Court

Alicia Vikander in Erdem at the WIF, Film is GREAT events: cute or cloying?

Feb 27, 2016 videos

There were several big pre-Oscar events in LA last night, and I really hope the low-turnout at these events is indicative of the turnout for the Oscars. The two biggest events were The Film is GREAT reception (which is for British films and British actors nominated this year) and the annual Women In Film pre-Oscar cocktail party. Alicia Vikander wore the same Erdem dress to the WIF event and The Film is GREAT reception. I was set to side-eye Alicia’s presence at a British-film gathering, but then I remembered that The Danish Girl is a British-financed film with a British director and British costars. So… okay. It’s worth noting that her hokey “posh British” accent is really, really distracting in The Danish Girl. Here’s Idris Elba at the Film is GREAT reception, then he went out partying in Hollywood. Idris will be attending the Spirit Awards later today, and…? He’s not on the Oscar presenter list, but maybe he’ll come out for some of the Oscar parties. If he does come out for the parties, he should rethink the hat. Here’s Jennifer Jason Leigh at the Women in Film event. I feel a little bit sad about JJL – in another year, with a different campaign, this might have been her moment to win. I don’t like her ensemble here, it looks cheap. Maria Bello at the WIF event – this ensemble is absolutely tragic. Michelle Monaghan in Erdem at the WIF event… the “sheer dickie” part of this needs to GO. And finally, here’s Cate Blanchett at her own separate event for SK-II #ChangeDestiny Forum. She’s the face of SK-II (a skincare company), so I assume this was just a pre-Oscar event the company set up to promote their product AND Cate. The Antonio Berardi dress is very sexy – I love the little cap sleeve, and the design reminds me a lot of Roland Mouret. Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.

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Kanye West on his Taylor Swift drama: ‘It’s like, I want the best for that person’

Feb 21, 2016 videos

Kanye West flew out of LA on Wednesday and he managed to not throw a hissy fit, even though paparazzi and videographers (or whatever they’re called) swarmed him and asked him a million questions about the crazy month he’s been having. They even asked him about Kylie Jenner’s Puma deal and how he originally claimed Kylie wouldn’t take the deal because of his deal with Adidas. Kanye explained his tweets saying: “She already signed. And I was mad for a little bit. I’m really happy for her, though.” Kanye was also asked about Taylor Swift and their on-again beef. Someone asked if Taylor Swift should show him more respect, to which he said “No.” Then he said: “It’s like, I want the best for that person, but there’s people going through real issues out here. There’s people out of work. There’s people in debt that can’t make it out of the debt. There’s people that’s in debt that don’t have a shoe. There’s people that are in debt that don’t have a hit album out also — you know what I’m saying? … I don’t think people care about me or her in that way. People care about their families, their kids. If you like my music, listen to it. If you like her music, listen to it.” [From Us Weekly] “There’s people that’s in debt that don’t have a shoe. There’s people that are in debt that don’t have a hit album out also.” Won’t anyone think about the people without a hit album? What of those people?! Meanwhile, if you’ve been paying attention this week, you might have felt the reins tightening a bit around Kanye’s relationship with the Kardashian clan. There were some strategic leaks and quotes which basically made it sound like Kim has one foot out the door. And now this gem from Page Six: Kanye West is so out of control, family matriarch Kris Jenner is worried that “he’s damaging the Kardashian brand” and has ordered he get some crisis p.r. to reign him in. West’s team met with a host of top publicists within the last few months — but nobody is brave enough to work with him. A source said, “His Twitter rants are out of control, and Kris fears that he’s taking the family down. Kris wants Kanye to hire someone to handle all the noise and drama so he can focus on being an artist.” But the response from the p.r. world was deafeningly silent. One top publicist who was approached told us, “You couldn’t pay us enough to represent Kanye. He’s too much to handle.” [From Page Six] While I believe that Kris is worried, I don’t believe that there isn’t some high-powered, masochistic publicist who would love to take Kanye on as a client. I mean, Madonna has a publicist. Mariah Carey has a publicist. Like Kanye would be the first self-destructive, crazy, uncontrollable mess ever? No. Last thing, these quotes from unnamed sources to People Magazine: Kim is still supporting Kanye “from everything I’ve heard…They’re incredibly supportive of one another, not only publicly, but privately as well. Kim has a unique understanding of him, probably in a deeper way than anybody else in the world. She’s understanding of the way that he operates….[Kim] will do whatever to make this work. I don’t know what they talk about on private about this stuff, but contradiction is very often Kanye’s calling card.” Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

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Kesha loses injunction to break her contract with her alleged abuser Dr. Luke

