The new Darren Aronofsky film Black Swan will open in select cities this Friday December 3 before it opens wider in theaters around the country but today we get our first look at some footage from the film as featured in a very cool new promo music video:
A psychological thriller set in the world of New York City ballet, Black Swan stars Natalie Portman as Nina, a featured dancer who finds herself locked in a web of competitive intrigue with a new rival at the company (Mila Kunis). From visionary director Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler), Black Swan takes a thrilling and at times terrifying journey through the psyche of a young ballerina whose starring role as the duplicitous swan queen turns out to be a part for which she becomes frighteningly perfect.
If you are as anxious to see Black Swan as I am, you’re gonna wanna check out this 1 minute long video, after the jump …
I really love the frantic pacing of the music and the video footage. I cannot WAIT to see this film!! Wee!! Who’s gonna check this out on opening weekend with me?
Everybody loves a bargain especially at this time of year. And now the general public can adorn themselves with jewels just like pop queen Mariah Carey. The 40-year-old songstress and expectant mother appeared on the Home Shopping Network yesterday to promote her new line of costume jewellery and shoes, all of which is listed at affordable prices. During the live, late night TV slot, the chart-topping diva was surprised by husband Nick Cannon who called in while she was on air. The couple, who are expecting their first baby in the spring, told viewers the romantic story behind a $59.95 pink crystal ‘Ring Pop’ necklace that Mariah has designed for her collection. They then exchanged I love you’s and as well as their secret code ‘KKLB’, which a giggling Mariah left unexplained. Carey’s collection features items like pendants, crystal butterfly earrings, fur-trimmed suede boots, rhinestone sandals and chain-wrapped nylon boots. She tells ABC News Radio, ‘There’s gorgeous stuff. I’m not even kidding. I would definitely wear this stuff myself.’ Carey also insisted that she ‘really did design things myself and work closely with the team over at HSN…it wasn’t like, “Oh, just throw my name on things.’”
To be honest, I can believe that Mariah did some actual design work for this new line of products. Do I believe that she drew up detailed sketches for each piece? No. But I can see how she might’ve collaborated with artisans more talented in clothing and jewelry design to create these affordable pieces for her collection. After the jump, check out video of Mariah on HSN las night and hear hubby Nick Cannon‘s surprise call on air …
Aww … so cute. I have to say, I like seeing Mimi in a more down to Earth light. While I 1000% do NOT believe that she would “definitely wear this stuff” herself if she had not designed it, I do believe that she put her heart and soul in the collection for her fans. What do ya’ll think … would YOU buy any of Mimi‘s products on HSN? Does any of this look like stuff you’d like to find under the Xmas tree this year?
Without question, Kingston James McGregor — the eldest child of Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale — is one of THE most stylish kids in all of Hollywood. Kingston is very regularly seen in very fashion forward outfits, rockin’ some pretty stylish accoutrements. Over the weekend, Kingston showed off his edgy new hair’do as well as his freshly painted and very colorful nails … behold:
He’s got two of the most famous rock stars in the world as mother and father. So it should come as no surprise that Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale’s son Kingston has inherited some of his parents’ edgy style. Kingston showed off a directional mohawk-style half shaved and bleached do and multi-coloured painted fingernails yesterday out shopping with his No Doubt singer mother. Four-and-a-half year old Kingston had been treated to a multi-coloured mani-pedi on Saturday at a Beverly Hills salon and left grinning from ear to ear. Gwen, 41, also got a touch up to her black nail polish and chatted to her son as the treatments were done. Kingston is becoming quite the young fashion icon, regularly rocking some very trendy outfits. On Friday he accompanied Gwen as she ran some errands in Studio City, California, wearing black skinny jeans with black bovver boots and a retro looking printed jacket. The day before, as the family headed to Gwen’s parents house in Los Feliz to celebrate Thanksgiving, Kingston was spotted wearing some cool combat trousers, like the ones his mother always wears, with a funky red and black jumper and matching trainers. After the nail salon Kingston and Gwen joined his brother Zuma, two, and father Gavin Rossdale for a family outing to Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! There’s A Party In My City event at the Nokia L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles.
