Anthony Bourdain doesn’t mince words. The Travel Channel and Cadillac found this out first hand when the celebrity chef went off on the network for its product placement in his No Reservations series finale. In a Tumblr post entitled “Fighting Mad,” Bourdain was PISSED about the network making it look like he was endorsing the car in violation of his contract. The 56-year-old writes: “It came as a shock and a disappointment to turn on the TV for the last two episodes of my show, and see that someone had taken footage that me and my creative team had shot for my show, cut it up and edited it together with scenes of a new Cadillac driving through the forest.” “Scenes of me, my face, and with my voice, were deliberately edited in such a way as to suggest that I might be driving that Cadillac.” “That, at least, I was very likely IN that Cadillac – and that if nothing else, I sure as s–t was endorsing Cadillac as the vehicle of choice for my show.” “All this following seamlessly from the actual show so you were halfway through the damn thing before you even realized it was a commercial.” Bourdain noted that he had a clause put in his Travel Channel contract that specifically dealt with this sort of thing, as he felt it undermines his credibility: “It was clearly expressed in writing, clearly understood and agreed to that I would not use or mention any products in my show and my name and image would not be used in connection with any products in return for anything of value or any other consideration without my specific agreement.” “After the first airing of the commercial, I let the network know of my extreme displeasure. Fair warning one would think. They ran it again anyway.” Bourdain did apologize to Cadillac , however, for subsequent tweets that contained some nasty insults, saying he had “no problem” with the car company: “I apologize to the guys on the production line at Cadillac, for finding the thing YOU make, and I have no doubt, are very proud of, in the middle of a rancorous disagreement.” While Bourdain expressed pride for No Reservations ‘ eight seasons, he admitted the promo stunt left him with a pretty bad taste in his mouth. When asked for comment, a publicist for the Travel Channel said in a statement: “We’ve enjoyed a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Tony, but his decision to make further remarks on this matter in the public domain is unfortunate.”
Time to get fly for the holidays! 5 Easy And Fun Travel Gifts For This Holiday Season What makes a great travel gift? An all-expenses-paid getaway would be great but rule that out, and it can be tough to shop for a jetsetter who’s racked up souvenirs from around the globe. So we’ve done the research to seek out practical and inspirational gifts at a price you can afford. Some will feed a case of wanderlust until the next trip comes round, while other items make the actual travel experience simpler and more appealing. Via Travel & Leisure …
Lil’ Wayne was recently offered advice that he should seriously consider taking. No more plane rides! That is, at least until his health improves. From…
After spending six years playing hero on ABC’s LOST , Matthew Fox crossed over to the dark side for role in the James Patterson adaptation Alex Cross , in which he plays a master assassin named Picasso whose perverse precision and meticulous skill make him a deadly foil to Detroit cop/psychological profiler ( Tyler Perry ). [ Read Movieline’s review of Alex Cross ] In addition to training for months to develop the sinewy, lethal physique of his ruthless character (who sports the actor’s own semi-recent array of body tattoos, which make quite an impression in the film’s opening MMA fight scene), Fox underwent an unusually severe emotional preparation for the isolating role, partly by design and partly due to overlapping schedules with World War Z which required him to fly back and forth for a period of time filming two movies at once. As a result, Fox and co-star Tyler Perry barely interacted with one another on the Alex Cross set, save for when they came face to face for the film’s fight scenes. (Director Rob Cohen would deliver Fox’s and Perry’s lines to the other during the majority of their characters’ telephone conversations.) Subsequently, Fox told Movieline, he only felt like he really got to know Perry the day they reunited with Cohen and their cast mates in Los Angeles to speak with press: “I felt like I was really looking at Tyler with my eyes, and he was looking at me with his eyes, and we were friends who’d been through this kind of crazy experience together.” Fox spoke further with Movieline about the emotionally taxing job of playing Picasso, one of the darkest and most unhinged villains of the year, how much of the cold-blooded killer’s severe nature lives inside of him (and how he shook him off), and what compelled him to stay so busy following the end of the