Feb 21, 2016 videos

In 2014, Kesha went into a facility to get help for a bad personal situation. She was drinking too much and abusing drugs, plus she had mental health issues, an eating disorder and she was dealing with some intense issues from her relationship with producer Dr. Luke. Later that same year, Kesha filed a civil lawsuit against Dr. Luke claiming that he mentally and physically abused her, drugged her and sexually assaulted her. She wanted to be let out of her recording contract. Dr. Luke countersued and claimed Kesha had made the whole thing up and that he would not be letting her out of her contract. Well, Kesha went to New York Supreme Court on Friday to find out that the judge had thrown out Kesha’s injunction. Basically, Dr. Luke won because this judge, Justice Shirley Kornreich, has a totally Pollyanna idea of how the music industry really works. Here’s part of People Magazine’s report: Kesha’s lawyers fought for a preliminary injunction that would allow her to record and release music without Dr. Luke, 42, whom she is also suing for allegedly drugging and raping her. The singer also alleges he has abused her verbally and emotionally for a decade. (Luke has vehemently denied the allegations through his lawyer, Christine Lepera, who has told PEOPLE: “Kesha and her mother are engaged in a campaign of publishing outrageous and untrue statements about Dr. Luke to third parties, including scurrilous and false statements of purported physical and mental abuse of Kesha.”) However, Justice Shirley Kornreich recounted that both Sony and Luke provided affidavits that they would allow Kesha to record without the producer. “Your major issue is your client is saying she cannot with Mr. Gottwald. Reading these papers, I notice that Sony and [Dr. Luke’s record label] Kemosabe Records say they don’t care if Gottwald has anything to do with anything with the recording,” the judge said to Kesha’s attorney, Mark Geragos. “They are willing to allow her to record without any involvement of Mr. Gottwald … and there are papers from Mr. Gottwald that say he will agree to allow her to record without his involvement … She doesn’t have to work with him.” But, Geragos responded, arguing that it was an “illusory promise…If he’s the one in charge of the company that does all the things to produce it … she can record right now, but no one is going to hear it,” he said, reiterating his assertion that Kesha’s future in music is in jeopardy because the typical lifespan of a pop artist’s career is short and that he believes her album won’t be promoted in an attempt to sabotage her career. Geragos added: “She has a window in which she can produce music, that it can get out there, that it can get promoted … His end game here is to destroy her… She is set up to fail.” The judge disagreed, citing the companies’ competitive objective to make money and the clear terms of the contract, which require Kesha to record six more albums. “You’re asking the court … to decimate a contract which was heavily negotiated and signed by two parties in an industry where these kinds of contacts are typical; you’re asking me to decimate all that law,” said the judge. “Now the other side has come forward to say, ‘We will let her record without Dr. Luke.’ I don’t understand your problem … It’s not in [the company’s] best interest to not make money and not promote a recording artist.” Upon the judge’s dismissal of the request for the injunction, Kesha broke down in tears, holding her face in her hands while mom Pebe and boyfriend Brad Ashenfelter did their best to console her the bereaved pop star excused herself from the room for a spell with a bodyguard. Lawyers also argued over dueling counterclaims, but the judge has yet to make a ruling, reserving to decide on the matters at a later time, perhaps when more evidence has been presented. [From People] “It’s not in [the company’s] best interest to not make money and not promote a recording artist.” How naive. The judge assumes that every person in the music industry has simple, straight-forward capitalist motives and that there’s not a history of music producers and labels actively thwarting a singer or songwriter’s career over personal or professional drama, regardless if those un-capitalist motives end up losing money. Even if you’re not familiar with the music industry in general, watch 20 Feet From Stardom and listen to Darlene Love’s story about how her early career was ruined because of a sh-tty contract and a producer who was a petulant sadist. That sh-t STILL HAPPENS. For a while on Friday, #FreeKesha was trending on Twitter, and many women in the music industry tweeted their support for Kesha – go here to see. Kelly Clarkson sounds like she has some stories about Dr. Luke that I would be interested in hearing. This feels like… the beginning of something. Like, Dr. Luke might be Cosby’d in public. Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

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Kate Middleton to Prince William: Get a HAIR TRANSPLANT, Baldy!

