No fluff, way less product placement, 5 minutes shorter. In my opinion, it's better than the original. Watch
Posted in Celebrities, Gossip
Tagged bennyhollywood, Hollywood, opinion, product placement, way-less
Project Runway is all about vision and delusion. The vision that the sponsors get to dream up a challenge. The delusion it will be interesting. The vision to have the bitchiest judges in the biz. The delusion they are enough. That’s right, the best part of last night’s episode was the judging. Yes, there were plenty of other excellent parts, but if you watch anything this week, it must be our final clip of Nina Garcia Marie Claire ‘s fashion director, withering one of the contestants with her criticism. But before we get there, first those cackling fashion barristers must have something to rule on, hence the challenge. As happens every year, the Garnier Paris Hair Salon gets to engulf the whole entire show and make up some sort of challenge. This year they wanted the designers to make something based on one of the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. They did not get to use “heart,” the lost fifth element, because Heidi Klum is deathly afraid that Captain Planet will show up and steal her thunder. The challenge was introduced by Garnier head stylist Philip Carreon, who is the human equivalent of something you would stuff in the overhead compartment. He is going to make a signature hair style for each one of the designs, because they don’t already do this every week and it’s so boring we barely see more than 30 seconds of it. Really, it’s not a bad challenge, but the corporate pandering is always one of the: Things We Hated : Speak Up Little Snoozy : Maya is a good designer. She is also a low talker and kind of boring. Other than her intimate chats with her bang clone Mila, we really don’t know that much about her, but we’re curious. She’s like the pretty girl who sat in the corner of your home room who you always ignored and then the last week of senior year you realize that she’s really sexy and mysterious and take her out for a few dates, but she’s going to Sarah Lawrence early, so you have a torrid two week affair before she is off to the land of the lost forever. (And speaking of Maya, she was the only remaining designer not to show at Fashion Week. Many of us assumed that meant she’d be kicked out weeks ago. I asked a rep at Bravo why she didn’t have a collection but was still on the program. The rep said, “Just watch the show!” We hope that means there is going to be something crazy like she gets disqualified for copying other designers or something.) The Laughter of Children : Jonathan, who chose “air” when selecting their forced elemental muses says his real inspiration, “isn’t air, it’s laughter.” Oh Jesus. That is some modern dance Martha Graham bullshit right there. It’s bad enough that you are being forced to have an intangible direction to design in, but to make it even more abstract is totally stupid. Also, if laughter is your inspiration, then you aren’t following the rules of the challenge and we know how the judges feel about that. Too bad his dress was stunning or we’d really rip into him. Dead Man Calling : Showing a designer talking to his family on the phone means he is going home. Period! Every time it has happened this season it ruins the suspense of the rest of the episode because we know who loses. These calls rarely tells us anything about these people other than that they miss their families (and who wouldn’t!) and now you went and ruined the ending for nothing. You Can’t Say “Tits” on Cable : Really? It’s 10pm on a channel dedicated to ladies and their vitamins and you bleep out “tits?” In 2010? Is it really that offensive? Tits, tits, tits, tits, tits. Old Hollywood Glamor : Remember how we just said we wished Maya would speak up some more? Scratch that, because she went and said her look had “old Hollywood glamor.” This is the worst phrase to ever be used to death on Project Runway . Not only was there nothing Grace Kelly about her ensemble, but the phrase is just short hand for creating something that is a retro knock off of something that people did better in the past. Innovation does not come from channeling history, it comes from co-opting and subverting it and jargon won’t convince people otherwise. Shut Up, Models : Next to “old Hollywood glamour,” this is my least favorite thing on the show. It’s not called Project Wearability . It’s not called Project Have an Opinion . It’s not called Project Let’s Ask Skinny Beautiful People with Absolutely No Design Ability, Experience, or Training What They Think . If I were a producer, it would be called Project Ballgag . If we want to hear fleshy coat hangers saying ridiculous things, America’s Next Top Model is just a channel flip away. Things We Loved : Jay : He dresses like an Easter party on May Day. He says things like “We’re a Victoria’s Secret push up bra, we lift each other up.” He makes wonderful clothes. God, we love Jay. If being kooky and talented wasn’t enough, he finished his dress early and went over to help Ben, who was so far behind he was in