marc

Jennifer Lopez: Dancers are better in bed, ‘musicians are too self-absorbed’

Apr 14, 2016 marc

Jennifer Lopez’s W Magazine profile just gave me the perfect term for why I love her so much: she is “the people’s diva.” Like, the people’s princess, only in multi-hyphenate diva form. Anyway, I sort of hate Jennifer’s W Magazine editorial – you can see the slideshow here. It’s sort of awful, and they made Jennifer wear a terrible blonde mullet wig in half the pics. As for the interview, it’s longer than most W Mag profiles. It reads like a day-in-the-life piece, and Jennifer is really, really busy. You can read the full piece here, and here are some highlights: The people’s diva: “I’ve been in the grind and the game for a long time. At a certain point, people respect you when they see you fall down and get back up. The more you’re in this life, the more they celebrate your triumphs. When it comes to work, I never get tired. But with personal failures, I have thought, This is too hard. When my marriage ended, it was not easy to find forgiveness. It wasn’t the dream that I had hoped for, and it would have been easier to fan the flames of resentment, disappointment, and anger. But Marc is the father of my children [8-year-old twins], and that’s never going away. So, I have to work to make things right. And that is, by far, the hardest work I do.” She’s fine-boned: “When I first came to Los Angeles, someone told me I would be a star because of my tiny ankles and wrists. They said that was the key to it all.” She’s constantly being swarmed by fans: “It’s been like that since Selena. I never thought about fame until then. After that film, I would have panic attacks. I remember walking down the street, and someone yelled, ‘Jennifer!’ and I didn’t know who it was. I ran home. From that point forward, I realized I couldn’t be alone in public. I don’t think I’ve been alone on the street in over 20 years.” Who is better in bed: “Last time I was here, they asked me who is better in bed—dancers, musicians, or actors? I said, ‘Dancers!’ Musicians are too self-absorbed. They are too concerned with themselves to be great in bed.” On Marc Anthony: “I hung in there for seven years. I knew very quickly that it wasn’t the right thing.” On Casper Smart: “We got together and broke up and are now together again. I still think about getting married and having that long life with someone. I love the movie The Notebook. A dream of mine is to grow old with someone.” On being more accessible after her stint on American Idol: “It has been easier. People may now think I’m ‘nice,’ but they still act surprised when I’m smart. It’s a man’s world, and, truly, people in a business setting do not value a woman as much as a man. I feel like I’m constantly having to prove myself. If a man does one thing well, people immediately say he’s a genius. Women have to do something remarkable over and over and over. And, even then, they get questions about their love life. People underestimate me. They always have, and maybe that’s for the best. It’s fun to prove them wrong.” [From W Magazine] I do think J.Lo is smart… in almost every area of her life. She’s dumb in love, but smart everywhere else. And she’s right about people undervaluing her simply because she’s a woman, just as she’s right about constantly being underestimated. I love the bit about her thin ankles and wrists, I love the shade she has for Marc Anthony and I’m absolutely astonished that she hasn’t been alone in public in 20 years. She’s also wrong about dancers being the best lovers – swimmers are obviously the best lovers! Meanwhile, there’s one thing I’d like to mention – last week, there was a controversy about J.Lo’s new single, “Ain’t Your Mama.” The song is awful, full-stop. But it was written by Meghan Trainor, and there were widespread reports that the track had been “produced” by Dr. Luke. Jennifer got a lot of online hate and shade for that. But E! News reported that Trainor had written the song several years back and her version was produced by Dr. Luke back then, before Kesha’s lawsuit. Then Trainor gave the song to J.Lo and J.Lo didn’t know Dr. Luke had ever had his fingerprints on it. Trainor confirmed that version of events this week, calling the backlash against Jennifer “ridiculous” and “not fair on her, not at all.” Photos courtesy of W Magazine.

