It was Divas Night on The X Factor Wednesday, as contestants took to the stage and belted out songs by famous women. But which female contestant will enjoy the most success once Season 2 is said and done? We’ve already asked readers to compare the young adults managed by Britney Spears. Are you on Team Jennel, Paige or CeCe ? Now we’re back with the youngest remaining singers: Diamond White, Carly Rose Sonenclar, Beatrice Miller and Arin Ray. Compare the charges of Demi Lovato now and cast your vote… Diamond White – “Halo” Beatrice Miller – “Time After Time” Carly Rose Sonenclar – “My Heart Will Go On” Arin Ray – “Crazy For You” Which performance did you like best? Arin Ray – “Crazy For You” Beatrice Miller – “Time After Time” Carly Rose Sonenclar – “My Heart Will Go On” View Poll »
Yesterday, People anointed Channing Tatum Sexiest Man Alive . Without a doubt, 2012 was Tatum’s year, with three successful movies in The Vow, Magic Mike , and 21 Jump Street . But People has its share of critics just the same. The main complaint? With a singular exception – Denzel Washington in 1996 – the magazine has picked a square-jawed white guy (usually an actor) EVERY year. In 2008, Hugh Jackman took the top honor. In 2009, Johnny Depp was selected for a second time. Last year, Bradley Cooper walked away with the crown. The year before that, it was Ryan Reynolds, perhaps in anticipation of his film Green Lantern . Should they rename it Sexiest Milquetoast White Man Alive? Asks the Daily Beast: Where are the Blair Underwoods, the Taye Diggses, the Morris Chestnuts? The Terrence Howards, the Jesse Williamses, the Idris Elbas? Inside. And if you believe People ’s official line, it is what’s inside that counts. A representative for the magazine wrote: “ People is sensitive to representing people of color in its pages; our Sexiest Man Alive issue is no exception. Every section in this year’s issue includes a diverse group of men.” Brett R. Johnson, associate editor of The Root, said, “That response is expected … They can’t come out and say black men don’t sell magazine covers.” Though there are some sports celebrities, most of the picks skew toward Hollywood, and actors rather than musicians. Perhaps that’s part of the issue. Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kobe Bryant, or Michael Jordan during their primes would’ve been fine cover stars, no? A rep for People explained of the criteria: “Is he hot at the moment? Is he sexy? Is his career on fire this year? Channing Tatum fits that criteria this year, which is why he was named 2012 Sexiest Man Alive.” The list, then, said Jezebel ‘s Jessica Coen, isn’t truthfully the “sexiest man in general, just – ‘handsome man who’s getting the most work right now,’ “And what makes that so strange is that People is not a trade mag.” “People’s response places the blame on Hollywood. That’s a copout. They have a lot of power as a media outlet, but their response is akin to throwing up their hands.” “Hollywood and the media – and that includes People – have a highly symbiotic relationship.” “Putting a man of color on the inside is like saying, ‘He’s hot, sure, but just not hot enough for the cover. Only a white man can be number one.’” “Which is kind of how the world has worked for the past couple centuries.” What do you think? Share your comments and vote in our survey below: Channing Tatum: Sexiest Man Alive? Yes, look at him! Nah, but he ain’t shabby! Not even close! View Poll »
Lauryn Hill Addresses Wyclef Rumors During Concert In Dallas Hip-hop industry veteran turned speedo sporting savage Wyclef must have struck a nerve when he put his former fellow Fugees bandmate Lauryn Hill on blast alleging a past relationship and claiming that she lied to him about her son Zion being his baby. Lauryn recently took the stage at a concert in Dallas, TX and addressed all of the “chatter” going around about her. “Be careful how you judge. There’s a lotta deception out there…a lot of misunderstanding out there….a lot of miscommunication out there. A lot of false information out there. And know this, after all the people who just talk, talk, talk..who’s the silent one? (points to herself). And Let me tell you why I don’t chat back. Because I know that my brothers and my sisters are often times pawns in a bigger scheme so when they, under pressure, attack me, I love them still. It’s called the high road. Try taking it sometimes.” Peep Lauryn’s entire rant in the video below and she which side of the story you believe. YouTube
Wednesday morning’s round of five stories you should know also include a new thriller role for Maria Bello. Skyfall momentum continues in the U.S. box office, passing a threshold. And on the heels of Hollywood recognition, a director’s foreign-language pic is heading to the U.S. 1. Channing Tatum Named Sexiest Man Alive for 2012 How could Tatum not win the 2012 Sexiest Crown after starring in and being the creative force behind box office stripper success Magic Mike ? People magazine gave Tatum the 2012 title. “My first thought was, ‘Y’all are messing with me”I told [my wife] Jenna after we’d been in the bathtub washing our dogs because they’d gotten skunked.” People reports . 