danger of not completing his project. In the “I’m not here to make friends” world of reality television, this is the equivalent of giving a stranger a kidney. Way to step in and keep it classy, Jay. You are officially our new favorite. Don’t Play It Safe : Jonathan bitches about being in the middle every week so he never knows what the judges want from him. Does he play it safe? No! He makes a dress inspired by laughter. As stupid as we think that sounds, it was a great dress and a strategic move. Everyone has to establish themselves at some point, or they have no chance of winning. The folly of last season is that everyone just tried to make something good enough to get through, so we got a lot of boring and unexceptional creations. This week everyone got really ambitious which meant lots of angsting and scurrying around the Mood Fabrics Workroom, but also some really great work. Quality Not Quantity : Finally we have a handful of really talented designers. We know them all, we have some idea of their aesthetic, and we like several of them. This is the point in every season that we really love. Though Lifetime says it to create meaningless tension, really anyone could go home any week. The dead weight is gone and the talented risk takers are left, which means wonderful victories and defeats each week. This week, almost all of the dresses were competitive. It’s great when there’s not only tension about who goes home but over who wins as well. Getting a Peek : Finally Bunim/Murray productions have learned how to make this show! Last season, we never got to see anything the designers were working on before the runway. This season we get to see just enough so we have a hint if they’re in trouble or not, but we’re not shown so much that it ruins the surprise of the final show. A perfect, hard-to-find balance, and they’ve finally got it right. How Do You Solve a Problem Like Mila? : Finally, the judges turned on Mila. Even Nina Garcia Fashion Director of Marie Claire Magazine, who previously decided that Mila should win this competition. Mila stepped out of her mod, geometric, black and white style this week to make something new and thoroughly blase. We applaud taking chances, but showing something different—and bad—just showed the judges that she is incapable of doing anything but staying in her safe little three-month period of ’60s London that she has been designing for all season. Nina Garcia Fashion Director of Marie Claire Magazine Is No Longer Getting Laid : Last week, NGFDMCM was getting some and she was all sunshine and unicorns. This week, she apparently broke up with her boyfriend, and instead of giving us the unicorn, she is giving everyone the horn. She was practically cunty to all the designers. She ripped Amy apart, ridiculed Ben, and turned on her beloved Mila, who she has been verbally fellating since day one. Was it guest judge Roland Mouret , the saucy Frenchman who broke up with NGFDMCM? She wouldn’t even acknowledge him, which isn’t rare for her, but that coupled with an ire that was scorching even for her might give us a clue. Either way, we hope she never gets laid again, because we love this NGFDMCM much more than the horrible nice one from last week. Isn’t It Bazaar? : There are three things in this world that Heidi Klum loves: maternity dresses, boobs, and the adjective “bizarre.” Of all these things, the last is by far our favorite. To hear Heidi say “bizaaaare” (often accompanied by some crazy face) is like hearing the wind whistle across the top of the Grand Canyon. It is Lolita blowing on a bottle of pop. It is a roaring black hole of delight that sucks us in and spits us out covered in rags and stardust. In the end, Jonathan laughed his way all the way to the winner’s circle for his dress that looked like an ace bandage and a peach melba got stuck in a blender. Seth Aaron’s Matrix Goes Wild black leather look was also nice (we hate to admit Seth Aaron can make anything decent) and Jay’s swooshingly circular mingle of black, white, and gray that looked like the insides of a Dyson vacuum while in operation was ignored by the judges but not by us. Gay comic book artist to the stars Ben was sent packing for making an ill-fitting suit that looked like a jock strap had cancer and enveloped the model’s entire body. It was pretty bad. Amy also made some ridiculous contraption that was a straight jacket for Lady Godiva and all her hair. At least she failed interestingly. For more on her withering judging and some funny bits from resident jester Suzanne Sugarbaker, let’s have Captain Planet save our day with some videos. Underminers Context : Suzanne Sugarbaker (who mere mortals call Anthony) is making a dress inspired by the scorched carcass of his preacher’s house and is using darker colors than usual. Mila finds a way to look like she’s supporting him but really gets her digs in. Vision : If Suzanne wants to win, she needs to make something other than gem-hued samples from the Dynasty collection at Wal-Mart. Delusion : None of these people want you to beat them, Suzanne, and they will resort to dirty tactics. The world is too cruel for your