You may recall that this wasn’t Kingston‘s first visit to the nail salon … back in September, we saw photos of Kingston gettin’ his nails painted on a visit to the nail salon with his mom — which I LOVE! I’m so impressed that Gwen and Gavin are so eager to support their young sons desire to express himself. It is a very good sign that Kingston is able to express who he is in his dress. Brangelina allows the same expression of their young children, which I also applaud. It’s so cool when kids get to be kids. Kingston is a very lucky little man to have such loving and supportive parents.
As you can see, the kids were really tired from all the traveling so I’m sure the entire family was happy to be home again. Now that Thanksgiving is over, Britney will likely get right back to work on her new album for as long as she can because the Xmas holiday will be here in no time. I’m happy to see Britwick and the boys home safe and sound … cuz now, Britney is that much closer to hittin’ us with new music ;D
Stop the presses, y’all. Actors Anne Hathaway and James Franco have just been signed to host the 83rd annual Academy Awards show on February 27, 2011. It was rumored that the pair were being courted for the gig and they must’ve both said yes as quickly as they could cuz now it’s official … Anne and James will be hosting the Oscars!
James Franco and Anne Hathaway have been tabbed to co-host the Feb. 27 Academy Awards. Both have films currently in release: Franco stars in “127 Hours” and Hathaway co-stars with Jake Gyllenhaal in “Love and Other Drugs.” Neither have hosted before, but Hathaway participated in a song-and-dance routine when Hugh Jackman hosted in 2009. Move comes a year after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences had Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin front the show. The Oscars will be telecast by ABC from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.
While this will not be the first time that actors have co-hosted the Oscars I believe this is the first time such young actors have been tapped for the job. I LOVED Anne‘s song-and-dance bit with host Hugh Jackman during the 2009 Oscars (so much so that I would LOVE to have Hugh Jackman host the Oscars every year) so I think she will make a great host. Paired with Franco, well, it’ll be very interesting to see how it all plays out. The Academy Awards play much better to the older Hollywood set so I’m curious to see if the young duo will cater to the older, traditional Oscar watcher or if they’ll youngen up the awards show. I would’ve never guessed that either of these two would ever get to host the Academy Awards … let’s just hope they don’t eff it all up.
Much to my chagrin, I’ve been battling back the symptoms of a cold for the past few days and, for the most part, I’ve been able to keep the worse of them at bay … but yesterday was not a good day, let me tell you. I woke up with the worst body aches but, thankfully, free from a sore throat or any stomach ailments. I did my best to keep myself as medicated as possible with Dayquil by day and the magical nectar of the gods, Nyquil by night:
I’m still not feeling great today but I do not feel worse than I did yesterday so I’ll take that as progress. I’m hoping to be well enough to go out tonight … David and I are invited to some event at the Frank Lloyd Wright house here in LA so we were hoping to check that out. The rest of the week ahead is a bizzy one and then I’m flying back home to Detroit next week … so I really don’t have time for any flu shenanigans. It is almost the last day of November already, can you believe it? I hope your Monday is going well and that the December to come will be a fabulous one for us all :)
Jonathan Knight of New Kids on the Block is 42, Don Cheadle is 46 and Howie Mandel is 55 years old today. Click HERE to see who else is celebrating a birthday today.
Looks like #HURRICANETHEFILM has been banned / Working on solutions for #HURRICANETHEFILM. Going to post one of the many emails we received listing broadcast issues. Stay tuned..
On his official website/blog, Jared posted the full text of one of the emails he received from TV broadcasters that spells out in great detail all of the reasons why Hurricane in its uncut version will not be broadcast on TV. The email is an enlightening read because it reveals many elements from the video that have not yet been revealed in any other way. After the jump, read the full text of the email to find out what television broadcasters here in the US do not want you to see …
Hi ——,
Here is the feedback from our compliance team,
Please note the final comments can only be given after our compliance team has viewed the digibeta, there were areas which they were unable to view towards the end of the video.
