Any excuse to reuse Billy Corgan’s Paws Chicago cover! I love his cats. And I’m sort of loving Billy too, which is weird for me. When I was a kid in the ‘90s, I was always more of a Nirvana/Pearl Jam/Jane’s Addiction person. I actually can’t remember the last time someone important name-checked Perry Farrell, right? So, I was never into Smashing Pumpkins and I never really had an opinion about their music or Corgan as a person. As it turns out, he’s a deliciously smug, arrogant and gossipy bitch. Does that make you love him more? Billy sat down for an interview with The Independent last week, which you can read here. The highlights are amazing though:
Billy on his comeback album Monuments to an Elegy: “I needed to find my way back to the centre. And whether it’s David Bowie, John Lennon or Bob Dylan, if the public can only deal with certain personalities when they cross the line of pop and artifice, so be it.”
Reuniting Smashing Pumpkins in 2007: “We were shocked when we came back at how shallow that culture had become. Even Smashing Pumpkins fans were demanding Top 10 songs. We had always played long, rambling things, jokes and weird pranks. But now you’ve got to go along to get along. Trying to put across high-minded art concepts to 70,000 kids in a field when it’s raining isn’t the right space. When the Pumpkins worked at that level in the mid-90s, I was younger, I had my ear to the street, I knew what I was doing. You get a little bit older, you lose that touch. People started to write about me like I was never going to come back. It’s like reading your own obituary.”
Upon hearing that Eddie Vedder felt survivor’s guilt after Kurt Cobain’s death: “That would be Eddie Vedder,” Corgan snorts. “Somehow he makes it about him even when it’s about somebody else! I had a much more personal perspective, because I’d been in contact with Courtney [Love] through a lot of the setting up of that period, and afterwards. I found it devastating because, whether we wanted to admit it or not, he was quarterback of the football team, leading the aesthetic and integrity charge. He knew how to navigate those things.”
How he felt about Kurt Cobain: “Now, he and I didn’t necessarily get along. But I like to sing his praises, because he really was that talented. I like to think the world with him would have been a better place, and I like to think a lot of the crap music that followed wouldn’t have existed if he had been around to criticise it. Because he had the moral standing to slay generations with a strike of the pen.”
Whether he looked up to Cobain: “No. In the purest sense of the word, we were competitors. He and I were the top two scribes, and everybody else was a distant third.”
Moving back to Chicago in 2000: “I found this thing happening. An uncle, or somebody on the street, would walk up and [sneer]: ‘Welcome back.’ Meaning: ‘Yeah, you went out to California, now you’ve come back to dig ditches with us again.’ The sucking sound of the working class, to justify that you can’t escape it. Like the saying, water finds a level. Even in the Chicago press I was treated like a curiosity, still wandering around like a male version of Miss Havisham. I had this interview in Paste magazine in 2005, when the journalist said: ‘I don’t understand what it is about people like you that had your success, and why you keep hanging on.’ And I thought, ‘Jesus Christ, I’m 37!’”
His daddy? “I’m a person who does a lot better with praise. My father thinks that all the bad childhood and the adversity toughened up his Piscean son. He’s fantastic now, and that’s been great. But as I like to tell my daddy, if I’d been loved right, with the gifts that I had, I might have been a classical composer, having a very quiet life and a glass of wine, and not have been in this dirty pop business.”
Daddy? LOL. My goodness, that was a lot of smug to unpack in one interview! I kind of love how unapologetic he is too – this is not a guy begging for a compliment. He’s not humble-bragging either. He thinks he’s amazing and he’ll tell you how amazing he is. He thinks he and Kurt Cobain were at the same level, and that he (Corgan) will be regarded as a John Lennon/David Bowie/Bob Dylan kind of musical icon. Um… really? I mean, I’m sure there are lots of old-school Pumpkins fans who consider Corgan to be one of the best musical talents to come out of the ‘90s. But to put himself in the same category as Bowie, Dylan and Lennon? NOPE.