smile. What Would Nina Say? : “All I see is black, which is the color of Roland Mouret’s soul.” Dramometer : 6 Under the Gunn Context : Tim Gunn is always right, except when he’s not. He tells Ben that it is right to make a suit even though he has never made one before. He gets sent packing. Vision : The judges will miss all the wonderful nuance of his creation. Delusion : This panel doesn’t miss a thing, especially when it comes to something as ugly as this. What Would Nina Say? : “The only thing I hate more than the crotch of those pants is Roland Mouret.” Dramometer : 4 Trash Talk Context : Jonathan and Suzanne are more worried about what everyone else is doing than their own designs. Vision : Amy is an insane crazy person making a dress for a club kid who is on an LSD drip. Delusion : Seth Aaron’s look is too hard. No, it’s only too hard for them to understand. What Would Nina Say? : “I love Seth Aaron’s leather blazer as much as I love Roland Mouret until he cheated on me with my assistant. Now I want to kill him.” Dramometer : 7 Runway Arrogance Context : Jonathan’s dress marches toward victory Vision : Ugh, laughter. Also, that he is god’s gift to design. Delusion : Jonathan, this is a great look, but it is not as amazing as you are making it out to be. What Would Nina Say? : “This does not give me pure joy. Sleeping with Roland Mouret gives me pure joy, and I don’t think your dress is quite as…prodigious.” Dramometer : 2 Back Talk Context : The judges are amazingly cruel to Amy’s concoction. It is awesome. Vision : We don’t know whose vision it was to hire these people, but it was a stroke of genius. The colorful insults fly and then NGFDMCM’s dismissive disgust takes over. Breathtaking. Delusion : Sorry, Amy, you had to know this was coming. What Would Nina Say? : You must, must, must see for yourself. Dramometer : 10!
See the original post here:
Project Runway: Winning by a Hair [Recaps]
A prominent friend and supporter of James Dobson believes Dobson was pushed aside by the new leadership of Focus on the Family, who want the powerhouse evangelical ministry to project a softer image on issues ranging from abortion to gay marriage to relations with President Obama. In February 2009, Dobson stepped down as chairman of the Colorado Springs-based group’s board of directors, after relinquishing his longtime role as president in 2003. But he kept his role of host of the popular Focus radio show, which is reportedly heard by 1.5 million Americans each day. Then, this past November, Dobson said on the show that the Focus board had asked him to give up the radio program in a few months time. Late last month, he delivered his final Focus broadcast. In little-noticed comments from the November show, Dobson seemed troubled by the board’s decision to ask him to give up the program. “[T]the board of directors voted privately on Wednesday — before we got there — to ask for my resignation, although their request was made with kindness and respect. We can only guess the reason for their decision because frankly I don’t fully know,” Dobson said. “But it apparently has to do with the desire for closure on my tenure and the beginning of another.” Well this can only be taken as good news. Though I don’t expect Focus on the Family to suddenly become a bastion for tolerance and progressive ideals, I certainly think throwing Dobson overboard gives them a chance to at least move away from the crazier side of Christianity. Remember James Dobson is the same genius who suggest that watching Spongebob Squarepants would make your children gay . He also gave serial killer Ted Bundy a kind of absolution by allowing him to suggest that pornography was to blame for his desire to rape and murder women. And perhaps most egregious of all is that Dobson and his Evangelical cohorts are the one’s to blame for John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate. Yes I think we can all agree that the world is a safer, saner place without the likes of James Dobson running an influential group like Focus on the Family. However, in my opinion, the world might be improved even further if groups like Focus on the Family did not exist at all. But they that is just me.
Read the original post:
James Dobson forced to resign from "Focus on the Family"? Gee, maybe there is a God.
Posted in Celebrities, Gossip, Hot Stuff
Tagged colorado, desire, evangelical, focus, gay-rights, Hollywood, james-dobson, opinion, president, radio, Sarah Palin, TMZ, whitehouse, world
Jeff Bridges was among the Academy Award winners last night at Hollywood’s marquee event, taking home Best Actor honors for his role in Crazy Heart . Ben Stiller did not. But he did receive some laughs (either with him or at him) when he took to the stage dressed as one of the blue dudes from Avatar . The James Cameron film did not win Best Picture, but it did win Best Costume By a Presenter … in our opinion. No one can accuse Ben of half-assing it! It’s no George Clooney and Saddam Hussein , but who do you think was better dressed at last night’s gala, scruffy Jeff or alien Ben? Vote in our poll … Whose Oscar fashion do you prefer?
