BOSSIP hosted an “Insecure” Finale Watch party at The Gathering Spot in Atlanta Sunday September 10th that included a Battle of the Sexes convo with Bossip Editors Danielle Canada, Alex Ford, Jason Lee and Aiesha Letman as well as a post show recap with actors Lil Rel Howery and Yvonne Orji. The event was attended by about 50 guests including BOSSIP Managing Editor Janeé Bolden, SVP Content Marve Frazier, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Tyler Does, Al Madrigal, Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji, Satchel Jester and Isaac Hayes III, as well as The Gathering Spot co-founders Ryan Wilson and TK Petersen. Check out more photos on the flip!
Leslie Jones Addresses Controversy, Trump And Ghostbusters BOSSIP had the pleasure of interviewing the ladies of “Ghostbusters” prior to the film’s opening this Friday. In an interview with Managing Editor Janeé Bolden, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon talk fighting ghosts, internet haters and Donald Trump…
Joe Jackson is STRAPPED, and he’s not afraid to use it. Joe Jackson Gun The 84-year-old flashed his gun to a room full of people during a speech, telling them it’s just like the American Express card – you don’t leave home without it. The bizarre moment went down while Michael Jackson’s dad was at the Tuscany Hotel and Casino in Vegas this weekend to be honored at the Black Music Awards. Joe was introduced by his friend, Majestik, who told the crowd a story about Joe confronting Michael Jackson’s bodyguards two weeks before the icon’s death. During the confrontation, Majestik says Joe flashed his gun and said, “If I hear you all givin’ my son drugs or doing anything illegal with my son … I’mma kill all of you.” When Majestik turned the mic over to Joe, he said. “It’s very true. Every word he said.” Then Joe told the crowd, “I carry a piece everywhere I go … I’m gonna show it to you.” And so he did. “I’ve been threatened a lot of times and so I need to be safe,” he added. Hope he’s got a permit for that.
Heather Clem is reportedly devastated by the leaking of the Hulk Hogan sex tape . But sources tell Radar Online they aren’t sure why Clem would care: because she has allegedly banged numerous famous people on video! Clem is the ex-wife of DJ Bubba the Love Sponge, Hogan’s former best friend. And, according to an anonymous insider, Bubba often brought his well-known pals together with the lady of his house. Very, very close together, that is. “Bubba regularly brought his wife’s sex tapes into work at the radio station and would show them to the staff,” this mole claims . “When the Hulk tape was leaked none of his staff were surprised because they’d all seen it already! And that wasn’t the only tape they saw with Heather having sex with a celebrity.” At least two other tapes with “notable” co-stars are supposedly in existence. Hogan has sued Gawker Media for releasing footage from the video and is also planning to bring Bubba in the legal mix. However, Radar asserts that the Love Sponge was actually NOT in on the sex tape distribution. “Even though Bubba knew how much the Hulk sex tape would be worth, he didn’t stab his friend in the back and he’s not the one who released it,” the source says. “It’s a former employee of Bubba’s who was outraged when [Bubba] left Sirius to go back to Terrestrial radio. He wanted payback.”
CNN has come under fire for moderator Candy Crowley’s performance at this week’s presidential debate , but the network brass is standing by its political correspondent. Candy Crowley Debate Highlights Some observers feel she was disproportionately harsh on Mitt Romney. The network doesn’t believe it, but worries about anything that “calls into question CNN’s impartiality.” CNN’s Managing Editor Mark Whitaker sent an email around the office praising Crowley and trying to blunt criticism that she was biased toward President Barack Obama. It reads: “Let’s start with a big round of applause for Candy Crowley for a superb job under the most difficult circumstances imaginable.” “She and her team had to select and sequence questions in a matter of hours, and then had to deal with a tricky format, nervous questioners, and aggressive debaters, all while shutting out pre-debate attempts to spin and intimidate her. She pulled it off masterfully. ” “The reviews on Candy’s performance have been overwhelmingly positive but Romney supporters are going after her on two points, no doubt because their man did not have as good a night as he had in Denver .” “On the legitimacy of Candy fact-checking Romney on Obama’s Rose Garden statement, it should be stressed that she was just stating a fact. Obama did talk about an act (or acts) of terror, no matter what you think he meant at the time.” “On why Obama got more time to speak, it should be noted that Candy and her commission producers tried to keep it even but that Obama went on longer largely because he speaks more slowly.” “We’re going to do a word count to see whether, as in Denver, Romney actually got more words in even if he talked for a shorter period of time.” You be the judge: Was Candy biased? Yes No View Poll » Who won the debate Tuesday? Barack Obama Mitt Romney View Poll » Who should win November 6? Obama-Biden Romney-Ryan View Poll »