2. Jack Nicholson Tapped for Robert Downey Jr.’s The Judge Warner Bros is hoping to court the very picky actor to play Downey’s father. The project will star Downey as a successful attorney who returns to his hometown for his mother’s funeral only to discover that his estranged and Alzheimer’s-stricken father, the town’s judge, is the murder suspect. The man sets out to discover the truth and along the way reconnects with the family he walked away from years before. Nicholson is not a shoe-in. He has made only three movies since 2003, THR reports . 3. Maria Bello Set for James Wan Thriller The story revolves around the aftermath of a horrific massacre: five college students, brutally murdered inside a decrepit, abandoned home. Fresh on the scene, detective Mark Lewis and the police department’s psychologist, Dr. Elizabeth Klein (Bello), question one of the few survivors who explains they were amateur ghost-hunters, seeking out paranormal phenomenon at the abandoned house, believed to be haunted. Will Canon ( Brotherhood ) will direct the pic from producer James Wan’s concept. Wan co-created the successful Saw and Insidious franchises. 4. Skyfall Crosses $100M in the U.S. The latest James Bond has been a box office hit overseas and it’s seen its fortunes continue Stateside. It took in $11.3 million on Veterans Day combined with $90 million over the Friday – Sunday weekend, giving it a $101.9 million total. The global come as of Sunday was $518.6 million, Deadline reports . 5. The Deep Heads to U.S. Theaters U.S. rights to Baltasar Kormakur’s The Deep will head to Focus Features. His film Reykjavik-Rotterdam is being re-made into Contraband starring Mark Wahlberg and he is currently directing 2 Guns starring Wahlberg and Denzel Washington. The Deep is Iceland’s foreign-language Oscar submission, Deadline reports .
At a time when General David Petraeus’ affair with his biographer has become a media obsession, Leo Tolstoy’s 19th-century tale of love, adultery and aristocratic downfall, Anna Karenina , is more relevant than ever. And yet, with more than two-dozen film and TV adaptations of the novel in existence, director Joe Wright faced a daunting challenge: bringing a fresh perspective to the classic story. The gamble is whether its unique twist will translate into Oscar nominations. The sumptuous but unorthodox path he took — depicting pivotal scenes as if they were taking part on a theater stage — was akin to “jumping off a cliff” says Keira Knightley , who plays the movie’s title character, an alluring Russian aristocrat who breaks entrenched societal taboos and embarks on a torrid love affair with the affluent soldier, Count Vronsky. “I don’t know that we did know it would work,” said Knightley. “With Anna Karenina , it’s been done so many times before and there was a sense that if you’re going to tell this story again, you might as well do something that’s out there.” “Out there” includes depicting scenes of the titled heroine (or anti-heroine) on a stage as her marriage and social status disintegrates and she becomes the subject of societal scorn. “The worst thing we could do is fail,” said Knightley. “It was a constant conversation between us to make that balance work. But everyone was so deeply into it.” Wright, who directed the film from a screenplay adaptation by Tom Stoppard, decided just weeks before the shoot to re-work the film with the stage component. Knightely said the change threw the cast, which includes Jude Law and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, into a bit of a frenzy. But she added that the group was determined to give it their all — even if there was a chance it wouldn’t work. “[Joe Wright] demands 110%. He demands complete obsession and that’s exactly what he gives back. It makes him an extraordinarily magical person to work with and frightening to work with because it’s not a job in which you go home from. It’s everything from the time that you’re making it, and I think that’s one of the reasons people said ‘let’s do it’ with this concept.” She added: “He’s one of those people you go with and say, ‘let’s jump.'” Getting to know Anna Karenina — the character and novel — was also an evolution for Knightley who had a completely different take on the book after re-reading it before production began. The first time she read it as a “sweeping romance,” but the second time she wondered if Tolstoy despised Anna. “I remember thinking [most recently] — and people will disagree with me on this — that Tolstoy hates her and I’m not sure that she’s the heroine. I think she’s the anti-heroine,” said Knightley. “She is the whole of Babylon — she’s the person to be judged. But then [Tolstoy] does at times understand her and is completely in love with her. And that’s the dichotomy of Anna and what has made her an object of fascination for so many years,” Knightley explained. “You’re not really sure what to feel about Anna. She is deceitful, manipulative and needy. But she is also wonderful, lovable, and full of energy and love. She’s all those things.” Knightley also observed that Anna is a character that makes one take a look at their moral universe, and the actress said she took great pains to keep her from coming off as a gilded cliché. “She is a creature that makes you look at yourself because you are judging this person, but then you think, ‘Do I have a right to do that?'” said Knightley. “The people we hurt the most are the people we love the most. And that’s what she does. The difficulty in playing her is you don’t want to simplify that. The easy thing to