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Chris Evans isn’t ruling out running for political office: ‘I would never say never’

Apr 11, 2016 marc

Captain America fans be damned, I’ve never really been a huge Chris Evans stan. I don’t have a problem with him, it’s just that he sometimes (SOMETIMES) seems like a neurotic whiner. But he’s not like that in his interview with the new issue of Esquire Middle East. He comes across well and almost sort-of Captain America-like. Before now, I had no idea that his uncle is currently serving in the House of Representatives. His uncle is Rep. Mike Capuano. Do they call him “Cap” too?! Anyway, Chris talks about politics and more. Some highlights: Whether he would run for political office: “I would never say never. I’ve always thought it would be nice one day to think about some sort of political pursuit. I’m so proud of my uncle and of anyone who dedicates themselves to helping the progression of society in exacting change for the betterment of mankind. Ultimately, there’s very few things that I consider to be noble and challenging. I know that Washington is a tough place. I have my opinions and maybe later on in life I might try and actually get up on a soap box.” Directing his first movie, Before We Go: “I’d wanted to direct for a long time. It’s just hard to find someone who’s willing to let you direct. I have no training. I’ve never been to any sort of school, so it’s a gamble. It was a situation where we found a script that felt manageable. This was a simple story; it’s two people. It just felt very contained and, not to sound awful, but I aimed a little low, just because I wanted to get my feet wet. I think there’s no shame in that. I didn’t want to bite off more than I could chew the first time out.” What happened as a director: “There were a lot of things I thought I was prepared for that never became a problem, and things I didn’t think would be an issue that ended up being one. So it was very eye opening. But I loved the experience and I want to do it again. I’m trying to aim a little higher in terms of the story and the scope. I feel a little more comfortable behind the camera, and it’s now just about finding the right script. Because the really great scripts are snatched up by the really great directors. So it’s about digging and trying to find the diamond in the rough.” He’ll take more of a break from acting when he has kids: “I would never stop acting completely, because I do love it, but if I was to get married and have kids, I could see myself wanting to be less of a famous actor. The fame thing is the tricky part, especially when you have children, and there is a nice element to the investment in directing. Even the amount of time and passion required for pre- and post-production; you’re with a project intimately for a year. As an actor you’ve got a few months and then you completely forget about it. So I like that connection, and I like that you can be a little more in the shadows but still be part of a profession that you’re in love with.” On ambition: “My big ambition is to not have a big ambition. I know it’s kind of strange but mu goal in life is to practice trying to be present on a daily basis. I think, as people, our consciousness is spread out. We analyze the past, we worry about the future, and it’s all fueled by fear and pain and all these negative things. Even when its good it’s going to be not good in a minute. Then you’re chasing it again. It’s all rooted in time and I think my big ambition is to really practice the ability to quiet my brain a little and just learn how to enjoy the moment.” [From E! News] I didn’t see Before We Go, but I remember that the reviews weren’t bad or anything. He didn’t embarrass himself and he’ll probably be given another opportunity to direct, because Hollywood loves rewarding white guys. I’m just saying… if a black, Asian or Hispanic actor had made the jump to directing and made so little impact with their first film, would they be given another opportunity? As for what he says about possibly running for political office… I actually like that idea. He doesn’t carry around the kind of personal baggage that many “political” actors have – as in, I know less about Chris’s personal life than George Clooney, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, etc. And I think it’s cute that he’s already planning ahead for when he’s married and has kids. PS… Chris debuted this new clip from Captain America: Civil War at the MTV Movie Awards. Thanks, @ChrisEvans for debuting this EXCLUSIVE clip from #CaptainAmericaCivilWar at the #MovieAwards! https://t.co/pMOcII0hl6 — MTV (@MTV) April 11, 2016 HD outtake of Chris Evans for Esquire Middle East April 2016 Issue. #ChrisEvans #Chris #Evans #EsquireMagazine #Cevans #TeamCevans A photo posted by Chris Evans (@teamcevans) on Apr 2, 2016 at 4:06pm PDT Photos courtesy of Esquire.

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Kesha’s appeal dismissed: ‘Every rape is not a gender-motivated hate crime’