Feb 20, 2016 celebrityabout

The throne shalt not be occupied by any King Cue Ball! ‘Tis the battle cry of Kate Middleton and Queen Elizabeth, who are positively beside themselves with humiliation over Prince William’s ever-growing bald spot, according to Celeb Dirty Laundry. The Duke of Cambridge endured a bit of ribbing about his hair loss from a former colleague during a visit to Anglesey earlier in the week. “It was nice to see him again. He hasn’t changed much apart from he’s lost a bit more hair. Hey, we’re all getting older!” said former Royal Air Force winchman Rik Maving. Bold chap, he is, insulting a royal like that. Lucky for him the prince didn’t order his beheading. Apparently, Kate, who was with him at the time, was mortified, as was his grandmother Queen Elizabeth. They are of the mind that the smooth-n-shiny look is not one befitting a future king and are spending $30,000 on a hair transplant to restore William’s “royal mane.” Says CDL: “The future King must look younger and vibrant, and this will be achieved only if William has a full head of hair. Experts in hair transplantation have been dispatched to Kensington Palace – in secret of course Royal courtiers reveal.” We can hear Kate’s voice now. Care for a spot of tea, darling? And while we’re at it, why not a spot of Rogaine? Oh, blimey, just get the bloody transplant surgery already!!! I think its safe to say we’re calling bollocks on this entire story. While it’s true that Will’s scalp is revealing itself more and more, we’re fairly certain Kate and the queen would rather have the prince bald than looking like Donald Trump. Naturally, Prince William isn’t the only one getting flak for his appearance. The duchess has also come under fire recently for her horrible eyebrows. It’s no wonder Kate wants to ditch royal life and move back to Wales. (Not really, but we’d totes understand.) View Slideshow: Kate Middleton: 15 Photos of Iconic Hair Porn

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Caitlyn Jenner: I’ve gotten more flack for being Republican than being trans

Feb 19, 2016 marc

When I watched Caitlyn Jenner’s 20/20 special last April, I came away genuinely moved. Caitlyn was still going by Bruce then, although she identified as a woman and was still in the middle of transitioning physically. While Caitlyn’s interview was interesting and even moving, the news of her transition was mostly fait accompli at that point. In fact, I was more surprised – and I said so at the time – that Caitlyn still identified as a Republican. And she still does! In the first season of her show, there were many record-scratch moments where Caitlyn was trying to hang out with her girlfriends and she would start spouting some GOP talking points and her girls were like, “Cait, you’re ignorant as hell.” Caitlyn’s consistent perspective seems to be that if someone wants to transition, then they should just be white and rich like her. Even after all that Cait went through, she was still being judgy about gay marriage as late as last fall!!! So, yeah, her politics are still more shocking to me at this point that her transition. And Caitlyn said as much during a speaking engagement at the University of Pennsylvania. Caitlyn Jenner appeared in front of a sold out house of students Wednesday night and U. Penn students didn’t hold back in asking important questions. In response to one student who asked Caitlyn why she doesn’t belong to a more liberal political party, the 66-year-old E! star replied (via a local Philadelphia blog), “I have gotten more flack for being a conservative Republican than I have for being trans.” Vanity Fair writer Buzz Bissinger, who was the one interviewing Cait last night, supported Caitlyn’s Republicanism adding, “Just because you change gender doesn’t mean you change your core beliefs.” Bissinger, who wrote Cait’s famous Vanity Fair article last year, later brought up the media headlines suggesting Cait transitioned for publicity or profit. “I don’t need the money. So I don’t understand that claim,” Jenner answered. “No one transitions for financial gain. No way…You don’t do it unless you know deep down in your soul that it’s the right thing to do. If I can’t be honest with myself about what I’m doing, I’m no good for anything.” Another student asked Caitlyn about her status as an LGBT role model. “I’m not a role model!” Jenner replied. “I’m so new to this community I don’t expect to be one.” Caitlyn also reflected on the fact she never told her father she was transgender before he died over a decade ago. Cait said she imagines her dad telling her today, “You know what, you’re doing a good job. You’re making a difference.” [From E! News] “I have gotten more flack for being a conservative Republican than I have for being trans.” That’s because your political affiliation is a choice. Being transgender is not a choice. You can chose to open your mind, acknowledge your privilege and try to open yourself to the transgender community. Or you can just be a rich, white Republican woman complaining about how those messy trans people are living on government handouts. Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

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Pope Francis & Donald Trump are beefing about immigration, Christianity