Overall the bondage theme will warrant a POST 10 PM restriction as the film is in its current form.
There is one shot that will have to be removed completely for a POST 10PM restriction -
09:17 – WOMAN RUNS FINGER OVER OTHER WOMAN'S G-STRING CLAD BOTTOM AND TOUCHES HER ANUS -
This shot makes the video completely restricted.
There are other bondage shots towards the end of the film that compliance were unclear about, they would have to view frame by frame on tape to gauge whether they would need to be cut too for POST 10PM.
The violence in the film is not graphic and would warrant a POST 7pm restriction. But the overall sexual content does push the restriction up.
Here's what was logged so far:
30 Seconds To Mars – Hurricane (rough cut) OFFLINE
Contains:
00:27 – in French "It's not reality, it's a dream" 02:33 – threatening man in gimp mask with sledge hammer 02:50 – singer jumps out of hotel window – fantastical – not imitable 03:00 – flash frame of erotic scene? 04:10 – singer puts leather eye mask on girl and pulls head back in an erotic gesture – POST 9PM 04:15 – fight between gimp man and bystander – kick to leg / punch to head -not graphic -POST 7PM 04:25 – girl in leather bunny outfit on knees briefly kisses a man 04:40 – man pulls a key on a ribbon chain from his mouth 04:54 – motorcyclist spins bike and skids across the ground 05:01 – bondage ball gag is put over girl's mouth – POST 10PM 05:18 – cyclist stabs man with stanley knife – POST 7PM 05:46 – priest, rabbi and monk (?) burn books 06:15 – large breasted lady in a bra and gas mask 06:16 – shot of domestic knife – POST 7pm 06:20 – couple in bondage gear and handcuffs – POST 10PM 06:23 – girl with gag being partially suffocated by singer POST 10PM 06:30 – bondage couple 06:40 – gimp man hits singer with sledge hammer not graphic POST 7PM 07:00 – French v/o about abandonning yourself and sacrificing yourself to pleasure – no explicit language – ok 07:14 – bondage girls with nipple tassles -POST 9PM 08:06 – man chained to bench with masked men circling in a menacing manner 08:17 – skuffle man hits masked men 08:21 – man punches man in rabbit's head 08:40 – singer trapped in coffin 09:00 – French v/o about love and masks – no explicit language - ok 09:15 – dripping hot wax over body – POST 10PM 09:17 – woman's finger running over other woman's bottom in g-string and touching anus – COMPLETELY RESTRICTED 09:50 – lady with feathers and nipple tassles – POST 9PM 10:15 – couple in bed performing erotic acts – POST 9PM 10:41 – man runs hands over lady's breasts – POST 9PM 10:43- man kisses lady's stomach – POST 9PM 10:53 – man grabs and squeezes lady's breasts – POST 10PM 10:54 – girl with nipple tassles – POST 9PM 10:55 – gimp man with woman in gas mask and bondage harness – POST 10PM 10:59 – bondage scene – POST 10PM 11:02 – forecful erotic pull of girl's head – POST 10PM 11:06 – bondage couple – POST 10 PM 11:50 – singer and gimp man fight – punches, kicks and slaps – not graphic violence – POST 7PM
It sounds like the broadcast issues with the video have more to do with sex than violence (because, in the US there is much more restriction on sexual imagery over violent imagery). If 30StM want to have their music video broadcast on US television they are going to have to make some edits and censor the offending parts of the video. My guess is that some editing of the film will be done, there’s just no way the video will be allowed to be broadcast on TV without censorship. The original, uncut film will surely be made available online in some capacity. I have to admit, the video sounds … adventurous. It’s hard to judge how the video actually looks by just these descriptions (written by a television censor). Now, more than ever, I am really interested in watching the Hurricane video in full. I can’t wait to hear what Leto and his 30StM cohorts decide to do with the video edits … I just really hope they decide to make the video available in full, uncut in some capacity.
