Selena Gomez is headed back to the role that made her famous. The Disney Channel has released a statement confirming a Wizards of Waverly Place television movie that will hit the air in early 2013. The adorable girlfriend of Justin Bieber will executive produce the one-hour event, which will take the Russos to Italy to meet their long lost relatives… … only for Selena’s Alex to accidentally conjure up a spell that creates a Good and Bad version of herself. Oops! The Wizards of Waverly Place series finale aired in January of this year and raked in 11.3 million total viewers. Since exiting the series, of course, Gomez has sky-rockets to major fame. She has three Gold certified albums, one double-Platinum single and numerous Gold and Platinum singles.
A news agency in Iran has published a report claiming that white, rural Americans would rather vote for its own head of state, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, than U.S. President Barack Obama. Slight problem: The report was by the Onion. Quoting The Onion, Iranian news agency Fars (more like FARCE, are we right?!) cites a fake poll that says 77 percent would rather have a drink or watch sports with Ahmadinejad. A made-up West Virginia resident is quoted as saying: “I like him better.” The West Virginia resident also believes Iran’s president “takes national defense seriously” and wouldn’t let “gay protesters tell him how to run his country like Obama does.” The Fars news agency, which is affiliated with the powerful Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), does not credit The Onion for the report on the survey. Iran banned alcohol after its revolution in 1979, while homosexuality is punishable by imprisonment or death and the nation’s media and politicians often refer to the U.S. as the “Great Satan.” That and they’ve apparently never seen The Onion. What a terrible place!
Alanis Morissette paid tribute to Billie Joe Armstrong this week. After Green Day was forced to cancel its gig on Jimmy Kimmel Live because the lead singer entered rehab , the singer filled in Tuesday evening and covered the band’s hit “Basket Case.” In her own unique way. “We love you Billie Joe,” Morissette smiled at the end of her performance. Watch it now and send your best wishes to Armstrong: Alanis Morissette – “Basket Case”
The Fifty Shades of Grey movie is still a long ways off – we don’t even have a Christian Grey or Anastasia Steele yet – but fan anticipation is already at a fever pitch. Case in point? This fan-made trailer starring Matt Bomer and Alexis Bledel, a couple of fan favorite picks for the respective roles in E.L. James erotic novel trilogy. So behold, your first (fake) Fifty Shades of Grey trailer! Fifty Shades of Grey Trailer (Unofficial) After seeing this trailer, which made great use of White Collar and Gilmore Girls clips, what do you think of Matt Bomer and Alexis Bledel as Christian and Ana? Bomer’s potential casting has generated interesting debate given the actor’s sexuality, with some skeptics wondering if a gay actor would be convincing in this particular role. You tell us by voting in THG’s two surveys and comment below … Matt Bomer as Christian Grey in Fifty Shades: Good choice? YES, he would be awesome! No, the actor should be straight. No, but not b/c he’s gay, I just prefer someone else. View Poll » What about Alexis Bledel as Ana Steele? YES! She’d be perfect! No! Someone else! View Poll »
She’s shot down the rumor once before, but Fifty Shades of Grey and Emma Watson have been linked together again … along with Ryan Gosling. That’s the latest Grey gossip anyway. Emma Watson as Anastasia Steele and Gosling as the titular Christian Grey in the film adaptation of the century. What does the Perks of Being a Wallflower star have to say about it? “She’s laughing, a little bit nervously as I’m sure everybody was when they read those books,” co-star Nina Dobrev told Ryan Seacrest earlier today. “She would be far more interested if he were playing Christian Grey,” the Vampire Diaries star said of Emma’s apparent infatuation with Mr. Gosling. “I guess that’s all it takes.” We guess. It’s unclear how serious Nina was/is about Emma’s interest in the film (she previously denied any involvement), but you’re now up to date. What do you think: Emma Watson as Ana Steele? What about Ryan Gosling as Christian Grey?
An anonymous individual or group claims to have obtained “all available” tax returns associated with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. The alleged hackers claim to have accessed them via computers in the Franklin, Tenn., office of professional services firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers. An anonymous posting on a file sharing website claims PwC was hacked ; the same site has been used to boast of other high-profile corporate hacks. How’d they pull it off, allegedly? The posting states: “[ Romney’s tax returns ] were taken from the PWC office 8/25/2012 by gaining access to the third floor via a gentleman working on the 3rd floor of the building.” Bribes go a long way, apparently. President Obama’s 2012 election opponent has faced calls to release his tax forms prior to 2010. The former CEO of Bain Capital has refused to do so. Wonder if this will change his mind. After “all 1040 tax forms for Romney were copied,” the perpetrators claim, having sent Mitt’s tax returns “to Democratic and GOP offices in the county.” “A scanned signature image for Mitt Romney from the 1040 forms were scanned and included with the packages,” which are almost entirely encrypted. That’s where the fun part comes in. The group claims it will “release all available files to the public on the 28 of September, 2012,” unless someone coughs up $1 million … in Bitcoins. The purported hacker(s) issued this threat to PwC: “All major news media outlets are going to be sent an encrypted copy of the most recent tax years that your company had on file since you did not have them all in a convenient electronic form.” “The years before 2010 will be of great interest to many. If the parties interested do not want the encrypted key released to the public to unlock these documents on September 28 of this year then payment will be necessary.” “The deal is quite simple. Convert $1,000,000 USD to Bitcoins (Google if if you need a lesson on what Bitcoin is) using the various markets available out in the world for buying.” “Transfer the Bitcoins gathered to the Bitcoin address listed below. It does not matter if small amounts or one large amount is transferred, as long as the final value of the Bitcoins is equal to $1,000,000 USD at the time when it is finished.” “The keys to unlock the data will be purged and what ever is inside the documents will remain a secret forever. Failure to do this before September 28, the entire world will be allowed to view the documents with a publicly released key to unlock everything.” “Bitcoin Address to Stop Release: [redacted]” “At the same time, the other interested parties will be allowed to compete with you. For those that DO want the documents released will have an different address to send to.” “If $1,000,000 USD is sent to this account first; then the encryption keys will be made available to the world right away. So this is an equal opportunity for the documents to remain locked away forever or to be exposed before the September 28 deadline.” “Who-ever is the winner does not matter to us.” Romney is locked in a dead heat with Obama with two months to go before the election. One way or another, the tax return issue keeps rearing its ugly head. Should Mitt release more tax returns? Who are you voting for in November?