Apr 7, 2016 marc

Back in February, Kesha’s lawsuit/injunction against Dr. Luke was thrown out. The lawsuit was about Kesha’s right to break her contract with her alleged abuser, and how she wanted to record music away from Dr. Luke entirely. The judge threw out the case because the judge believed in upholding the contract, for whatever reason. It seemed like the judge was so Pollyanna to believe that everything operates in the music industry with perfect, profit-driven capitalism and no one ever has a personal or non-financial motive for any of their actions, but it may have been a legal judgment. Kesha and her lawyers filed an immediate appeal and her lawyers seemed to overreach a bit by comparing Kesha’s situation to “slavery.” Well, the same judge has just thrown out Kesha’s appeal, meaning Kesha is still contractually tied to Dr. Luke. Kesha was delivered a huge blow Wednesday by a New York judge who dismissed nearly all of the singer’s counterclaims in her ongoing lawsuit against Dr. Luke. The star previously accused the producer of drugging, raping and abusing her during her career. The hitmaker, in turn, has vehemently denied the allegations and countersued for breach of contract and defamation. The singer has been adamant about being released from her contracts with Luke because, she wrote in February, “This is about being free from my abuser.” On Wednesday, New York Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich cited lack of jurisdiction and failure to procure facts proving the allegations when tossing out the majority of Kesha’s counter claims. The pop star’s claims invoking human rights laws were dismissed – alleging the plaintiffs “discriminated against [her] based on her gender” – were dismissed because “Kesha failed to plead that any of the alleged discrimination occurred in New York State or City … the court has no jurisdiction over” the claims, the judge wrote. As for the civil rights, or “hate crime,” laws, the singer had to prove Dr. Luke “harbored animus towards women or was motivated by gender animus when he allegedly behaved violently toward Kesha,” the judge stated in court documents obtained by PEOPLE. “Every rape is not a gender-motivated hate crime.” According to Justice Kornreich, the only allegations Kesha made that meets the elements of “physical violence or property damage” were claims that Luke assaulted her on an airplane and raped her in his hotel room. But “the claim is time-barred,” writes Kornreich. The singer’s claim of “intentional infliction of emotional distress” was also dismissed because the judge believes her allegations “do not meet the strict pleading standard. Her claims of insults about her value as an artist, her looks, and her weight are insufficient to constitute extreme, outrageous conduct intolerable in civilized society,” Kornreich wrote, adding the instances that would constitute as intentional were “time-barred.” Aside from throwing out her claims, the judge also denied Kesha’s request to make amendments. “Kesha’s request for leave to amend the CCs is denied because there is nothing in the record from which the court can determine whether the amendment would be meritorious,” state the papers. [From People] Ever since I read about this ruling last night, I’ve been thinking about the judge’s words: “Every rape is not a gender-motivated hate crime.” True or false? Is every rapist a misogynist? Is every rape a hate crime? It’s not just a linguistic argument, it’s a legal argument and one that I would like to see more of. I have long believed that we should consider mass shooters to be “terrorists” regardless of race. Can we not say serial abusers of women are hate-crime assailants or misogynistic terrorists too? Anyway, Kesha’s still got legal options. The part of her case about her recording contract is still going forward, and Kesha is putting together a larger legal team to pursue more actions in California. Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

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Mads Mikkelsen in his villain costume for ‘Doctor Strange’: would you hit it?

Apr 4, 2016 marc

On Sunday, we covered the first photos we had of Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor filming Doctor Strange in NYC. It felt like the collective reaction to the pics was “meh,” which is sad because Doctor Strange is sort of a big deal in the Marvel universe. Meaning, Marvel put a lot of time and money into finding the right Doctor Strange, and they’ve already been filming it for months, at a likely exorbitant cost. The film comes out in November and Marvel really, really needs people to be excited about it. I fear all the Marvel nerds are more geared up for Captain America: Civil War. But maybe they’ll excited about Strange whenever we get a trailer. Anyway, these are more photos from the set. They filmed throughout the weekend and it looked like the same sequence, something involving Chiwetel and Benedict running around pretending to shoot magical beams of Strange Magic. We also got some photos of Mads Mikkelsen, who is reportedly playing the villain or a villain. Check out his crazy eye makeup! So, between Mads, Benedict and Chiwetel, who would you rather? That’s such a tough call, isn’t it? How about Marry, Screw, Kill: Chiwetel, Bendy and Mads. Marry Chiwetel. Screw Bendy. And kill Mads? Also – Sophie Hunter was seen on the New York set of Strange – go here to see photos. There are also some photos of Sophie, Benedict and baby Christopher walking around New York this weekend – go here to see. Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News, Fame/Flynet.