long-running LOST . You filmed World War Z and Alex Cross at the same time, then started Peter Webber’s Emperor just three months later. Why pack it in so much? When you find the things you want to be a part of, you want to be a part of them. You get to the point, for me anyway, where once you click over to a certain point you’re like, I have to do this, and I felt that way about both World War Z and Alex Cross . I was bummed that there was so much overlap just because of how crazy it was going to be to travel. But it didn’t end up being too bad, it was doable. Picasso is such a clearly strenuous character to play. There’s so much energy coming out of you off the screen in every scene. That must have taken such effort to even prepare mentally for, but how exhaustive was it to add the travel back and forth and switching out of Alex Cross into your World War Z character? It was, and I had moments where I was a little like, oh my god. But I don’t know – I kind of enjoy that kind of intense load. I think I get excited by it and inspired by it. I’m not going to lie to you, I was very excited when I was done with both of those projects and got to go home and be with my family again and not get on an airplane again for a while. But both of the experiences were amazing. The World War Z experience with Marc Forster and the whole crew over there, that whole cast, and the kids in that movie, and Brad [Pitt] and Mireille [Enos], everybody – it was just great. And then the Alex Cross experience, my experience with Rob [Cohen], was one of the best I’ve ever had. Our collaboration on this guy and how much I felt like he was in it with me – how much he had my back in the whole thing. It was a very lonely role to play. It seems fairly emotionally isolating, to live in the mind of this guy. Yeah, it was. I mean, the character of Picasso creates that for himself. He’s the most supremely arrogant person and holds himself above everyone, so he creates that emotional isolation. So to walk in that and try to figure that out… but I always felt like Rob was right there with me. Rob explained that while filming, you and Tyler actually didn’t interact very much on set, including the telephone conversations your characters share, mostly due to scheduling. At what point do you feel you actually got to know Tyler? Right downstairs after the press conference when we hugged each other and we both were a year away from the characters we were playing, and the circumstances, and those two guys and how they were trying to kill each other. That was the very first time I felt like we’ve both hung out in a moment when were getting to know each other. I felt like I was really looking at Tyler with my eyes, and he was looking at me with his eyes, and we were friends who’d been through this kind of crazy experience together. That seems quite unusual, no? I’ve never been part of a story where my entire interaction with another actor was onscreen, moments where we’re trying to kill each other. I’ve never had that experience. It kind of makes sense to me that it turned out that way, but if I ever went and did another film where it was a villain vs. hero, I would wonder if there was a way to do it and still have moments in between when we just hang out and talk about our families. But I kind of think on some level sometimes it’s necessary to do it like we did it. Many folks have drawn the conclusion that you following your years playing Jack Shephard on LOST with a villainous role like Picasso might have been out of a desire for extreme change, but is that how you feel about that decision now? I’ll put it to you this way: I never, ever think about the things that I get involved with on a macro means-to-an-ends scale. Never. So am I happy that it worked out that way? Yeah, I think it’s pretty cool. But it was purely motivated by an inside-out thing. I love Rob, I met Rob, and I felt like we “got” each other. Him offering me this opportunity that I knew was going to require an enormous amount and be really challenging and require me to figure out so many things – I’m scared shitless, I’m not sure I can pull it off – that’s a good reason to want to do this. Now looking at it objectively I can see that coming off of a six-year television show, and I haven’t been in anything since then, and this being the first film coming out after that, it’s cool that it’s such a change. When you look at the characters you’ve played throughout your career, do you see yourself in every one of them – and if so, what does that say about Picasso? Is there a hidden darkness inside of you that this enabled you to tap into? [Laughs] I think that there’s a hidden darkness in all of us! I’m a big fan of the book The Heart of Darkness , and the notion that we are much more in the areas of gray than we are either a good person or a bad person. We all have the capacity for potentially very dark things, and