Link:
Academy Awards Fashion Face-Off: Jeff Bridges vs. Ben Stiller
Posted in Celebrities, Gossip
Tagged Academy Awards, Hollywood, james-cameron, marquee-event, opinion, Oscars, rethink-going
New album proves that the cartoon band is also an actual band, in Bigger Than the Sound. By James Montgomery Gorillaz Photo: EMI Music / Jamie Hewlett In 1998, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett cooked up Gorillaz as a knee-jerk reaction to the chiseled boy bands and mawkish mook-rock acts that paraded across the airwaves of MTV. The idea, it would seem, was to create a group that matched the substance of the ‘NSYNCs and the Creeds of the world — the joke being, of course, that unlike Justin Timberlake or Scott Stapp, the Gorillaz were actual cartoons. It was a pretty brilliant concept, but the thing is, it worked, perhaps even too well. Somewhere along the way — whether Albarn and Hewlett liked it or not — Gorillaz became a genuine phenomenon, with hit singles and multiplatinum albums and actual performances, including a sold-out stint at the Apollo Theater and a Grammy duet with Madonna. Here in the U.S., the band’s two albums (2001’s self-titled debut and 2005’s Demon Days ) outsold Albarn’s entire Blur catalog and did so by a large margin. It is not a stretch to say that Gorillaz is the most successful project either man has ever been involved in, at least when it comes to the bottom line. But throughout all the success, one question has remained unanswered: What are we supposed to make of Gorillaz? Were they a side project? A piss-take? Or — dare I say it — an actual band? Sometimes, it was difficult to tell, and with each collaborator Albarn wheeled into the studio, or each high-gloss video Hewlett unveiled, things became even muddier. But now, with their third album, Plastic Beach (which hits stores Tuesday), we finally have our answer: Gorillaz are very much an actual band, because only actual bands can make concept albums this half-baked, this hazy or this self-aggrandizing. It is what actual bands are supposed to do, especially after they’ve sold millions of albums and become international sensations. Plastic Beach is exactly the kind of album bands make when they feel they’ve earned the right to do so. There’s an air of entitlement to it, and entitlement is perhaps the most human quality of all. Loosely staged on a metaphorical island in the South Pacific (it’s made up entirely of “detritus, debris and [the] washed-up remnants of humanity,” according to an accompanying press release), loping along over the course of 16 tracks and ladled with more guest stars than a charity single, Beach is Gorillaz gone bananas. No idea is left unexplored, no beat unused. The thing is, they’ve done all this before — the concept, the length, the cameos — but this time around, they’re just doing more of it. All of it. For the first time, Albarn serves as the sole producer, something that’s readily apparent when you hear the trilling instrumentation of the National Orchestra for Arabic Music (on “White Flag”) or the walloping oomph of the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (on a pair of tunes: “Welcome to the World of Plastic Beach” and “Sweepstakes,” both of which also feature cameos by Snoop Dogg and Mos Def, respectively, because, hey, why not?). Brevity has never exactly been his strong suit — check the running time of any Blur album for proof of that — but here, without someone like Danger Mouse or Dan the Automator to reel in his aspirations, things tend to get a bit, well, long-winded. While Albarn might be bursting with good ideas, Beach makes it pretty clear that even the best brains need a little editing every once in a while. This is not to say that there aren’t genuinely great moments on the album too. “White Flag” kicks off a terrific six-song run that includes the spacey “Rhinestone Eyes,” first single “Stylo,” the bumping “Superfast Jellyfish” and the electro-oddity “Glitter Freeze,” which gets an assist from the Fall’s Mark E. Smith. It’s just that, as the clanging electronics of “Freeze” fade away, there are still eight songs left on the album — darn near an eternity. So we get some filler, including a semi-spoken-word number from Lou Reed (“Some Kind of Nature”) and some standouts (“Melancholy Hill,” a pretty tune featuring — thankfully — just Albarn), and then the whole thing is over, and it’s not until you go back and listen again that you realize, “Whoa, I totally missed the song that features 50 percent of the Clash.” And that’s not an easy thing to do. Far be it from me to criticize an album for being too long, but that’s precisely the problem here. Too many guests, too many big ideas, too few strokes of the editor’s pen (or Pro Tool, or whatever). There are at least three records of varying quality within Plastic Beach, and Albarn decided to put them all out at once. Because, hey, he’s earned it. The Gorillaz have earned it. There’s a reason Josie and the Pussycats never released an album like this. And it bears mention here that my opinion of Beach is definitely in the minority, especially considering the luminous praise other critics have heaped on it already. But perhaps that’s just more proof that the Gorillaz really are an actual band: No cartoon could pull off something this ballsy, could convince so many to sift through so much. That’s ego, that’s swagger, that’s hubris — and all those things are pretty human qualities too. For better or worse. Questions? Concerns? Hit me up at BTTS@MTVStaff.com .