And why does he hate Eddie Vedder, for the love of God?
Photos courtesy of WENN, Paws Chicago.
Thanks to Cele Bitchy
–Rihanna got in trouble with Instagram for posting her nipple-exposing cover of French magazine Lui. Who cares about the boobies? What she really needs to be scolded for is that bucket hat.
–Olivia Munn and Joel Kinnaman (my favourite celebrity couple that I kept forgetting existed) have split up.
-Damn. I usually hate giant diamond rings but George Clooney did Amal Alamuddin a solid with this emerald cut 7-carat sparkler.
–Zac Efron opens up about joining AA and that fight on Skid Row in The Hollywood Reporters’ new cover story. Hmmm…
–Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley are adorbs on the new EW cover. Practise pronouncing his name; that guy is going to be huge.
-In an upcoming episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers, Jennifer Lawrence reportedly reveals that she was so drunk at the Oscars that she puked on the stairs at Madonna’s after-party and Miley Cyrus chided her. It’s not a good sign when Miley is the sober one…
-Meanwhile, Miley‘s health crisis rages on, forcing her to reschedule another concert. At what point are we allowed to be legitimately concerned?
-Esquire wrote an article about why Anna Kendrick should take over the Late Late Show’s hosting gig, and she retweeted it and then commented on it. Does that mean she’s unofficially throwing her hat in the ring? ‘Cause she’d be awesome at it.
-I really liked this interview with Colin Hanks, especially the part where Method Man approaches him in the middle of it and he gets all flustered. “God, when Method Man says hello to you, everything goes right out the door. Sorry.”
–Patton Oswalt and Billy Eichner play a game called “Does Shakira Know What This Is?,” which is as great as it sounds.
–Andrew Garfield’s SNL promos are super promising and make me wish he’d do improv in the future.
–Matt Bomer is coming to Toronto to premiere HBO’s The Normal Heart here. Time to dig out my stalking shoes…
–Gwyneth Paltrow won’t be attending this year’s MET Gala — but because of scheduling issues, not because she totally slammed it last year.
–Beyoncé sent 90 white roses to the family of one of her biggest fans in Australia, who died of leukemia at 15.
–Naya Rivera‘s rep denied reports that she was fired from Glee over bad behavior and a feud with Lea Michele. Word has it her character is supposed to share a big number with Mercedes and Brittany in the May 13 finale, so we’ll soon see.
–Baz Luhrmann is in talks to do an Elvis biopic, because duh.
–James Franco, maybe this isn’t the best time to admit you made out with an underage Lindsay Lohan. Just sayin’.
-I’m actually really surprised that the 10-year anniversary of Mean Girls was such a big deal today. I mean, I love that movie, but wow. I also agree with this assessment that Lohan wasn’t as amazing in it as everyone lets on.
–Diane Keaton proved on Fallon last night that she has no idea how to play beer pong – and it was adorable.
–DL Hughley’s defense of Columbus Short is so very, very gross.
-When I saw this photo of Zoe Saldana I thought “who is that Jared Leto-meets-Jesus poser she’s with?” Turns out that’s her husband.
–Lupita Nyong’o may not have made the Star Wars cut, but she’s doing ok. She’ll be presenting at the CFDA Fashion Awards and attending the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. Now if only she could line up her next big role…
-I dig this article on why John Boyega should be the hero of the new Star Wars movie. I also like this one about whether or not a cool actor can survive the franchise with his cred in tact.
-Today, Seattle police released images of a note that Kurt Cobain kept in his wallet calling Courtney Love a “bitch with zits.”
–Selena Gomez‘s camp wants you to know that she’s just friends with Orlando Bloom, ok?!
-Chuck alum Yvonne Strahovsky is taking over your TV set, one show at a time.
–Louis CK swears he didn’t know that Letterman was actually going to retire when he made those episodes about it.