do would be to make her the victim and Karenina the bad guy and I didn’t want to do just that.” When the film comes out this Friday, there will likely be another dichotomy: Audiences and critics who love the unconventional stage settings interspersed with more-or-less more traditional linear storytelling and those who’ll object. But Knightley is pleased with what will hit the screen. “I think it’s absolutely extraordinary. I haven’t seen anything like it. I think it’s always going to be something that some people won’t like, but I’m very proud of it. If you’re talking about cinema as an event – it is certainly an event. You only see naturalism in film at the moment. Whether you think it’s over-stylized or not, you have to celebrate the fact that it’s so completely different. And I really love it. And I love how daring Joe has been and I’m very glad I jumped off the cliff with him.” Follow Brian Brooks on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Everything’s bigger in Texas. That apparently includes secession petitions . A petition to allow Texas to secede from the United States has qualified to receive a White House response, garnering more than 81,000 signatures. The Texas secession movement’s leader said President Obama’s reelection was a “catalyzing moment” for his group’s efforts “to quit the United States.” Daniel Miller, president of the Texas Nationalist Movement, said: “I am completely aware that Election Day was a catalyzing moment, but I do not believe that the underpinnings of this are solely about Barack Obama.” “This cake has been baking for a long time – it’s the Obama administration that put the candles on the cake and lit it for us.” The Texas secession petition reads : Given that the state of Texas maintains a balanced budget and is the 15th largest economy in the world, it is practically feasible for Texas to withdraw from the union. To do so would protect it’s citizens’ standard of living and re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal government . The support for the petition has surged despite Texas Gov. Rick Perry – who has flirted with the secession idea in the past – callng to support the union. The governor’s press secretary, Catherine Frazier, said that Perry “believes in the greatness of our Union and nothing should be done to change it.” Perry does, however, “share the frustrations many Americans have with our federal government.” The Lone Star State is not exactly alone. Residents in more than 40 states have filed secession petitions to the Obama administration’s “We the People” site. Though none of the breakaway efforts have come even close to Texas’ huge number, many petitions have attracted 20,000-30,000 signatures.
Brittney Palmer is going to be in Montreal, the city I am unfortunately prisoner to an obese french whoman who pays my rent in exchange for eternal love, devotion, and commitment…that I don’t really give her…but only cuz I am not good at anything I set my mind to. It is all part of being a failure. Anyway, I emailed her and her people to have a little make out session – but she didn’t get back to me…maybe I came on too strong when I sent pics of me in bondage gear and a strap on. She was in Maxim, She’s the new, non-ethnic Arianny Celeste and I’m pretty sure her body is going places…unfortunately none of those places are my face.
Barack said today that the plan is “odious” and the new bill has Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni feeling torn between siding with the ‘demands’ of the evangelical church vs. incoming aid from donors. According to Reuters : Some international donors have threatened to cut aid if the legislation, which is now before a parliamentary committee and was first introduced in parliament in 2009, becomes law. “Ugandans want that law as a Christmas gift. They have asked for it and we’ll give them that gift,” parliament speaker Rebecca Kadaga told Reuters on Tuesday. As House speaker Kadaga can ask the committee to expedite scrutiny of a bill in order to bring it back to the House for final debate and voting. Existing legislation already outlaws gay sex. The new bill prohibits the “promotion” of gay rights and punishes anyone who “funds or sponsors homosexuality” or “abets homosexuality”. Kadaga said it was still possible to pass the bill this year although there was little time remaining before the House went on recess for Christmas holidays. “It’s very, very possible, we can do it,” Kadaga said. Homosexuality is taboo in many African nations. It is illegal in 37 countries on the continent, including Uganda, and activists say few Africans are openly gay, fearing imprisonment, violence and loss of jobs. Last month Uganda’s leading daily newspaper, Daily Monitor, reported a spat in Canada between Kadaga and Canada’s foreign minister over Uganda’s harassment of gay people. “If homosexuality is a value for the people of Canada they should not seek to force Uganda to embrace it. We are not a colony or a protectorate of Canada,” the paper quoted Kadaga as saying. Her comments drew support among some Ugandans on Twitter and Facebook and upon returning from Canada she received a rapturous welcome at Entebbe, Uganda’s main international airport. Clare Byarugaba, coordinator for Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law (CSCHRCL), said the group would petition the constitutional court to declare