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The Walking Dead finale: who met Lucille and who was safe? (spoilers)

Apr 4, 2016 marc

Spoilers from last night’s finale of The Walking Dead Last night’s hour and a half finale of The Walking Dead seemed to epitomize all that was wrong with this season. There was a lot of filler and some genuinely tense moments, but it ended on a cliffhanger that left fans frustrated. At the end we got to see Negan, the big bad from the Saviors, played by the incredible Jeffrey Dean Morgan. He was definitely scary but more of a sympathetic character than I was expecting. Negan’s long speech to the crouching Alexandrites made sense to me. I especially liked how he explained that this was retribution for killing his men. “When I sent my people to kill your people for killing my people, you killed more of my people. Not cool.” He also said that he didn’t want to kill them, he just wanted them to work for him, which again sounded reasonable in context. As Morgan explained on Talking Dead afterwards, Rick’s people had killed over 20 Saviors, so Negan selecting just one person to kill was in no way extreme. The ending looked extreme to viewers though, especially when we were given just a few clues as to whom Negan actually killed. I can’t believe producers used that cheap tactic, yet again, after leaving Glenn’s fate up in the air for several episodes earlier this season. During the final scene at first I thought that Negan had selected Carl to kill, but he was actually instructing his men to cut out Carl’s eye and feed it to Rick if anyone tried to stop him. That means that Carl and Rick are safe. Highlight the text below to see speculative spoilers from the comics: In the comics, Glenn meets his end here, but we know that WD producers don’t follow the comics and Glenn was at the end of the line. It looked like Negan selected someone more in the middle. It may have been Abraham, who died earlier in the comics from a crossbow to the head by the Saviors. Denise died on the show in the same way that Abraham died in the comics, so producers may have subbed Abraham’s death for Glenn’s here. The rest of last night’s episode was just ok. I’m beginning to feel sorry for Morgan (the character, played by Lennie James), because his entire story arc with Carol just felt like filler. Morgan’s otherwise interesting backstory took up an entire episode earlier this season when we were waiting to hear what happened to Glenn. (Incidentally, that episode was also written by Scott M. Gimple, who was responsible for this one. Eff that guy.) Carol looked to be mortally injured when we last saw her, but Morgan and Carol coincidentally then ran into a couple of good looking nice guys in padded costumes. That seemed mildly ridiculous to me, like of course they’re going to fix up Carol and they’re going to be allies. Also ridiculous: father Gabriel being put in charge of Alexandria like he’s some trustworthy badass now when he’s always been a sniveling backstabber. As for the fate of Maggie’s pregnancy, I only hope that she doesn’t die. I’m not too concerned either way. Another baby would only be a liability in this universe. During Talking Dead, producer and this episode’s writer Scott Gimple very meekly explained the non-end. “The end of the story is what people saw and when we reveal who was on the receiving end, that’s going to be the start of another story… the effects from that.” He explained that he wanted viewers to feel suspense and terror like the core characters and that “We’re going to deliver you a story next season that justifies it.” Comic creator Robert Kirkman also said that he loved cliffhangers and defended it by saying “The cliffhanger isn’t the story.” He explained that the story was more about Rick’s transformation from being in charge to being beat down. It’s not like this blockbuster show is going to lose viewership if they wrap up lose ends. They don’t need to bait us to get us to watch next season. photos credit: AMC

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Emma Watson needs a better explanation for her Lancome skin-whitening ads

Apr 3, 2016 marc

Several years back, Emma Watson got a lucrative beauty contract with Lancome. She became one of their “faces,” and she appeared in print ads for many different Lancome products. Her contract is done at this point, and I have no idea if Lancome simply didn’t renew it or if Emma just didn’t want to be in their advertising anymore. But this week, people started discussing a print ad from 2013. The print ad (seen above) features Emma as the “face” of a skin-whitening Lancome product being sold in Asia. As you can imagine, the reaction was really, really bad. People have been itching to write off Emma as just another non-intersectional white feminist, and this gave them a perfect opportunity. Beauty companies have long sold “skin lightening” products in countries with large (or nearly exclusive) populations of non-white women. Lancome is not the first nor will they be the last. Colorism, racism and the white-dominated hierarchy of beauty standards all come into play when we talk about skin lightening. We’ve talked about it before too, with Freida Pinto talking openly about her disgust for Indian society’s obsession with getting lighter skin. Anyway, the conversation centered around Emma and how she’s basically Peak White Feminism because she has profited from selling this bulls—t. So Emma’s publicist came out and this was literally the only statement made. “I cannot comment on my client’s previous contractual arrangements with Lancôme. However, my client no longer participates in advertising beauty products, which do not always reflect the diverse beauty of all women.” [Via People] If it sounds like Emma’s people are sort of throwing Lancome under the bus, that’s because I think they are. I also think there’s a very real possibility that Emma’s images were used by Lancome for skin-whitening products without her explicit or implicit endorsement. Oh, and a Lancome representative told People: “Blanc Expert was created by Lancôme 20 years ago. It helps brighten, even skin tone, and provides a healthy looking complexion. This kind of product, proposed by every brand, is an essential part of Asian women’s beauty routines.” [Via People] That pisses me off more than Emma’s rep’s statement. Skin-lightening products are not now and never have been an “essential” part of Asian women’s beauty routines and f—k you very much for saying so, Lancome. As for Emma and white feminism… I find Emma less harmful than someone like Lena Dunham, honestly. I think Emma is trying and she’s attempting to educate herself beyond the narrow feminist beliefs she held just a few years ago. Does she deserve some backlash? Sure. Does she owe her fans a better explanation of why her image ended up on skin-whitening ads? Yes. But Lancome is the villain here, make no mistake. Photos courtesy of Lancome, WENN.