All $65 million of the new Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" took flight on Sunday night at its first preview performance, but not without bumps. The show stopped five times, mostly to fix technical problems, and Act I ended prematurely, with Spider-Man stuck dangling 10 feet above audience members, while Act II was marred by a nasty catcall during one of the midperformance pauses. Rarely is the very first public run-through of a new musical perfect, and indeed, the creators of this "Spider-Man" — the most expensive and technically ambitious production ever on Broadway — used news media interviews recently to lower expectations that work on the musical was anywhere near done. But after a two-week delay in performances already this month, which sucked up about $4 million, the producers decided that on Sunday night the show would go on. Costing more than twice as much as the previous record-holder for a big-budget show, "Shrek the Musical," "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" took a bit of time revealing some of the reasons for its high expense. After beginning at 6:54 p.m. — 24 minutes late, mostly because of 1,900 people taking their seats — the show unfolded for 30 minutes with few of the special effects that have been the talk of Broadway this fall. At 7:23 p.m., an aerial scene began in Peter Parker's bedroom to the delight of some audience members — yet it was halted two minutes later with the first of four pauses in Act I, apparently to free the lead actor, Reeve Carney (who plays Peter Parker and is one of those playing Spider-Man), from an aerial harness. Most of the night's major flying sequences — which make up a relative fraction of the show — went off without a hitch, with children and some adults squealing in delight. And there were no signs of injuries, which had been a point of concern after two performers were hurt during an aerial sequence this fall. The fourth and final pause at the end of Act I was the worst glitch of the night by far. Spider-Man had just flown and landed onstage with the musical's heroine, Mary Jane Watson (played by Jennifer Damiano), in his arms. He was then supposed to zoom off toward the balcony seating area, a few hundred feet away. Instead, a harness and cables lifted Spider-Man several yards up and over the audience, then stopped. A production stage manager, C. Randall White, called for a halt to the show over the sound system, apparently in hopes of fixing and re-doing the stunt. Crew members, standing on the stage, spent 45 seconds trying to grab Spider-Man by the foot, as the audience laughed and oohed. When they finally caught him, Mr. White announced intermission, and the house lights came on.
The New York Times review continues after the jump …
The intermission began at 8:19 p.m.; it was still under way 34 minutes later when some in the audience began to clap in unison, as they passed their two-hour mark inside the theater. Mr. White, the production stage manager, then said over the microphone, "I know, guys, I know, I beg your patience," and the clapping stopped. Act II began shortly after 9 p.m. and unfolded fairly smoothly until about 50 minutes later, when Mr. White called for a pause. After a few minutes, as some audience members were stretching, a woman in the audience suddenly shouted, "I don't know how everyone else feels, but I feel like a guinea pig today — I feel like it's a dress rehearsal." She was met with a chorus of boos. The performance resumed a moment later; the show ended at 10:09 p.m … After the show, several audience members said in interviews that they would hold off on recommending the show to friends until improvements were made. Sherry Lawrence, a writer for a U2 fan Web site, said that even though she liked some of the songs, she planned to tell readers to wait for the creators to do more work during previews. But Marc Tumminelli, 30, who runs a Manhattan acting school for children, said he was concerned that the musical's problems were too fundamental to be corrected quickly. "The story-telling is really unclear and I found it hard to understand exactly what was going on and why certain things were happening," Mr. Tumminelli said. More delighted was the 6-year-old boy sitting a row ahead. "Parts of it were really exciting," said the boy, Jack Soldano, whose parents brought him. "I've never seen people flying before."
Yeah, $65 million spent and they still can’t run thru the show once without having to stop for technical difficulties. It doesn’t really sound like money well-spent, does it? I will say that the show does sound absolutely amazing, if they ever figure out how to fix all the problems. I am so enamored by the idea of all the flying that takes place in the show … but if they can’t get the technical details corrected, what’s the point? I am still planning on seeing Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark after it officially opens in January. My hope is that by the time I go see the show myself, most if not all of the technical problems will be sorted out. My fear is that the show will be forced to close early because of those same technical problems and that I won’t be able to see the show at all. If any of y’all get to see the show during previews, be sure to let us know how your experience was.
