Um … first, I feel I must apologize for what I’m about to do to you. You must believe me when I say that I do NOT mean to harm you in any way and I truly hope none of you will suffer from what I’m about to share with you. During a concert performance in Ecuador last weekend, Miley Cyrus decided to perform a cover of the Nirvana song Smells Like Teen Spirit. According to Miley, Teen Spirit is the song that inspired her to “follow her dreams” and therefore, she felt compelled to perform the song live for her fans. Brace yourselves, gird your loins … and check out the Miley Cyrus version of the grunge anthem Smells Like Teen Spirit below.
Dear Kurt Cobain, wherever you are in the afterlife … on behalf of the living, I deeply apologize for … this. May you continue to rest in eternal peace and try not to pay attention should Miley ever choose to perform your song again. As for you, dear readers, I gotta ask … what do YOU think of Miley‘s performance of Smells Like Teen Spirit?
Much like the Spider-Man photos we saw from the LA set of the film last February, these new photos of Spidey in action are kinda fun. The more I see this new Spider-Man costume, the more I like it. I’m still uncertain if it’s a good idea to reboot the Spider-Man film franchise soon soon after the first one ended but I guess we can never have too much Spider-Man in our lives. Oh wait, considering how heinously bad the Broadway show Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark turned out … I guess there is such a thing as too muchSpider-Man. In the end, let’s hope this new reboot film turns out better than the Broadway show did. I’m hopeful the film will be good … and at the very least, I’m enjoying on-set photos of filming production like these.
Benjamin Millepied, soon-to-be babydaddy of Natalie Portman‘s unborn child, may not yet be a daddy but something got him in a dancing mood in NYC this week. Benjamin was suddenly inspired to bust out some serious dance moves right there in the streets of NYC and he didn’t seem to care who was watching … or photographing. Check out the cute photos below.
I suppose when you’re a professional dancer, the spirit can move you at any time. If homie can be inspired to bust out dance moves like this on any ol’ day, can you imagine what he may be like when Natalie finally gives birth to their baby? He might be doing pirouettes and cartwheels all over Manhattan. Shoot, if I could dance like him … I’d be dancing in the streets as well. Especially if I looked as good as Ben does while doing so ;)
Earlier today we learned that the 2011 Tony Awards nominations were announced and right now we learn that the 2011 MTV Movie Awards nominations have also been announced today. While films like Black Swan, The Fighter and The Social Network were the top nomination-getters at the Academy Awards, the MTV Movie Awards has a bit of a different focus. Leading the way in nominations today is The Twilight Saga: Eclipse with 8 noms while Inception followed close behind with 7 nominations and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 secured 6 nominations. Read on to find out what other films were nominated for MTV Movie Awards this year.
The nominations for the 2011 MTV Movie Awards were announced Tuesday morning, with “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” snagging the most with eight, followed by “Inception” with seven, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1″ with six and “The Social Network” garnering five. The unconventional award show will air June 5 from the Gibson Amphitheatre with “Saturday Night Live” regular Jason Sudeikis as host … Voting in these and other categories begins today HERE and closes on June 4. However, voting for the best picture winner will continue throughout the ceremony. Among the nominations announced Tuesday morning are:
Best movie “Black Swan,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1,” “Inception,” “The Social Network” and “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”
Best female performance Emma Stone, “Easy A”; Emma Watson, “Harry Potter”; Jennifer Aniston, “Just Go With It”; Kristen Stewart, “Eclipse”; and Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”
Best male performance Daniel Radcliffe, “Harry Potter”; Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network”; Robert Pattinson, “Eclipse”; Taylor Lautner, “Eclipse”; and Zac Efron, “Charlie St. Cloud”
Best breakout star Andrew Garfield, “The Social Network”; Chloe Grace Moretz, “Kick-Ass”; Hailee Steinfeld, “True Grit”; Jay Chou, “The Green Hornet”; Olivia Wilde, “Tron: Legacy”; and Xavier Samuel, “Eclipse”
Best comedic performance Adam Sandler, “Just Go With It”; Ashton Kutcher, “No Strings Attached”; Emma Stona, “Easy A”; Russell Brand, “Get HIm to the Greek”; and Zach Galifianakis, “Due Date”
Best villain Christoph Waltz, “The Green Hornet”; Leighton Meester, “The Roommate”; Mickey Rourke, “Iron Man 2″; Ned Beatty, “Toy Story 3″; and Tom Felton, “Harry Potter”
Best kiss Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, “Inception”; Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe, “Harry Potter”; Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, “Eclipse”; and Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, “Black Swan”
And so … the voting is now underway for the tween Oscars. Even tho it may be a bit silly for a film like Eclipse to be the “one to beat” at any film awards show, I do think it’s cool that MTV honors movies that young people really love. And boy, do they love their Twilight films. I’m a big fan of the Best Kiss category and I’m really pullin’ for Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis to win for their Black Swan smooch. If YOU would like to have your say and vote for the 2011 MTV Movie Awards, you can do so HERE. Which films of these nominations are YOUR faves?