Read the original post:
Gorillaz’s Plastic Beach: Human After All
Earlier today, we posted an article with the headline ” Adam Lambert Rips Into Susan Boyle .” Did we aim to capture the attention of readers with it? Of course. Did we then explain the situation – in which Lambert referred to Boyle’s album as “terrible,” laughed about her single “Wild Horses” and then said he was misquoted, while not providing his real quote – in great detail? Yes. Did Lambert fans seem to care about the latter point? Not one bit. The instant they saw one negative word written about Adam, his supporters went off. They told us we were being unfairly critical of the singer; that he was entitled to his opinion; that we were fueling the hate against him. Because we now feel as though we’ve been unfairly criticized, especially in light of the positive Lambert articles we’ve written for months, allow us to respond to each of these points: Adam is a mega celebrity. Every word he utters will be scrutinized. As such, he should have realized that his labeling of Boyle’s album as “terrible” would result in the stir it’s created. We simply pointed that out. Of course Lambert is entitled to his opinion. And we’re entitled to respond to it with ours. This is the basis for all celebrity gossip sites, television reviews, movie reviews and pretty much every editorial ever written. Aside from those that simply don’t have a taste for his music, people hate Adam Lambert for one reason: he is a proud, gay man. These critics are homophobes. We will never cater to them, we will only pity them and nothing we say will ever change their minds. While we admire Lambert’s fans for their enthusiasm and dedication, we sometimes feel as though they treat Adam like he’s a child in need of their immediate, undying defense. Lambert would be the first to tell them thank you… but calm down. He’s not a saint. He’s just a regular person. That’s really Adam’s main appeal: he’s a normal guy that is open to discussing his sexuality and appreciates the opportunity he’s been given. But he may say a dumb thing or two. He may put out a single we dislike. When that happens, we’re gonna call Adam out on it. Are readers entlted to get mad at us for it? Absolutely. We just fear they’re defending Adam in a way that he wouldn’t appreciate. He’s never asked for any special treatment. We’re sure he wants nothing more than to be analyzed and written about like any artist out there. This may result in some people hating him, and that’s okay. It also may result in some of his biggest followers – like the THG staff – taking issue with a few of his decisions. Not only do we think this is also okay, we think it’s exactly what Adam would want.
Go here to see the original:
Dear Adam Lambert Fans: Chill Out!