we all have the capacity for incredible hope and compassion and goodness to each other. I think that’s the more challenging way to look at us as a species, because it requires you to actually make those choices. So yes – to answer your question directly, I think there’s a lot of me in everything I play. I hope. That’s important; I think all actors, to a certain degree, bring parts of themselves to every role that they’re playing, and my own taste is when they bring a lot, and they’re not hiding behind the thing that they’re playing but actually are revealing the thing that they’re playing. So, yes – are there parts of me that are Picasso? Am I capable of doing those things? I mean, no. I’m not that person. I am a parent of two children that I love more than anything in the universe along with my partner in crime, my wife, and I’m really a very gentle and warm person. But I do believe that we all have a capacity for those things, and that’s what you have to do as an actor – find those things and exaggerate them and use them to try to create this illusion. While you were living in the skin of Picasso, during the shoot, would you find you took him home with you at night? Are you an easy person to live with during times like these? I would say I’m not a tremendously easy person to live with. I think I’m very aware of that, though, so I do my very best. I’m just one of those people, that – and I’ve worked with people in both camps, people who can emotionally just shine in front of a camera and the minute they say “Cut” they’re like, “Let’s grab a Coke!” And then there are people that I’ve worked with who, to bring that emotional intensity to the screen it bleeds over for a while. I’m definitely of the latter camp, but I’m also very aware of that. And so is [wife] Margherita. So it’s just one of those things; it takes me a little while for the emotional stuff to bleed out, and then I’m good. If you’re conscious of it and are aware of it, I think it’s fine. Read more on Alex Cross here. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
After spending six years playing hero on ABC’s LOST , Matthew Fox crossed over to the dark side for role in the James Patterson adaptation Alex Cross , in which he plays a master assassin named Picasso whose perverse precision and meticulous skill make him a deadly foil to Detroit cop/psychological profiler ( Tyler Perry ). [ Read Movieline’s review of Alex Cross ] In addition to training for months to develop the sinewy, lethal physique of his ruthless character (who sports the actor’s own semi-recent array of body tattoos, which make quite an impression in the film’s opening MMA fight scene), Fox underwent an unusually severe emotional preparation for the isolating role, partly by design and partly due to overlapping schedules with World War Z which required him to fly back and forth for a period of time filming two movies at once. As a result, Fox and co-star Tyler Perry barely interacted with one another on the Alex Cross set, save for when they came face to face for the film’s fight scenes. (Director Rob Cohen would deliver Fox’s and Perry’s lines to the other during the majority of their characters’ telephone conversations.) Subsequently, Fox told Movieline, he only felt like he really got to know Perry the day they reunited with Cohen and their cast mates in Los Angeles to speak with press: “I felt like I was really looking at Tyler with my eyes, and he was looking at me with his eyes, and we were friends who’d been through this kind of crazy experience together.” Fox spoke further with Movieline about the emotionally taxing job of playing Picasso, one of the darkest and most unhinged villains of the year, how much of the cold-blooded killer’s severe nature lives inside of him (and how he shook him off), and what compelled him to stay so busy following the end of the long-running LOST . You filmed World War Z and Alex Cross at the same time, then started Peter Webber’s Emperor just three months later. Why pack it in so much? When you find the things you want to be a part of, you want to be a part of them. You get to the point, for me anyway, where once you click over to a certain point you’re like, I have to do this, and I felt that way about both World War Z and Alex Cross . I was bummed that there was so much overlap just because of how crazy it was going to be to travel. But it didn’t end up being too bad, it was doable. Picasso is such a clearly strenuous character to play. There’s so much energy coming out of you off the screen in every scene. That must have taken such effort to even prepare mentally for, but how exhaustive was it to add the travel back and forth and switching out of Alex Cross into your World War Z character? It was, and I had moments where I was a little like, oh my god. But I don’t know – I kind of enjoy that kind of intense load. I think I get excited by it and inspired by