the draft legislation unconstitutional. “The international community supports us and we also believe in the constitution of our country which protects the rights and freedoms of everyone,” she said. “And we’ll petition it (constitutional court) and we strongly believe the law will be on our side,” she said. International activist group Avaaz condemned the decision. “Sentencing people to life in prison for love is not a “Christmas gift”, it’s a sickening violation of human rights,” campaign director Emma Ruby-Sachs said in a statement. In August gay rights activists hacked several Ugandan government websites to denounce what they regard as harassment of homosexuals in the east African country. The country also banned 38 NGOs in July it accused of promoting homosexuality and recruiting children into homosexuality. Think she’s getting coal in her stocking this year?? Images via tumblr
My name is Ryan and I’m a guy Belieber. My twitter name is bakerboyy10. For years I’ve been trying to get Justin Bieber to follow me on Twitter, or trying to meet him. I’ve failed every time, until November 2, 2012. When I found out Justin was going on tour, I looked up where he would have the closest concert to me and that was in Louisville, Kentucky. I signed up for Bieberfever.com so I could get the pre-sale tickets. I asked my friend Amber is she wanted to go with me and she jumped to the conclusion. The day the tickets went on sale, I was in school and one of my teachers was kind enough to let me use her computer during class to get them. The tickets went on sale at noon. As soon as it was noon, I clicked refresh on ticketmaster and clicked on the VIP meet & greet package. I got the tickets and all I had to do was fill out the credit card information before the time ran out. The credit card was expired and I lost the tickets. I told my mom and she ended up buying the next best tickets which were the diamond package which meant I wouldn’t get to meet him. I was so upset. In my next class which was about 20 minutes later, we were supposed to be taking a test but I snuck on my iPad and tried one more time for the heck of it. Turns out there were some VIP meet & greet tickets left and I quickly clicked on them. I had 3 minutes to do it. I texted my mom and said, “Give another credit card number right now.” 30 seconds later she texted me all her credit card information. I typed it in with about 15 seconds to go and I ended up getting the tickets. I was so happy! I couldn’t believe I was finally going to meet my hero, my idol, and my biggest inspiration. I ended up getting a zero on that test but I didn’t care at all. I counted down to the days when I was finally gonna meet Justin. It was 5 months away. I couldn’t wait. But I had no choice. As the days rolled by, the day I’ve been waiting for was finally coming up. I ordered a customized shirt that had a picture of Justin from the Believe album with on the front with “Swaggy” above it, and my last name “Baker” on the back along with my Twitter name “bakerboyy10” below it. It was about $50. I know, that’s expensive but so worth it. On November 1st I was so excited I couldn’t concentrate in school at all. When I got bed that night, I couldn’t sleep at all. I was up until around 2am. I went to school and left at 12. Me and my friend Amber went to McDonalds then went to my house to wait for my mom to pick us up. We left for the concert at 1pm. From Amelia, Ohio to Louisville, Kentucky it was about a 2 hour drive. The closer we got the more nervous I was. We finally got to the KFC Yum Center and we waited outside for about an hour to get in. They finally let us in and we had to check in for the VIP meet & greet. After we got everything we needed this guy who was with the tour led us to the meet & greet line. While waiting for Justin, we met Dan Kanter his guitarist, and Kenny Hamilton. Both of them were really nice and really cool. We were second in line to meet Justin. He finally arrived and was behind the curtain and the people in front of us went. After they were done it was our turn. This was it. I was finally gonna meet Justin Bieber. When the security guard opened the curtain me and my friend Amber walked in with our mom and dad behind us. Justin waked up to me, grabbed my hand, looked at my shirt and said “Swaggy” then he winked at me and smiled. I said “I’m Ryan” and he said “Nice to meet you.” He then went up to Amber and said “Hey beautiful.” She blushed and told him her name. After that, we got arranged for the picture. Justin put his arm around me and I did the same. After the picture I told him, “Thank you so much. This means so much to me, and I love your music. You’re my biggest inspiration. Good luck tonight. You’ll do great.” He smiled and said, “Thanks bro, that means really means a lot to me coming from you. You make me so proud.” He then patted me on the shoulder and then we had to leave. After we left from behind the curtain, we were handed an autographed vinyl copy of the album Believe. Then I started to tear up because Justin Bieber told me I make him proud. I couldn’t believe it. I was overwhelmed. After that we had to go back outside and wait for the doors to open to go to our seats. When we walked outside, all the girls saw me in tears and they all said “Awwww.” They all also asked me a lot of questions about the meet and greet. The concert was absolutely