Posted in Celebrities, Gossip
Tagged Adam Lambert, bennyhollywood, Hollywood, lambert-rips, Music, opinion, opportunity, readers-entlted, Sexuality, situation, Susan Boyle, the-opportunity
The young adults have spoken and they’ve made their opinion very clear: Miley Cyrus rules! The 17-year-old actress/singer has garnered four Kids Choice Awards’ nominations, all in major categories: Favorite Movie Actress, TV Actress, Female Singer and Favorite Song. Check out the full list of nominees below, as the ceremy airs on March 27 and will likely feature Miley on stage, thanking God for her incredible popularity… Favorite TV Actor Cole Sprouse Dylan Sprouse Joe Jonas Nick Jonas Favorite TV Actress Miranda Cosgrove Miley Cyrus Selena Gomez Keke Palmer Favorite TV Show iCarly Sonny with a Chance The Suite Life on Deck Wizards of Waverly Place Favorite Music Group Black Eyed Peas Coldplay Jonas Brothers Linkin Park Favorite Female Singer Beyonce Miley Cyrus Lady Gaga Taylor Swift Favorite Male Singer Jay-Z Sean Kingston Mario Ne-Yo Favorite Song “I Gotta Feeling,” Black Eyed Peas “Paparazzi,” Lady Gaga “Party in the USA,” Miley Cyrus “You Belong with Me,” Taylor Swift Favorite Movie Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen The Twilight Saga: New Moon X-Men Origins: Wolverine Favorite Movie Actor Zac Efron Taylor Lautner Shia LeBeouf Tyler Perry Favorite Movie Actress Sandra Bullock Miley Cyrus Megan Fox Zoe Saldana
Continued here:
Miley Cyrus Dominates Nominations for 2010 Kids’ Choice Awards
Posted in Celebrities, Gossip
Tagged Actress, bennyhollywood, black-eyed, cyrus, Hollywood, kids' choice awards, miley cyrus, movie, opinion, Taylor Swift, twilight-saga, usa
We wrote too soon. Upon reading the initially-released excerpts of Robert Pattinson’s new interview with Details , we remarked that he sounded like an intelligent version of John Mayer: not racist, just clearly a deep thinker about seemingly mundane life issues. But it sounds like Pattinson actually has a slight case of Mayer-itis, as more quotes from his magazine article have been leaked. In the feature, the man adored by millions of women makes a startling admission: he hates vaginas! Is he joking around? For Kristen Stewart’s sake, we hope so. When asked about his shoot with numerous nude women (as pictured below,) here’s what Rob has to say… I really hate vaginas. I’m allergic to vagina. But I can’t say I had no idea, because it was a 12-hour shoot, so you kind of get the picture that these women are going to stay naked after, like, five or six hours. But I wasn’t exactly prepared. I had no idea what to say to these girls. Thank God I was hungover.” WTF?!? Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. Or in this case, the… nevermind. A couple more Robert Pattinson pictures , each of which depict the actor and a naked woman, are below. We really do hope Stewart doesn’t see these photos. What about you? Do you wish Pattinson had considered his young fan base and avoided such racy poses? Has your opinion of Rob changed?
Read more from the original source:
Robert Pattinson Hates On Vaginas
Posted in Celebrities, Gossip
Tagged actor, Gossip, Hollywood, initially, Kristen Stewart, opinion, pattinson, picture, Robert Pattinson, Sex, shoot, TMZ, topless-woman
Super Bowl advertisers know the aphorism: “I'm just watching it for the commercials” so they premiere their most entertaining commercials. Those ad slots are expensive, so every aspect is calculated. Research has gone into finding out what consumers will relate to. Jezebel catalogued some of those commercials that portray “pathetic men.”
Posted in Celebrities, Hot Stuff
Tagged archie-bunker, commercials, conor-knighton, current, dodge-charger, drive-the-car, friends, fundamental, Hollywood, opinion, suffocating, Super Bowl, Vampire, wives
In a tweet about Men at Work plagiarism case, Walla writes, ‘Related: Owl City should really consider buying Ben [Gibbard] a pony.’ By James Montgomery Owl City Photo: Universal Republic Last year, Chris Walla raised eyebrows when he called brooding “Twilight” bloodsucker Edward Cullen “an a–hole.” Then, at rehearsals for the mtvU Woodie Awards , he made sure to point out the “high beefcake quotient” of the “New Moon” film. And how can we forget the international incident he created when the master tapes for his Field Manual album ran afoul of the Department of Homeland Security? Basically, the Death Cab for Cutie guitarist/producer is unafraid to speak his mind or rankle the third-largest Cabinet department in the U.S., which makes him a rare breed in these buttoned-up, sound-bite-ified times
Go here to read the rest:
Death Cab’s Chris Walla Addresses Postal Service/ Owl City Comparisons
Posted in Music
Tagged artists, bennyhollywood, between-the-two, department, Hollywood, machine-records, manager, Mtv, opinion, scott-borchetta, similarities, walla
Breaking Sports Video
Pac-12 NCAA Sports
Justin Bieber Fan Site Breaking News