it. I’m not going to lie to you, I was very excited when I was done with both of those projects and got to go home and be with my family again and not get on an airplane again for a while. But both of the experiences were amazing. The World War Z experience with Marc Forster and the whole crew over there, that whole cast, and the kids in that movie, and Brad [Pitt] and Mireille [Enos], everybody – it was just great. And then the Alex Cross experience, my experience with Rob [Cohen], was one of the best I’ve ever had. Our collaboration on this guy and how much I felt like he was in it with me – how much he had my back in the whole thing. It was a very lonely role to play. It seems fairly emotionally isolating, to live in the mind of this guy. Yeah, it was. I mean, the character of Picasso creates that for himself. He’s the most supremely arrogant person and holds himself above everyone, so he creates that emotional isolation. So to walk in that and try to figure that out… but I always felt like Rob was right there with me. Rob explained that while filming, you and Tyler actually didn’t interact very much on set, including the telephone conversations your characters share, mostly due to scheduling. At what point do you feel you actually got to know Tyler? Right downstairs after the press conference when we hugged each other and we both were a year away from the characters we were playing, and the circumstances, and those two guys and how they were trying to kill each other. That was the very first time I felt like we’ve both hung out in a moment when were getting to know each other. I felt like I was really looking at Tyler with my eyes, and he was looking at me with his eyes, and we were friends who’d been through this kind of crazy experience together. That seems quite unusual, no? I’ve never been part of a story where my entire interaction with another actor was onscreen, moments where we’re trying to kill each other. I’ve never had that experience. It kind of makes sense to me that it turned out that way, but if I ever went and did another film where it was a villain vs. hero, I would wonder if there was a way to do it and still have moments in between when we just hang out and talk about our families. But I kind of think on some level sometimes it’s necessary to do it like we did it. Many folks have drawn the conclusion that you following your years playing Jack Shephard on LOST with a villainous role like Picasso might have been out of a desire for extreme change, but is that how you feel about that decision now? I’ll put it to you this way: I never, ever think about the things that I get involved with on a macro means-to-an-ends scale. Never. So am I happy that it worked out that way? Yeah, I think it’s pretty cool. But it was purely motivated by an inside-out thing. I love Rob, I met Rob, and I felt like we “got” each other. Him offering me this opportunity that I knew was going to require an enormous amount and be really challenging and require me to figure out so many things – I’m scared shitless, I’m not sure I can pull it off – that’s a good reason to want to do this. Now looking at it objectively I can see that coming off of a six-year television show, and I haven’t been in anything since then, and this being the first film coming out after that, it’s cool that it’s such a change. When you look at the characters you’ve played throughout your career, do you see yourself in every one of them – and if so, what does that say about Picasso? Is there a hidden darkness inside of you that this enabled you to tap into? [Laughs] I think that there’s a hidden darkness in all of us! I’m a big fan of the book The Heart of Darkness , and the notion that we are much more in the areas of gray than we are either a good person or a bad person. We all have the capacity for potentially very dark things, and we all have the capacity for incredible hope and compassion and goodness to each other. I think that’s the more challenging way to look at us as a species, because it requires you to actually make those choices. So yes – to answer your question directly, I think there’s a lot of me in everything I play. I hope. That’s important; I think all actors, to a certain degree, bring parts of themselves to every role that they’re playing, and my own taste is when they bring a lot, and they’re not hiding behind the thing that they’re playing but actually are revealing the thing that they’re playing. So, yes – are there parts of me that are Picasso? Am I capable of doing those things? I mean, no. I’m not that person. I am a parent of two children that I love more than anything in the universe along with my partner in crime, my wife, and I’m really a very gentle and warm person. But I do believe that we all have a capacity for those things, and that’s what you have to do as an actor – find those things and exaggerate them and use them to try to create