Lucy Hale has made a big name for herself on Pretty Little Liars . But she would make an absolutely huge name for herself if she earned the role of Anastasia Steele in the big screen adaption of Fifty Shades of Grey . Hale has already expressed interest in the part, but she tempers expectations a bit in the latest issue of Haute Muse . “I’m definitely a huge fan of the books. Obviously I’d be thrilled to be a part of it, but I think it’s in the very beginning stages of it all,” the actress tells the magazine. Hale has also signed a recording contract and will release a country album some time in 2013. She hopes, at least. “We’re exploring what we want my sound to be and what I want to talk about in my album. It’s kind of hard with my schedule to fit in both the filming and music, so we’re hoping to release it by next year. It’s a very exciting time in my life.” Do you want to see Lucy Hale as Anastasia Steele?
Oh yes. It’s safe to say things are getting very serious very quickly between Taylor Swift and her new boyfriend, the 18-year old son of Robert Kennedy Jr. Not long after Swift and Conor Kennedy became an official couple, the singer introduced the famous offspring to her parents in Nashville – and now she’s making a move toward his family. A major one. As first reported by People , Taylor has purchased a $4.9 million mansion in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, right across the street from Conor’s grandmother, Ethel Kennedy. It has seven bedrooms, five bedrooms and its view looks like this: The residence is located on right on a private beach and comes with a guesthouse and a private road with seasonal security. Asked by members of the press this month how she’d react if Swift actually married Conor, Ethel replied: “We should be so lucky!” It may be a tad premature, but this is a significant step in that fantasy actually becoming a reality.
If you’re a guy who just wants to tear the clothes off your girl after reading Fifty Shades of Grey … we feel bad for you for having actually read that book. You’ll soon be able to tear Fifty Shades -themed clothes off her, in any case. Three apparel companies have reached licensing deals with author EL James to market official Fifty Shades of Grey apparel … including underwear. According to TMZ, CopCorp Licensing has secured the rights to sell Fifty Shades t-shirts and hoodies, ladies’ pantyhose, underwear, and pajamas. Hopefully they’ll be stain-resistant, if you know what we mean. If you don’t know what we mean, you probably shouldn’t be reading this anyway. In any case, James’ trilogy is a VERY valuable brand. With more than 40 million copies sold worldwide, it’s one of the biggest books in years, and the Fifty Shades of Grey movie is already hotly anticipated. Production is still a long way off, but debate over casting – most recently whether or not Matt Bomer should star because he’s gay – is off the hook.
You can bet your Ben Wa balls E.L. James is going to cash in on her Fifty Shades of Grey merchandising empire once the steamy lit porn’s movie adaptation gets going. But while Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele have yet to be cast, you can start getting in the mood with the official 50 Shades of Grey Classical Album, featuring fifteen classical ditties referenced in the books that got James’ creative juices flowing — a preview of the eventual soundtrack to Christian Grey’s big screen S&M outing? Fifty Shades of Grey – The Classical Album will include such sensual classics as Thomas Tallis’s ‘Spem in Alium,’ a tune put to squirmy, orgasm-inducing use by Christian and Ana in the book. If you recall, Christian ties Ana up and plops a set of headphones on her and then THIS goes down: “The singing starts again … building and building, and he rains down blows on me … and I groan and writhe … Lost in him, lost in the astral, seraphic voices … I am completely at the mercy of his expert touch … Ahem. Not coincidentally, sales of ‘Spem in Alium’ have since skyrocketed in the UK. The album, released by EMI Records digitally in the U.S. and Canada on August 21, and on CD September 18, promises to “[set] a mysterious and alluring atmosphere with just the slightest hint of danger.” Mark your calendars (or pre-order now) and get ready for Fifty Shades to bring sexy back… way back. Like, from the 16th century. Full track listing: 1 Lakmé (Act I): Flower Duet (Mady Mesplé, Danielle Millet) 2 Bach: Adagio from Concerto #3 BWV 974 (Alexandre Tharaud) 3 Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasilerias #5 – Cantilena (Barbara Hendricks) 4 Verdi: La Traviata Prelude (Riccardo Muti / Philharmonia Orchestra) 5 Pachelbel: Canon in D (Sir Neville Marriner/ Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields) 6 Tallis: Spem in Alium (The Tallis Scholars) 7 Chopin: Prelude #4 in E minor, Largo (Samson François) 8 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto #2 – Adagio Sostenuto (Cecile Ousset, Sir Simon Rattle / CBSO) 9 Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (Sir Adrian Boult / LPO) 10 Canteloube: Chants d’auvergne, Bailero (Arleen Auger) 11 Chopin: Nocturne #1 in B-flat minor (Samson François) 12 Faure: Requiem – In Paradisum (Choir of King’s College, Cambridge / Stephen Cleobury) 13 Bach: Goldberg Variation – Aria (Maria Tipo) 14 Debussy: La Fille Aux Cheveux de Lin (Moura Lympany) 15 Bach: Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring (Alexis Weissenberg)