Feb 19, 2016 videos

In this photo, imagine Pope Francis saying, “Talk to the hand, Dorito.” As you’ve probably seen the news coverage by now, you know that Pope Francis was on a multi-day trip to Mexico, where he said mass for tens of thousands of people, visited the border and fussed at some dirtbag who basically pulled him onto a dude in a wheelchair. As the Pope was concluding his Mexico trip, he did a press conference for the media outlets trailing him. He was asked about the Church’s stance on birth control, given the outbreak of the Zika virus and the medical recommendations that men wear condoms to avoid infecting their partners. Francis was basically like “I can’t technically tell people that it’s fine to wear condoms, but it’s not really all that sinful in this particular case.” Which, hey, is a good first step. Then Francis got a question about Donald Trump. And the Pope did not hold back. Inserting himself into the Republican presidential race, Pope Francis on Wednesday suggested that Donald J. Trump “is not Christian” because of the harshness of his campaign promises to deport more immigrants and force Mexico to pay for a wall along the border. “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian,” Francis said when a reporter asked him about Mr. Trump on the papal airliner as he returned to Rome after his six-day visit to Mexico. Mr. Trump has staked out controversial positions on immigration, vowing to force Mexico to build a wall and also increase deportations. He has also made inflammatory comments accusing Mexican immigrants of being rapists and criminals. Asked whether he would try to influence Catholics in how they vote in the presidential election, Francis said he “was not going to get involved in that” but then repeated his criticism of Mr. Trump, with a caveat. “I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that,” Francis said. “We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt.” [From The NYT] Sure. And guess who has orange skin, a bouffant wiglet, no self-control and two thumbs? THIS GUY. So of course Donald Trump had to respond. Trump told a crowd in South Carolina that ISIS’s “primary goal is to get to the Vatican. That would be their ultimate trophy.” Is it though? And: “If and when the Vatican is attacked… the pope would only wish and have prayed that Donald Trump would have been elected president. Because this would not have happened.” Will Francis really be praying for that specifically? Trump also said: “No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man’s religion or faith. They are using the Pope as a pawn and they should be ashamed of themselves for doing so, especially when so many lives are involved and when illegal immigration is so rampant.” [From Jezebel] Yeah. So Donald Trump and Pope Francis are boy-beefing. How does that make you feel? For what it’s worth, I don’t think Francis was really questioning Trump’s faith as much as Francis was making a larger plea for understanding and compassion for immigrants. But whatever. BOY BEEF. .@realdonaldTrump responds to #PopeFrancis’ comments on building walls https://t.co/jOTsn7Hopt — CNN (@CNN) February 18, 2016 Photos courtesy of WENN.

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Chiwetel Ejiofor: ‘It’s probably harder to be gay’ than black in Hollywood

Feb 18, 2016 celebrityabout

Chiwetel Ejiofor is during the promotional rounds for Triple 9, the cops-and-robbers movie also starring Kate Winslet, Anthony Mackie, Casey Affleck, Aaron Paul, Woody Harrelson and more. I remember that there were a lot of casting rumors going back and forth about this film, and I’m pleased that Chiwetel decided to do it. I’ve wanted good things for his career post-12 Years a Slave, but I think Chiwetel is more focused on diversifying his CV, doing a shoot ‘em action film here, a Marvel film there, a quiet African drama over there, and more. There’s no doubt in my mind that Chiwetel would be a much bigger “star” if he was white. But… I do have my doubts about whether Chiwetel is really interested in being a celebrity or a star. I think he just wants to work, and if he says that he’s living his dream, then I believe him. Anyway, as Chiwetel was promoting Triple 9, he was asked about Hollywood diversity and all of the hot topics of the day. And Chiwetel said something surprising – he thinks it’s harder to be gay in Hollywood than black in Hollywood. The industry has been accused of a lack of diversity following the 2016 Academy Awards nominations, where no African-American actor or director was nominated for a top honour for the second year in a row, but the 12 Years a Slave star believes it’s harder for someone to succeed if they’re homosexual than if they’re black. “I hope this changes (but) I think it’s probably harder to be gay,” he told British newspaper The Times. “I think sexuality is still marginalised in a way that is pretty open. I think it’s tough. I think for one’s own piece of mind, for one’s own sense of self and psychological health, I feel like that’s the horrible thing about ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ and all that f**ked-up s**t, because it produces a sense of shame, and therefore this sense of being ‘less than’, you know? And I hate that. I hate that for anybody.” But Chiwetel argues that at the same time, a person’s sexuality isn’t anyone else’s business, and if the individual wants to, they should be able to declare their preference without fear of it affecting their opportunities in life in any way. When it comes to race, the 38-year-old’s Nigerian heritage has never held him back from his dream of being an actor, having received a Best Actor Academy Award nomination for his role in 12 Years a Slave in 2013, and winning a Laurence Olivier Award for his theatre work in the 2008 production of Othello. “If I hadn’t had the opportunities and the fortune that I have had, of course I would have a very different perspective to that, but I can’t be completely intellectually dishonest about what has happened in my life … It’s a tiny bit more nuanced for me to talk about,” he explained. [From Contact Music] Ian McKellen was talking about this too last month – while #OscarsSoWhite, it’s also important to remember that #OscarsSoStraightCisgenderedandHeteronormative too, at least when it comes to “out” actors. No “out and proud” gay actor has ever won an Oscar. Ian McKellen wants to be the first! As for who has it harder, gay folks or black folks… this isn’t a slam against Chiwetel, who was just trying to be an awareness-raising ally, but it’s not a competition, and of course there is intersectionality, because of course there are black, gay actors and gay Hispanic actresses and bisexual Asian actors and they want to be able to work too. Here are some photos of Chiwetel, Kate Winslet, Anthony Mackie and Aaron Paul at a special screening of Triple 9 last week. Um, seriously, WTF is going on with Winslet’s face these days? Photos courtesy of WENN.