this illusion. While you were living in the skin of Picasso, during the shoot, would you find you took him home with you at night? Are you an easy person to live with during times like these? I would say I’m not a tremendously easy person to live with. I think I’m very aware of that, though, so I do my very best. I’m just one of those people, that – and I’ve worked with people in both camps, people who can emotionally just shine in front of a camera and the minute they say “Cut” they’re like, “Let’s grab a Coke!” And then there are people that I’ve worked with who, to bring that emotional intensity to the screen it bleeds over for a while. I’m definitely of the latter camp, but I’m also very aware of that. And so is [wife] Margherita. So it’s just one of those things; it takes me a little while for the emotional stuff to bleed out, and then I’m good. If you’re conscious of it and are aware of it, I think it’s fine. Read more on Alex Cross here. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Kelly Clarkson singing Coldplay? Like Usher singing Foster the People , it’s a cover we can’t say we saw coming, but one you’ll find is memorably good. The American Idol winner and Duets star paid a visit to the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge – the same venue as Usher’s aforementioned cover – last week. On it, she took on the Coldplay and Rihanna hit “Princess of China” in stripped down, acoustic rendition featuring just guitar, mandolin and vocals. Watch below as she nails both Rihanna ‘s part and Chris Martin’s: Kelly Clarkson – Princess of China (Live)
Nick Stahl’s family and friends are once again searching for the missing Terminator actor after he bailed on rehab against his doctor’s orders days ago. Stahl, who was reported missing last month before contacting friends and family and entering treatment, has disappeared anew, according to reports. “He’s been missing for about four days,” the actor’s estranged wife, Rose Murphy Stahl, confirmed to E! News Monday. “I don’t want to comment any further.” After checking out of rehab, the Terminator 3 star went to stay at a friend’s. He was then seen in downtown L.A., but after that, Stahl returned back to his friends. He has not been spotted since he left a friend’s house Thursday. The source says: “He’s disappeared. We can’t find him anywhere. He hasn’t made contact with anyone. We are all just desperately looking for him.” “Everyone just wants him to come home,” the source adds, with no luck so far. “It’s just a terrible situation. We are searching, but we’ve had no solid leads.” Here’s hoping he surfaces safe and sound once again. [Photo: WENN.com]
Following the London fireworks that saw Kalon McMahon booted off the show a week ago, The Bachelorette and her eight remaining men hit Croatia tonight. Which log-throwing, kilt-wearing competitor dominated the manly competition? Who won over Emily with persistence in the face of defeat and earned a rose? Elsewhere, who surprisingly got the chop on tonight’s one-on-one date(s), and what surprising bombshell was dropped in the previews for next week? Follow this link for a rundown of The Bachelorette spoilers we know so far, including the (alleged) final three. Then read on for THG’s official +/- recap! Emily’s having a good hair day. Plus 9 . No Ricki this week? :’-( Minus 18 . Annnnd the first one-on-one date goes to … Travis the Egg Guy. A little anticlimactic for fans of Sean Lowe. Or Jef Holm. Or Arie Luyendyk, Jr. Minus 7 . Put Dubrovnik, Croatia on your travel bucket list BTW. Plus 14 . #BalancingStoneFail. Minus 4 . “This is a 10 on a scale of 8,” he calls their date. Who says that? First of all, scale of eight? Second of all, why not an 11 or 12 out of eight then? Minus 2 . Emily is looking for a guy with a bit of an edge … according to Ryan, who’s apparently wearing a Lulu Lemon yoga halter-top wife-beater thing. Minus 30 . Travis’ dinner seems to be going pretty well at least. Plus 6 . Ryan scores the next one-on-one date. His heart is beating out of his women’s tank top, man. Prepare for the douchepocalypse, America. Plus 10 . Emily sends Travis home after not feeling any sort of romantic connection! Plus 5 , ’cause we feel bad for the guy, but it was definitely the right call. That umbrella Travis flung – like his heart and like his precious egg – may be broken beyond repair. Plus 5 . And then there were seven … Sometimes a girl just wants to see a movie … in the name of shameless product placement courtesy of ABC and Disney-Pixar’s Brave . Minus 25 . Eye-rolling plugs aside, the movie does look pretty cute at least. Plus 7 . The guys in kilts and muscle shirts? Ditto! Plus 3 . Plus 12 for Emily’s archery skills. Minus 12 for Chris’ effort … at grammar, because we think he just said he’s “shotten an arrow only once in his whole life.” You’re shotten me Chris. Sean Lowe is so ripped, he broke the log in the