-These sketches of what Mad Men characters will look like in the ’80s are perfection. Also wonderful: someone wrote a song about every Mad Men final tracking shot.
–Vincent Kartheiser says his friends call him Fruity Lavender, which is how we all should refer to him from now on.
–Hugh Jackman is pretty sure he’s only got one more Wolverine movie in him.
-What new f**kery is this? The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has a post-credits sequence you can only watch on your phone.
–Danny Strong will be making his directorial debut with a J.D. Salinger biopic. I’m so proud of our lil’ Jonathan!
-I never really understand how fans are willing to pay over $100 for “photo opps” with stars at conventions, but all the pics with the Being Human cast from last weekend’s Calgary Expo may be changing my mind. I love how they weren’t afraid to get uber-close to the fans — or each other.
-Here’s the first trailer of Halle Berry as an astronaut in her CBS summer series.
The post Rihanna Pushes Instagram’s Limits with Topless Image appeared first on Scandal Sheet.
Thanks: Scandal Sheet
Stella McCartney collaborated with Disney to make ugly clothes for kids with the Maleficent theme. And now Stella & Angelina Jolie are tight?! [LaineyGossip]
Timothy Dalton is 70?! When did that happen? [Dlisted]
Billy Joel & Jimmy Fallon sing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”. [Pajiba]
I like Shailene Woodley’s little Preen dress. [Go Fug Yourself]
This story made me cry. I love giraffes! [Buzzfeed]
Joyce Giraud has some opinions. [Reality Tea]
Robert Pattinson does look good in these photos. [A Socialite Life]
Farrah Abraham lost it on Instagram last night. [Bitten & Bound]
This Wheel of Fortune guess was insane! [The Blemish]
Sarah Michelle Gellar steps out with son Rocky. [Celebrity Baby Scoop]
Kristen Stewart looks unwashed, as always. [Popoholic]
John Travolta sent flowers to Adele Dazeem. [Wonderwall]
The Seattle police reviewed the case file for Kurt Cobain’s death [CDAN]
This story about Johnny Cash’s grandniece is so sad. [Starcasm]
More at Cele Bitchy
Here’s a photo of Courtney Love at an NYC event for Elton John’s AIDS foundation last week. As you can see, she looks like a perfectly unkempt mess. That’s how she almost always looks. I can literally count on one hand how many times I’ve seen Courtney knock it out of the park, style wise. Of course that doesn’t stop her from smack talking other people’s style. It also didn’t stop Saint Laurent from hiring her as one of their new “faces” in a huge “wtf” move.
Courtney is currently promoting her new memoir that is due out early next year. Rolling Stone says Courtney will trash everyone, including ex-lovers Kurt Cobain, Ed Norton, and Billy Corgan, in this book. There will probably be a bunch of made-up stuff about Gavin Rossdale too. I can’t find a link on Amazon for the book yet, but I’m sure it will be a righteous disaster. I wonder if her ghostwriter added a bunch of typos to make the story seem more authentic. Gahh, memories of Courtney on Twitter. At the moment, Courtney has chosen to trash both Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry. Buckle up:
On her own style: “I look at simple chic as what works best for my age, but I also want the prettiest gown, not the most boring, and the sharpest. I love Marchesa for this and I love Calvin Klein classics and [Michael] Kors, and Chanel gowns. The latter mixes my love of Edwardian and Victorian and flapper with chic. I’m not Daphne Guinness and I don’t have much to prove in rock and roll=that I have down pat. But for my newly committed career, acting again, I’m going to have to really pull off a chic and great look and never get it wrong with too many youthful details such as the ones that inspire me for my line. I love boho, but there’s an appropriate way to wear it. I like Jason Wu, Altuzarra, Valentino and Westwood, as well as Saint Laurent.”