amazing. We were in the second row, section 3 so we were right up against the stage. We got pushed a lot to. Carly Rae Jepsen shook my hand twice on stage. Justin shook my hand 3 times on stage and he pointed at me twice. After the concert, I ended up getting one of Justin’s drum sticks. This was the best night of my life. I will always remember it. Remember anything can happen if you just Believe and Never Say Never. My dream came true and it can happen to you too. Just don’t give up! Thank you Justin Bieber for letting me meet you and having this amazing experience. You’re a great person. This is why your my hero, my idol, and my biggest inspiration. Your concert was amazing. Love you bro. Thank you my Bieber experience for letting me share my experience with everyone. Swaggy! -Ryan (@bakerboyy10) View original post here: My name is Ryan and I’m a guy Belieber. My twitter name is…
First off I just want to say I never in a million years thought I would be sitting at my computer writing MY story. For several years, I go on this website and read people’s stories wishing I could be them, and now its finally my turn. Several events lead up to the final moment when I met Justin. Firstly, back in April 2011 @shainedawson was making a video for Justin after he was upset with the paparazzi attacking him. I decided I would send in a video having NO idea Justin would see it. A week later, he tweeted “ http://www.twitvid.com/3CGFK ” and I was in the video!! (I come in at 5:11) Then in May 2011, Justin followed me on Twitter. Now back to how I met him, so it began when I rejoined bieberfever.com for the Believe tour, and there was a contest that most likely you all know, which was send in all of your Bieber memorabilia. At about 11:30 PM the day before the show, I got an e-mail saying I won and to this day I still can not believe how out of only 10 people picked, I won. After I spent all night deciding what to wear and because of shock, I only got about 5 hours of sleep the day before the show. I ended up wearing a tight black shirt; which later I will explain was the best choice I have made in my life, jeans, boots, and an owl necklace in honor of Justin’s tattoo. The day of the show we took a train from Portland to the TD Garden. Once we got there we went to the box office and picked up our tickets and went to go wait in line to meet him . When we got upstairs and were waiting in line, I met these two girls who were in their mid 20s. I talked to them for a while and we decided together we would go in as a group of 4. Once we got closer, we saw Kenny and talked to him. He is the sweetest guy ever and I showed him the gift I got for Pac and he laughed. I was like, “I got Pac this gift, it’s a bus so Justin can use it to take him to M&G and that is if he’s alive..” and then Kenny laughed and was like “Right.” Kenny actually talked to us for a while and I asked him if Justin was sad because of all of the Jelena drama and he was like no why and I was like oh well on Twitter everyone is saying he is. Then we were next to meet Justin. I handed the security guy who was opening the curtain my gifts, which was letters from beliebers all around the world and Pac’s gift. When the security guy opened up the curtain I blurted out “HE’S SO LITTLE” and the security guy laughed and then we went in. My dad decided to stay out of the photo and hold our bags, so it was just 3 of us. I went in and luckily I got to stand next to Justin. The guy took the picture and after, while his arm was still around me he TICKLED my waist. That ladies and gentlemen, is why I am glad I wore a tight shirt because I could feel his hand on my waist. At first, I was so confused and was thinking who is doing this and then I realized it was JUSTIN. After that, to Justin I went, “When are you coming to Maine?” (because that’s where I live) and he goes “What” and because it was sooo loud because all of the beliebers were screaming outside he couldn’t hear me. After that, the girl who was also in the picture proceeded to take her iPhone out and try to take a picture which is against the rules so they shoved her phone down and then made us leave. I never got an answer from Justin when he’s coming. When we walked out Kenny was standing there and I went up to him and was like did Justin lose his voice and he was like yeah a little bit. We then begged Kenny to take a picture with us because he was like “I can’t take pictures,” but then he finally gave in . Later in the night, I went to my seat, which I payed $700 for and I had to sit by myself because the ticket was so expensive. When I got down to my seat I was shocked because I was right by the catwalk! I sat in section C Row 14 Seat 12! I met a ton of other beliebers and never have I seen so many people cry. Justin went over to our side several times and touched the people’s hands in front of me. I decided to let them have the opportunity to touch him because I met him that day. All in all, I never dreamt this would be possible. All I have to say is never give up because I didn’t and look what happened I met him. I still can’t believe all of this happened and Justin looked so flawless I swear it wasn’t real. It was the best night of my life and I will never forget it. Follow your dreams and believe in yourself! -Shannon (@BHBMaine) Excerpt from: First off I just want to say I never in a million years thought…