competition. Plus 9 . Chris wins the Bravery Cup despite being humiliated in every event. He was a good sport and gave it his best … can you tell Emily’s a mom? Plus 11 . Emily and Sean FTW? Can we start calling them Seamily? Plus 5 . Arie’s “freaking out,” but it doesn’t appear he’s relinquished co-frontrunner status. Definitely not after that street makeout sesh. Plus 5 . Ryan has to be acting, right? There are a-holes in the world, sure … but one can be that full of himself in such comedic fashion. He’s like a caricature of your quintessential narcissistic ass clown. Well played Ryan and ABC. Plus 10 . Jef? Definite dark horse still. Plus 4 . He and Chris, who gets the rose, are angling for the final two hometown date spots at this point, with Arie and Sean the favorites. Doug and Ryan are fading fast (for very different reasons). Wolf … is still on the show we think. Emily Maynard really sparkles. Literally. Plus 6 . Ryan actually shaves that ugly patch out of his facial hair … and apparently his legs. Arie is visibly uncomfortable listening to him talk at this point. Plus 2 . Not as uncomfortable as Emily eating an oyster, but close. Minus 11 . Or when Ryan says openly that he wants her to be his trophy wife. Minus 21 . “I see in you some things I’ve always looked for.” – Ryan. Read: booty shorts. Plus 7 . When Emily’s not happy, she makes this this half-smile, half-glaring crinkle face. Case in point: Ryan reading off his ideal woman checklist. Minus 15 . Crinkle Face turns the checklist around on him, says her criteria are different, then gives him the boot! Plus 20 for Emily being on a roll tonight. “That is very shocking.” – Ryan. To you, maybe. No one else. Minus 18 . No way she’s going to go back on it, is she? Noooo, come on, don’t go back on it! OMG she’s going back on it. Okay phew, she didn’t. Plus 17 . Ryan opines that the guys must be shocked and laments that he’ll miss them. Back at the hotel, they are HUGGING and celebrating. Plus 33 . Did he just ask to be edited well by the producers? Might be wishful thinking, Ryan, after some of your comments, actions and “fashion.” Minus 20 . Eff the next Bachelor, … but please, ABC, add Ryan to the Bachelor Pad 3 cast! Plus 10 . If Ryan did get the rose, would the guys have staged an intervention, Kalon style? Would it have been warranted? Yes, yes and Plus 5 for that imagery. Arie just wants to hold her and hug her and do a lot of other things he can’t say in a confessional, oh, and she’s a great judge of character. Plus 6 . He gets a rose. We get a bit too much makeout audio. Minus 4 . Arie and Emily in the Fifty Shades of Grey movie? Plus 50 . Wolf pulls out his grandparents’ funeral cards and it’s … sweet? Poignant? Weird? Out of place? Over the top? All of the above? Eh, Plus 1 . Both Wolf and Doug are hangin’ tough in the hunt for that last rose, though the latter seems reluctant to make a move on Em. Tick tock. Minus 7 . The man tears are moving down his face in a hurry, though. Plus 3 . The final rose tonight comes down to the two of them, and then … Unsure of what do to, Emily runs to seek the sage advice of … venerable and handsome Bachelorette host-pimp Chris Harrison!! Plus 100 . “Emily … the extra rose you asked for.” Chris. SO lame. Minus 40 . Saying goodbye tonight: Travis (cut loose on one-on-one date) Ryan (canned on one-on-one date) Still alive: Sean, Jef, Arie, John “Wolf”, Chris and Doug. EPISODE TOTAL: +143. SEASON TOTAL: +142. Weird preview for next week, in which Arie’s relationship with a producer on the show is exposed and Emily makes her frustrations known! What do you think? Will he be eliminated?
Ke$ha has stooped to a new low on Twitter… literally! The dollar-signed singer – who has tried to get attention in the past for her wild haircuts – has now given followers a glimpse at the other end of her body, as she squatted in the streets of Los Angeles early Wednesday morning and sent out a photo of herself urinating. “Pee pee on the street. PoPo come and get me if you can find me,” Ke$ha wrote. “I blame traffic.” According to California law, if the PoPo had spotted this act, the artist could have been fined $270 fine. In related news: Ke$ha really, really needs a new hit single, lest we be subjected to more gross cries for attention. What do you think of this Twit pic?
Are you a hot girl who would love to travel the world, but just don’t have the money right now? Well, Miss Travel , welcome to your dream scenario! The site we linked to above, which is hilariously (and frighteningly) real, offers attractive women a chance to serve as a traveling companion. For free! There are just tons of rich, handsome, successful guys looking for a girl to shower with affection and spend all their money on in a foreign country … while likely demanding continuous sexual favors. Hey, everything has a price. Pros: See the world on the cheap. Cons: Risk your life. Miss Travel