Yesterday we saw a few photos of Lindsay Lohan doing a bit of Xmas shopping at an outlet mall on Saturday and today we get to see a couple photos of Lindsay out and about at a shopping mall in Palm Springs, CA on Sunday. As you can clearly see from the following photos, L. Lo appears to be doing very well in her rehabilitation … because homegirl has never looked better!
Wow … it’s kinda hard to admit that Lindsay is lookin’ good these days. She just seems to be healthier, which is a very good sign that she is working hard in rehab. It is now a welcome sight to see new photos of L. Lo out and about cuz she no longer looks strung out. As much as I’m not a fan of how much freedom she’s been enjoying away from rehab, even I have to admit that whatever she’s doing in (and outside of) rehab … it appears to be working. She looks well … let’s just hope that she’s actually doing well on the inside, too.
I understand that Grandpa Jamie happily cared for the kids while Britney and Jamie Lynn were off doing their own thing around town. Those plastic bags that Jamie is carrying in the last photo are filled with fried chicken so, yeah, the family ate well that night.
After the jump, check out photos of Britney and Jamie Lynn grabbin’ some food of their own — and not together. The Spears sisters were each snapped at Sonic Drive-In but they did not go out to eat together …
Britney and her beau Jason Trawick snuck off to get some food at Sonic … and then later on, little sister Jamie Lynn and a friend of hers were spotted doing the same thing. My guess is that each Spears sister was out running around town and got the same idea to grab some grub at Sonic. Believe me, Sonic is the bomb! It is my fave Southern fast food restaurant after Chick-Fil-A and I ate there often when I lived in Oklahoma. I wouldn’t blame them if they ate at Sonic every day they were in town. But, alas, Britney‘s visit to Louisiana is already over … she, Jason and the kids have already returned home to SoCal. My guess is, tho, that Britwick and the boys had themselves a superfun down home visit for Thanksgiving this year :D
Birthday Lurve goes out to Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt today in the wake of the young man’s 7th birthday this weekend. Almost the entire Brangelina bunch (sans the baby twins) enjoyed a hot air balloon ride by day and a riverboat birthday cruise by night for Pax on the Seine river in Paris, France yesterday. Here are a few photos from the fun all-day family jaunt:
Pax Jolie-Pitt got to see plenty of Paris on Sunday, from the air and the water, while celebrating his 7th birthday a day early with his family. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt made a full day of it with their kids – minus the 2-year-old twins – starting with a hot-air balloon ride and finishing with a party cruise on a riverboat. They turned up unannounced in the morning at the riverside Parc André Citroen in the Left Bank for a ride in a tethered hot-air balloon. “They were like any other family,” the balloon’s operator tells PEOPLE. “There was nothing out of the ordinary to tell you about them which made them any different from any other family.” He adds that they were “charming” and the kids were “excited but well-behaved. What I think they wanted was a little moment of peace.” Thanks to the hour, the time of year and the cold weather, they found just that – enjoying the 20-minute ride by themselves. As if that weren’t enough, the group took the festivities to the water in the early evening, renting the luxurious Josephine riverboat out of Port Debilly, alongside the Eiffel Tower, for a birthday cruise on the Seine. “We made a short cruise upriver. They stayed on board for about 90 minutes,” a crewmember tells PEOPLE. There was an assortment of cakes and sweets, and the boat was decorated with blue and yellow balloons.
What a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday! I love how much family time the Brangelina bunch like to share together … birthday parties for the kids are never lavish events, they are usually family-oriented outings like these that foster togetherness and love. I would LOVE to take a hot air balloon ride over Paris … what a great idea. After the jump, check out some photos of the Brangelina bunch on board their riverboat last night for the second phase of Pax‘s birthday celebration …
Now, this, I’ve done. David and I try to take a riverboat cruise on the Seine every time we’re in Paris … we’ve done it by day and we’ve done it by night. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have given their son (well, actually, all of their children) a gift that he will cherish for the rest of his life … a beautiful and memorable view of one of the most amazing cities on Earth. It really sounds like it was a great day for Pax. Let’s send our Birthday Lurve to him today.