Sad news for fans of Kristen Wiig‘s characters on Saturday Night Live … she reveals in a new interview with Time magazine that she has retired her SNL characters Gilly and Penelope. That’s right, the SNL characters that we love to laugh at on the late night comedy sketch show are no more … they are dunzo. I guess all she can say about the end of these characters is, Sorry!
When you appear in as many Saturday Night Live sketches as Kristen Wiig does, you’re bound to burn through some recurring characters in record time. And so it is that in a new interview with Time, Wiig reveals that there are two maxed-out recurring characters that she refuses to do anymore, even if Lorne Michaels requests them: ultracompetitive one-upper Penelope, and sociopathic schoolgirl Gilly. Does that welcome reluctance earn her Lorne’s designation as one of the top three or four SNL cast members ever?
Stuff like this is always so odd to me. I can understand how an actress like Wiig might get tired of playing the same characters for years but … why retire them altogether? Can’t she just not do any Gilly or Penelope skits for a while and then bust out the characters a few years down the line? Penelope, I can do without … but I really enjoy the Gilly skits and I’m gonna miss them :( Ah well, I guess a comedienne like Kristen Wiig can be counted on to create new characters that will be just as funny as these retired characters. What do y’all think? Are you bummed about this news? Are you happy to see Gilly and Penelope gone?
Yesterday was a totally chilled out day. Plans to hang out last night got pushed back to Wednesday and that left me with a very sunny and hot day here in LA to enjoy all by myself. I have just started to recover from my illness of late so it was nice to just relax and chill out … in the heat ;)
I got out of the house for a bit to soak up some sun, which was really nice. I toyed with the idea of hanging out at the beach but the traffic was a huge deterrent. I really just laid low, kept my Monday pretty simple. Tonight, tho, I am SO excited to FINALLY get to see Thor! I’ll be seeing the movie at a screening tonight and I’m just way too excited. Popcorn, candy and the god of Thunder? Yes, please!!
Cheryl Burke is 27, Frankie Valli is 77 and Ann B. Davis (The Brady Bunch) is 85 years old today. Click HERE to see who else is celebrating a birthday today.
While mama Madonna was turning heads at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala in NYC, NY last night, her first born daughter Lourdes Maria was showing off her own style on the streets of that very same city … in a simple yet very chic way. It’s impossible not to see Madonna in her young daughter, especially when Lola so expertly takes cues from Maddy‘s signature fashion looks of the 80′s. Lourdes in this jeweled jean jacket is just perfection. And she don’t need a red carpet to prove that she is one stylish young woman.
I really love that Lola has become such an accomplished young woman at such a young age. I have no doubt that she is an integral part of the success of Madonna‘s juniors line for Macy’s called Material Girl and it’s clear that Lola is destined for fashion greatness. Some people are just born for superstardom … and while I don’t know that Lourdes will emulate her mother’s stunning success, I do know that she will find success on her own. Much like Madonna did when she was young, Lola makes fashion look so easy yet so flawless. This girl will set trends, mark my words. Shoot, if it weren’t so hot in LA these days, I’d be rockin’ a jean jacket today :) She looks fab, don’t she?
