Let’s give Bethenny Frankel a little bit of credit. She may exploit her personal problems for professional ratings , but at least the reality star is somewhat up front about them. She isn’t blaming divorce chatter on anonymous sources or misguided tabloid stories. In the latest issue of People , Frankel admits that, yes, she and husband Jason Hoppy have suffered through many ups and downs. Their union is far from perfect. “We’ve been scared. The second year of marriage was not easy,” Bethenny tells the magazine. “We hit bottom, [but] we came out the other side.” Frankel and Hoppy’s issues were on full display for most of Bethenny Ever After , the celebrity’s follow-up to The Real Housewives of New York City . But now that she’s away from those programs – “I’m done with putting my personal life and family on reality television… Enough about me,” Frankel says – Bethenny believes the future is bright. “I think we have what it takes to make it work. I don’t have a backup plan. It’s not like shopping for shoes and getting a new pair. That’s not what it’s about.”
When it comes to its beef with actor Ed Helms, Chick-fil-A is not playing chicken. The company has issued an immediate response to The Office star’s recent Tweet, which took Chick-fil-A to task for its President admitting he is opposed to gay marriage. “The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect – regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender,” the statement reads. “We will continue this tradition in the over 1,600 restaurants run by independent Owner/Operators. Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.” This controversy erupted after Helms responded to Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy telling the press his company operated on “biblical principles” and, as a result of such a public stance, Chick-fil-A has lost him as a customer. What do you think of Helms threatening a boycott?
Ed Helms is hilarious in The Hangover and on The Office . But the actor does not take the stance of Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy as a laughing matter. In a recent interview with a Christian publication, Cathy said his company is “guilty as charged” when it comes to accusations that it is opposed to gay marriage, adding that Chick-fil-A supports the “biblical definition of the family unit.” That is the company’s right, of course, and it’s led to Helms exercise his own right. “Chick-Fil-A doesn’t like gay people? So lame,” Helms Tweeted yesterday. “Hate to think what they do to the gay chickens! Lost a loyal fan.” Helms is not alone in his stance. Many associated with NOH8 – such as Miley Cyrus , Lindsay Lohan and Kim Kardashian – have also called for a Chick-fil-A boycott. Where do you stand on Helms’ decision to boycott the restaurant?
Simply put, Airtime is the best Internet you’ve ever had. That’s what a new ad for this video chat service – sprung from the mind of Sean Parker – claims, as the spot features hilarious random celebrity cameos from Kurt Russell to MC Hammer. Yes, that MC Hammer! The venture allows users to easily connect online with friends and strangers, all from the comfort of your own home. See how it works and try to contain your laughter now:
A CW star and former South African President both celebrate birthdays today. First, Chace Crawford – who just started shooting Gossip Girl Season 6 – turns 27, as fans don’t need to worry about gifting him with anyone aside from their best wishes. He’s rumored to be dating Erin Andrews , after all. The actor doesn’t need anything else in life. Nelson Mandela, meanwhile, turns 94. The activist spent 27 years in prison and eventually helped turn his nation into a democracy, defeating the evils of apartheid along the way. That’s almost as impressive an achievement as the whole Andrews thing for Crawford. Other stars celebrating birthdays today include: Kristen Bell (32), Vin Diesel (45), Richard Branson (62).