Christina Aguilera and her new man embarked on another romantic date last night … Matthew D Rutler walked hand in hand with the 29-year-old singer around New York City … The Dirrty singer obviously has a thing for tall lanky brunettes with facial hair and has already fallen head over heels for the production assistant. Matthew took Christina for a romantic dinner at the Corner Deli before heading to the Boom Boom Room, where they partied until 3am. But Christina might have had to pick up the bill, as a source recently told Star magazine that Rutler is 'broke'. 'Matt used to live in a crummy apartment with room-mates. Now he's at her Beverly Hills mansion every night. He's in heaven!', the source said. The pair, who met on the set of Burlesque earlier in the year, have been reportedly dating since September, despite only filing for divorce from record producer Jordan Bratman in October.
You know, I’m not entirely convinced that these two are an actual couple … but it’s very clear that they want the world to think that they are romantically involved. I’ve heard from very reliable sources that Matt isn’t really her “type” (if you get what I’m saying) and that she is parading him around as if the two are involved to throw people off the scent of what is really going on with her. Whether that is true or not, it seems that Xtina is really fine with people knowing that she and Matt are hanging out right now. I guess we’ll have to see if anything substantial grows out of this new relationship or … whatever.
Very sad news to pass along to comedy fans … the amazing comic actor Leslie Nielsen passed away yesterday in Ft. Lauderdale, FL at the age of 84. According to his nephew, Leslie passed away in a hospital due to complications of pneumonia … it is my sincere hope that he did not suffer. Leslie Nielsen is best known for his comedic roles in the Airplane! and The Naked Gun movies but I remember him most fondly for his role as Lucas Hollingsworth, the man who married Dorothy Zbornak (played by Bea Arthur) on The Golden Girls:
Leslie Nielsen, whose longtime career as a square-jawed dramatic actor took a sudden turn into comedy with gut-busting spoofs like “Airplane!” and “The Naked Gun,” has died at age 84, his family said Sunday. The Canadian-born Nielsen’s career reached back into the early days of television, when he made frequent appearances on live drama series like “Goodyear Playhouse.” He played the earnest starship captain in the 1956 science-fiction classic “Forbidden Planet” and made regular appearances on a wide range of TV dramas into the 1970s, including “Hawaii Five-O.” He also played the captain of an overturned ocean liner in the 1972 disaster movie, “The Poseidon Adventure.” Much of that changed in 1980, when he was cast as a doctor aboard an endangered jetliner in the gag-a-minute disaster-movie parody “Airplane!” Nielsen’s deadpan response to the question “Surely, you can’t be serious?” with “I am serious — and don’t call me Shirley” helped launch a second career. The film’s producers went on to cast him in their short-lived television series “Police Squad!” He reprised that show’s bumbling lead character, Lt. Frank Drebin, a decade later in three “Naked Gun” movies, in which he shared the screen with O.J. Simpson and Priscilla Presley. Nielsen appeared in several similar but less-acclaimed spoofs following those films. Nielsen was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2003. The medal is awarded to “Canadian citizens for outstanding achievement and service to the country or to humanity at large.” Nielsen died of complications of pneumonia in a hospital near his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, surrounded by family and friends, a family statement said. Doug Nielsen called his uncle’s death a “great loss.”
There are very few people on this Earth who were funnier than Leslie Nielsen. His ability to crack wise and spark genuine laughter didn’t come from profanity or raunchiness … Leslie Nielsen just had the ability to make people laugh with his sheer talent. I LOVED Nielsen‘s performance in the Airplane! films as well as The Naked Gun films but, as I mentioned above, he won my heart when he appeared on the series finale eps of The Golden Girls as Blanche‘s uncle who fell in love and married Dorothy. Leslie Nielsen was one of those actors who is just beloved for his craft, not for his antics or his fame … but because he was a genuinely nice and very funny man. The world is a much sadder place without him. He will surely be missed (and I promise, I won’t ever call him Shirley again).
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