A surge of intrigue rippled through the blogosphere this week when a rumor hit, sourced from the barest of suggestions ( a secondhand casting breakdown ), that Michael Bay ‘s fourth and allegedly final outing with the Transformers series might revolve around the rarest of Bay creatures: A female heroine. Sad, yes — Bay’s filmography is so male-driven, his portfolio so stacked with binders full of supermodel-hot leading ladies, that even the slightest move toward gender equality in Bay’s work force warrants an onslaught of hopeful speculation. That’s not to say Michael Bay has that much in common with Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney . One’s a clean-cut Mormon Presidential candidate who appears to think in unfortunate Eisenhower-era terms of sexual politics, the other is Hollywood’s reigning alpha male blockbuster guru with an eye for explosions and hot ladies who was once described by an actor — lovingly so — as a barking dog . Well, they both have good hair. But these two white male millionaire Americans converge this week the most when it comes to talking about the roles of women in their respective worlds of film and politics. Could it be Michael Bay is really making room for a strong female star in his testosterone-fueled oeuvre? The rumors trace back to a flimsy two-sentence report on SpoilerTV : It looks like Transformers 4 will have 2 new leads. The new female lead that they are looking for is a high school senior and her boyfriend a Texas racing driver. Many bloggers picking up the story focused on the latter sentence, extrapolating that it meant Transformers 4 will revolve around a female protagonist with a male love interest — the opposite of the three Shia LaBeouf + Megan Fox/Rosie Huntington-Whitely films to date. Understandably, the notion is promising. Enough with LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky saving the world with his robot pals and a hot lady on his arm — bring on the scrappy (but most likely model-gorgeous and stick-thin) female lead to save Earth, or the galaxy, or whatever! Consider it wishful thinking by way of selective reportage, if you give SpoilerTV’s clumsily-worded report any credence at all. For starters, it clearly states two new leads — beside which Fox and Huntington-Whitely were technically “female leads” even if they payed second fiddle to LaBeouf. It sounds more like Bay’s trying to reboot the franchise with a new dynamic romantic duo fans can root for, and lust after, like they did for LaBeouf and Fox at first but never quite did for LaBeouf and Huntington-Whiteley, Fox’s supermodel replacement. Maybe this “high school senior” and her “Texas racing driver” boyfriend will fight evil robots together, as equal partners on equal footing, although he already has a leg up on her with the mere fact that he has a vocation useful for fighting in a war with giant robots who turn into cars and she’s technically a schoolgirl. Look at Bay’s filmography and not one film has an actual female protagonist, though he’s got a memorable lineup of female leads/love interests under his belt: Tea Leoni in Bad Boys , Liv Tyler in Armageddon , Scarlett Johansson in The Island . His eye for the female form is undeniable, and moreso in his earlier films, translated to casting talented actresses in their popcorn movie breakthroughs. But Bay did surprise with his latest project, the modest (by Bay standards) true crime tale Pain & Gain . Not another CG-heavy spectacle, and not a film stitched together from the wet dreams of a 12-year-old boy, the forthcoming black comedy stars another group of muscly men (it is about thugs who meet at a gym, after all) including Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, and Kurt Angle. Rebel Wilson, one of the cast’s lone women, plays a key role and is a terrific hire on Bay’s part. Still, when I asked her in a recent interview what she’d learned most about her director, she noted that “he loves push-up bras” and shoots Victoria’s Secret commercials for fun . So let’s hope that Bay’s turning over a new leaf and embracing a more progressive attitude toward the female characters in his movies. It’s entirely possible that he could use his whirling hero shots and explosiony adventures for good, to introduce strong new heroines into the cinematic landscape. I’m just not terribly optimistic that it’ll happen in Transformers 4 . Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Over the last two weeks, you may have noticed some big changes in the look and functionality of Movieline. In addition to a sweet new logo, we’ve redesigned the home page to give you easier accessibility to a greater array of stories. Top Stories and Hot Topics in the film world and popular culture are now just a click away on the home page, as are the week’s Big Films , the latest trailers and major cinema milestones such as the 50th anniversary of James Bond and the vibrant debate over the plot and symbolism of Prometheus . These are just a few of the improvements, new features and surprises that we have planned in the coming months as part of our commitment to you, our savvy, witty and outspoken readership. On behalf of Movieline’s Executive Editor Jen Yamato and Managing Editor Brian Brooks , I invite you to give us your feedback. In the comments section below, please tell us what you like and don’t like about the changes we’ve made and how we can make your Movieline experience a better one. We’re listening. Sincerely, Frank DiGiacomo Editorial Director Follow Movieline on Twitter and Facebook .