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The Guardian brilliantly trolled the British royal family for April Fool’s Day

Apr 1, 2016 marc

The Guardian got me. The British paper pulled an April Fool’s Day prank and they got me. I really, really thought their “exclusive” royal report was for real, and I was even in the midst of writing it up before it occurred to me that this was an April Fool’s Day prank. You can read their hilariously trolling piece here. The gist? For more than a month, the British papers have been going HAM on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. For the most part, the royal stories have been a sideshow to the larger political conversation in the UK, which is about “Brexit.” Brexit = the British exit from the European Union. The vote isn’t until June, and it’s one of the big political stories in Britain. So… the Guardian suggested that there was a conspiratorial connection between the political Brexit story and the gossip stories about “Work-Shy Will” and the “Duchess of Do-Little.” According to the Guardian’s prank, the royals believe there’s a connection. I should note that they’re actually basing this in reality: one of turning points for William was his vague speech back in February which many interpreted as “William speaks out against Brexit.” There were also stories last month in which real “sources” claimed the Queen is pro-Brexit. So, the Guardian slyly claims that the royal family thinks there’s a conspiracy afoot, and they plan on saying something about it. The royal family is seriously considering making a dramatic intervention in the referendum debate with an announcement that it supports Britain remaining inside the European Union. That the royals are prepared to risk provoking a potential constitutional crisis shows just how deep their anger is at parts of the British press and senior politicians. According to a senior source close to official figures, there was particular resentment at the Sun’s newspaper’s depiction of the Queen as a Brexit supporter. But the anger runs through the generations at Buckingham Palace: there was fury at the claims about “workshy” Prince William, a campaign mounted by two papers with an anti-EU stance, the Daily Mail and the Sun. And there was a feeling last week that rock bottom had been hit with a story in the Mail that Kate was now posher than the other royals. Another well-connected source explained that the royals now see a tightening conspiracy between the pro-exit papers, notably the Sun, Telegraph and Mail, and certain politicians. “The leader of Vote Leave is Michael Gove – that awful little leaker who put it about that the Queen wanted out. They can’t stand him. And as for Boris, the other main outer – he’s a cycling maniac from Islington. All he has done for the royal family is make it difficult to get around London in a decent-sized Daimler. And the third of the trio – Farage – what another awful little man.” Part of the reason for stepping into the debate in such an unprecedented way is huge disappointment in the prime minister, David Cameron. “The feeling is that we can’t leave it to him. Look what happened at the last referendum we had, on Scotland. We nearly lost Balmoral and the shoots. Nicola Sturgeon could be sat in that castle now – we know she had her eye on it – it was a damn close-run thing.” Royal circles found particularly offensive Cameron’s portrayal of the Queen as having “purred down the line” when he telephoned her to tell her Scotland had voted against independence. “The cheek of the man. There was real fury about that comment. And the irony of it – coming from a fat cat,” said a source. [From The Guardian] The whole piece is rich with irony, and they claim that the Palace is going to send Prince Philip out on his 95th birthday in June, possibly to tell Ant & Dec that Britain should stay in the EU. So… yeah, I’m dumb. I honestly thought this was real for a solid hour this morning. While my glee soured to disappointment with the realization that it was a prank, I still have to tip my hat to the Guardian. This is a brilliantly written piece of satire. Well done! Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News, WENN.