mind," a source told People. "A lot of things are on his mind. He didn't want to get a place where he had the urge to get high. He's not using and he doesn't want to. He felt like he needed to get away from negative influences around him and clear his head, rest and take a short break."

Monday, February 22, 2010

New Vampire Weekend Video Features a Star-Studded Cast

Indie-rock darlings Vampire Weekend topped the charts with second album Contra, and now they've got some famous friends to show off. The quirky tennis-themed video for "Giving Up the Gun" features the band's redheaded friend Jenny Murray competing against Jake Gyllenhaal and Joe Jonas, while Wu-Tang Clan member RZA serves as referee and Lil Jon gives her some backhand tips. Maybe you just have to watch this one:

Brangelina's Reunion With Jon Voight

Brangelina along with their family, were spotted walking through Venice on Sunday with Jon Voight. The bunch took a trip through the Italian city, since Jolie is about to start filming The Tourist.

Voight, who is Jolie's estranged father, has not been reunited with his daughter for a long time. Their relationship has been on the rocks since 2002. According to E Online, the 71-year-old actor said in an interview that Angelina had "serious mental problems" and was "trying to reach her to get help." His daughter was disheartened by these statements.

However, in 2007 she was looking for a reconciliation with her father. Although they did reunite late last year, this is the first time in awhile that they have been seen in public together.

Top Chef Host Gets New Addition To Family


Top Chef host, Padma Lakshmi, gives birth to a baby girl. She gave birth to beautiful Krishna Thea Lakshmi in New York City on Saturday. The name of the father has not been publicly released.

This is the first child for Top Chef beauty. Lakshmi has suffered from endometriosis, a disease that can cause infertility.

Perhaps one of the Top Chef quick fire challenges will be to make baby food that will appeal to Krishna's appetite!

Cornish And Phillippe Relocate To Splitsville


Actors Ryan Phillippe, 35, and Abbie Cornish, 27, have called it quits after four years of dating. The actress was seen on Sunday removing her belongings from the house they shared.

The ex-couple met on the set of their film, Stop-Loss. Cornish and Phillippe survived intense attacks from the media, following Phillippe's divorce from actress Reese Witherspoon.

This break-up comes after months of speculation regarding Phillippe's night life. He was spotted partying at night clubs and being linked with several women. "Abbie ended the relationship with Ryan and she moved out of their home," a rep comments.

John Mellencamp for Senate?


Oh, the wonders of the internet! Over 3,500 people have joined the ever-growing Facebook group "Draft John Mellencamp for Senate," hoping that the musician will replace Indiana Democratic Senator Evan Bayh (who is not seeking re-election). Mellencamp, who is from Indiana, has showed interest in politics over the years, including writing numerous politically-charged songs, founding Farm Aid, and making many statements in open distaste for the Republican Party. He even refused to allow John McCain to use his music during the 2008 election. Of course, Mellencamp is lacking in experience, but in this "the year of the amateur" (according to the L.A Times's Patrick Goldstein) combined with growing internet support, this might not be that much of an issue. Plus, people like Brent Budowski of "The Hill" claim that Mellencamp is "one of the great advocates of small-town America," which some might believe is enough for the rock star to make it all the way to the Senate.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Growing Pains Actor Missing!

Andrew Koenig who played Boner on Growing Pains has reportedly been missing for about a week. He was last seen in Vancouver Feb. 14 and missed his flight back to the United States two days later.

In Vancouver he was staying with burlesque artist Jenny Magenta who asked for help finding Koenig via Facebook. Koenig's parents say the 42-year-old actor is "severely depressed."

His father is Walter Koenig who played Chekov in the 'Star Trek' series and movies. Andrew Koenig's most recent role was the 2008 film InAlienable written and directed by his dad. He had recently served as a camera operator for the comedy podcast Never Not Funny.

Anyone with information about Koenig's whereabouts should contact Det. Raymond Payette of the Vancouver PD at 604-717-2534.