You’ve likely spotted a new byline on Movieline in recent days, one that’s overdue for a formal introduction: Welcome Brian Brooks, our new managing editor, to the ML family! Formerly of indieWIRE and our sister site Deadline (where he is still contributing), Brian brings a wealth of film-beat experience to Movieline, and we are thrilled to have him aboard as spring festival season takes off and the summer blockbuster harvest nears. Get to know Brian a little more below, and please greet him and keep an eye out for his splendid work going forward. === As Managing Editor at indieWIRE, Brian Brooks was integral in the execution of IW’s daily editorial news and feature content. Additionally, Brian wrote and edited daily for the site, including biz, interviews, events and other material, as well as photography at events in New York where he is based, and at film festivals around the world. In addition to reporting from festivals, both in the U.S. and abroad (including Sundance, Toronto, SXSW, Tribeca, Cannes, Berlin, Pusan and Reykjavik and more), he has moderated and produced events/panels in New York, Toronto and Austin and on the road and served on numerous festival juries. A native of California, Brian worked in music video at Elektra Entertainment after spending a year and a half living in Japan following graduation from UCLA in the mid-’90s. He also served as a writer for indieWIRE soon after it was founded in 1996, moved to New York City to formally join the indieWIRE staff as an assistant editor in April of 2000. He later became Associate Editor before being promoted to IW’s number two position in 2007. Follow Brian Brooks on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Now that ‘Stretch Armstrong’ is off Lautner’s schedule, ‘Twilight’ Tuesday takes a closer look at the young actor’s future. By Kara Warner Taylor Lautner Photo: Jeff Kravitz/Film Magic Now that we’ve had a day or so to digest the news that “Twilight” star Taylor Lautner will not be gracing the big screen as super bendy, slightly superheroic Stretch Armstrong , it’s time to turn the focus of this week’s “Twilight” Tuesday toward analyzing this latest development in Lautner’s post-Jacob career. Word on the street is that Lautner dropped out of the film due to scheduling conflicts, but exactly what conflicts he may or may not have are the mystery. Last we heard, the teen heartthrob was in talks with Oscar winner Gus Van Sant to make a small-budget film based on a nonfiction article from The New Yorker. A quieter role in a more indie film could be just what Lautner needs post-“Twilight.” “He’s got the right determination and ambition to continue on, even through bumps in the road,” IMDb Managing Editor Keith Simanton told MTV News of Lautner’s staying power. “Someone he reminds me a little bit of is Hayden Christenson. People make fun of him and have never seen his performance in ‘Shattered Glass,’ and he’s also very good in ‘Life as a House.’ Because the only thing people know him from are big movies, the franchises that are in some ways an albatross in the way of a career.” Boxoffice.com ‘s Phil Contrino suggested that Lautner focus on more grown-up projects with big-name, respected directors. “He can, and most likely will, rebound. The key to his success will be picking the right directors to work with,” Contrino said. “He needs to stay away from teen-skewing flicks and go for adult, like Robert Pattinson is doing by working with David Cronenberg .” Lautner reportedly dropped out of the superhero film “Max Steel” and extreme-flying flick “Northern Lights” to make room for “Stretch,” which means he has plenty of time from now until next November to do a film before the promo machine kicks back into gear for “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.” And then there’s the adaptation of the popular YA novel “Incarceron,” which Lautner was circling in its development stages the last time we checked in with him. What should Taylor Lautner do next? Tweet @karawarner to sound off on this week’s “Twilight” Tuesday! Check out everything we’ve got on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: Taylor Lautner
Posted onDecember 15, 2010byBenny Hollywood|Comments Off on Time Editor Says Tea Party Not Named ‘Person of the Year’ Because They’re Not a Person
Time's managing editor Richard Stengel appeared on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports, on Thursday, to promote his magazine's Person of the Year issue and after he cited the reasons for selecting Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, he explained the reason the Tea Party didn't was because they were a group. After host Andrea Mitchell asked him to explain his rationale for not picking the other runners-up, Stengel lamely told her he disqualified the Tea Party because he's “biased in favor of putting a single person on the cover.”
Comments Off on Time Editor Says Tea Party Not Named ‘Person of the Year’ Because They’re Not a Person