Alicia Keys was spotted out doing her civic duty in Philly Monday afternoon. The bangin’ singer made a stop at the Women Vote 2012 Summit at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Alicia also stopped by an Organizing For America Volunteer Event at the West Philly Field office. Looks like she already knows who she’s voting for. Are you going to follow Alicia Keys’ lead? SplashNews
Good morning! By which I mean just go back to bed : “‘Bane’ is the terrorist in the new movie who drives the caped crusader out of semi-retirement in the final Batman movie . Democrats, who believe they have Romney on the ropes over the president’s assault on his leadership at Bain Capital, said the comparisons are too rich to ignore. ‘It has been observed that movies can reflect the national mood,’ said Democratic advisor and former Clinton aide Christopher Lehane. ‘Whether it is spelled Bain and being put out by the Obama campaign or Bane and being out by Hollywood, the narratives are similar: a highly intelligent villain with offshore interests and a past both are seeking to cover up who had a powerful father and is set on pillaging society,’ he added.” [ Washington Examiner via Big Hollywood ]
Marissa Mayer is leaving Google for its major competitor. One of the top players at the top search engine on the planet, Mayer was named chief executive of Yahoo today, instantly bumping her way up on the corporate America food chain and making her possibly the most prominent woman in Silicon Valley. She had been listed as employee number-20 at Google. An engineer by trade, Mayer was considered responsible for many of Google’s best-known features, from its simple homepage design to Gmail to Google News and Images. Her appointment as the President of Yahoo is considered a significant get for a company trying to compete with Google and Facebook. She begins her new gig tomorrow. Referring to Yahoo as “one of the best brands on the Internet,” Mayer showed appreciation for her time at Google but told The New York Times in an interview: “It was a reasonably easy decision.”
It was shaping up to be another slow week in TV nudity, but(t) then a surprise contender in the form of USA’s Political Animals managed to deliver some bodacious body-double buns. The political mini-series featured the compellingly cleavaged real life girlfriend of Al Pacino , Lucila Sola , playing hide the cigar with an adulterous Commander-in-Chief. Now which President could his character possibly be based on? The series used a classic cutaway for the backside-baring scene, leading us to believe that the perky posterior is that of a body double. But what a body! True Blood didn’t deliver any pulse pounding skin action this week, but it did feature the ultra flexible form of professional hoofer Genise Ruidiaz in skin-tight costume. You’ll want to get dirty with that dancer! And finally the The Glades stuck to its firm non-nude policy, but we did get a little sticky when Michelle Hurd displayed her toned and taut bod in a skimpy bikini top during a work meeting. That’s some company ink you could really dip your pen into! See more pics after the jump!
The market for films addressing Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential candidacy and his term to date in the Oval Office has proven volatile at best: Hagiographies like the all-access, Edward Norton-produced By the People co-exist alongside a cottage industry of microbudget anti-Obama slam pieces like Hype , The Obama Deception and this past weekend’s 2016: Obama’s America . And thanks in part to election-year grassroots mania (and an interview with the president’s Kenyan half-brother), the latter film may yet prove to be the most lucrative of the Obama subgenre to date. But this weekend’s other release, The Obama Effect ? Not so much. Released on one screen in Houston by Rocky Mountain Pictures (the scrappy purveyor of such right-leaning fare as Atlas Shrugged and the sleeper hits End of the Spear and Expelled: No Intelligence Required ), 2016 pulled in a handsome $31,750 over three days. The showing followed a free word-of-mouth screening last Thursday which featured author/interviewer Dinesh D’Souza (on whose book the film is based) and Oscar-winning co-producer Gerald Molen in attendance; “some moviegoers sat in the aisles Thursday and waited as much as 90 minutes to meet,” according to a THR dispatch . An expanded release is foreseen, perhaps comprising 400 screens total in the lead-up to next month’s Republican National Convention. Meanwhile, down the box-office line (like, way down the box-office line) you’ll find The Obama Effect . Written and directed by and starring Charles S. Dutton, the film focuses on a man circa 2008 who overlooks mounting health and family issues in his fervor to campaign on Obama’s behalf. In a radio interview last week , Dutton described the film as a satirical look at a man who loses perspective on his life (and the political animals who come to surround him), but a glimpse at the trailer and other limited background on the film don’t really combine for much of a message or even much of a story. Which (along with a lack of D’Souza-esque, Obama-thwacking source material) helps explain why the film, released by Arc Entertainment, stumbled this weekend to a meager $73,000 on 25 screens — a per-theater average of $2,920. Lessons? Many remain to be determined, especially as campaign season chugs ahead, though producers and agents alike may immediately be advised that apparently the president’s half-brother George can open a movie better than Andrew Garfield, at least per screen . And think what he could have done with Battleship ! Ahem. Just throwing it out there. [ THR , Box Office Mojo ]