On her fashion regrets: “Obviously Lycra and Spandex and rubber were all bad ideas, but I’m very open; I always try. It doesn’t mean I’m Kate Moss and always nail it. Kate and I went to a store in Notting Hill and purchased the same exact almost Victorian capelet; I wore mine first and got slammed for it and she wore hers the following week in an identical boho outfit and it was heralded; it’s all about context. Weight plays heavily into it, too, and facial beauty. No one could have worn that Givenchy couture gown that I tried on a few times three years ago except Ciara to the VMAs–a black girl with curves in the right places. On me, it looked like a belly dancer.”
On Miley Cyrus’ style: “She has a crap stylist; at least Katy Perry lives out her insane fantasies and kids love it. I liked Katy when she was in a black shag and the shy girl on Glen Ballard’s arm at events. She was damaged goods by the time she got to Capitol [Records]. She really worked for it: ‘It’ being a career I find so boring it’s sort of sad, but what she wears is cute and in her own universe. Miley provided me with endless laughs at the VMAs. The Harajuku Japansese girl little bear suit was cute.”
[From Fashionista]
This certainly isn’t the first time Courtney has trashed Katy Perry. I agree that Miley’s style is a lost cause in the style department. Oh well — one can always count on Courtney to speak her mind and tell the truth about how she feels, but I seriously doubt she remembers what her “truth” is from day to day. She’s so cray.
Lest we forget that Courtney herself is a sartorial disaster, here’s a sampling of her looks over the past five years. These aren’t even “street clothes.” This is the stuff she wears to fashion shows and red-carpet events.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN
Source Cele Bitchy
Kendall Jenner got slammed on twitter by Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain‘s kid, Frances Bean Cobain a few days and she responded on Facebook. Which is kind of…I mean why not respond on twitter? Angry Beans responded to Ms. Jenner’s stupid tweet “Just wish things could be easier sometimes mann” with two long tweets containing such wise nuggets as “There are kids on earth abandoned&homeless” and blah blah ending with “humans are so self involved.”
From Radar, via DListed:
i am aware that i am very privileged and blessed, and im thankful for that everyday, i know there are greater problems in the world. i pray for those people every night and give back as much as i can. so who are u to judge me?
However, and as DListed pointed out, the Facebook post has been deleted. If it was even there. What really annoys me is that Jenner keeps using “i” and “u” — it’s Facebook, you can spare the characters.
I mean this has to be one of the more boring “celebrity” twitter exchanges ever, right? Even the Jenny McCarthy/Amanda Bynes face-off was more interesting.
Thanks to Evil Beet
Tupac is one of dead celebs that still gets talked about every year, like Kurt Cobain or…Audrey Hepburn, even. Tupac Shakur and Audrey Hepburn have both had their images used after their death. Miss Audrey to sell chocolate and Shakur to play Coachella. Oh my God, remember how funny the Hologram Tupac Twitter account was? Yeah.
Oh anyway, so Tupac’s former bodyguard died. And because people love to talk about Tupac’s still unsolved murder and his alleged illuminati ties and death-faking, here’s more for them to discuss. Did Tupac’s bodyguard really kill himself? OR DID HE KNOW TOO MUCH????!/1? From Eonline:
Frank Alexander (known as “Big Frank”), the former bodyguard of the late rapper, was found dead in his Murrieta, Calif., home Sunday night after police responded to a 911 call regarding a possible suicide, according to a report by Murrieta Patch.
The cause of death has not been released. Alexander was reportedly found with a gunshot wound to the head.
“The death is being investigated to determine if indeed it was a suicide,” Murrieta Police Lt. Tony Conrad told Patch. ”It does appear to be a suicide, but the Coroner’s Office will make the final determination.”
Big Frank served as Shakur’s personal bodyguard in 1996—the last year of the legendary rapper’s life.
He co-authored and published a book based on his experiences in 1998 titled Got Your Back: The Life of a Bodyguard in the Hardcore World of Gangsta Rap.
Courtney Love did it, case closed.
Thanks to Evil Beet