Rihanna, who is about to unleash her 10 millionth music video (it seems), posted a photo on her official Twitter profile yesterday that gives us our first look at her newest video for her song California King Bed. Now, I’m not gonna lie … California King Bed is not my fave song from her album Loud but the girl is running out of songs to make music videos for so … and, from the look of the screencap from the video she tweeted, it looks like it’s gonna be a pretty sexy video. Quelle surprise. Check out the photo below.
Bout to tweet u sumn I cud get in trouble for! But I know ur anxious / #CKBvideo
It appears that, in this video, Ri Ri‘s head spends a bit of time laying on the chest of some dude … so you gotta wonder what other body parts Rihanna‘s head will be spending time on in the vid. HMMM. A really hot video can make up for a song that isn’t very good. Case in point, I really hate the Britney Spears song Don’t Let Me Be the Last to Know … but the video is SO freakin’ HAWT that I kinda love it. Will this video do the same for California King Bed? We shall see.
Thank the GODS … we are SO close to the release of the first big superhero blockbuster film of the year with Thor‘s opening this Friday. But last night, at Grauman’s Chinese Theater, the celebs came out for the Hollywood premiere of the film. While Thor celebrated its world wide premiere in Sydney, Australia (star Chris Hemsworth‘s hometown) last month, the big shindig was saved for Tinsel Town. Check out some photos from the red carpet arrivals last night.
As you can see, actress Natalie Portman was not in attendance at the Thor premiere last night. I’m assuming she is too far into her pregnancy back in NYC to fly cross-country … but I understand last night’s party was superfun nonetheless. I am telling you … I am SO excited for this film! I have been invited to an early screening of Thor here in LA tonight and I am so dying to see the film at last. Not only am I a huge fan of Summer Blockbuster films but I am a really big fan of superhero films. Thor will kick off the 2011 Summer Blockbuster season and will likely set the tone for the films to follow. We are ALL so close to the film’s release … just days, y’all. Grab your hammers … get thee ready … Thor is almost here!
It is the biggest night of the fashion calendar, and with the late, great fashion designer Alexander McQueen as a theme for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute gala ball last night, red carpet expectations were very high. And the A-listers didn’t disappoint. Countless stars including Sarah Jessica Parker and Salma Hayek wore the British designer’s creations, proving, with every arrival, that he was not known as a genius for nothing. The supermodels, naturally, looked superb. Gisele Bundchen wore a showstopping scarlet number from autumn 2005, while Crystal Renn, who sported an impressive geisha-inspired hairdo, wore a black ruffled gown. Sarah Jessica Parker wore a figure-hugging gold embellished sheath from the same collection as Gisele’s, while Daphne Guinness wore a creation made entirely of feathers that was the finale of Sarah Burton’s second solo collection for the fashion house earlier this year. Salma Hayek also wore a current creation, a gold chiffon gown with rose detail from the spring 2011 offering by Sarah Burton. And if McQueen couture is good enough for the Duchess of Cambridge, it’s good enough for Naomi Campbell, it seems, as the model wore a bespoke number by Sarah Burton. The designer herself wore a similar, albeit less fussy floaty white gown with an empire waistline and gold embellishment. But many other designers had a chance to shine too – particularly Stella McCartney, who created a number of dazzling pieces for the night. Madonna’s slinky blue gown with stars cascading down the back was probably the prettiest thing she’s worn in years, while Iman wore a bright gold pantsuit from the same label. Also in McCartney was and Eva Mendes, who channelled the Seventies in asymmetric royal blue dress with knife pleats, and Gwyneth Paltrow who wore a sparkling taupe column with a high neckline and long sleeves. Ms McCartney, who was co-hosting the event with Anna Wintour, wore a design from her own collection of course, the asymmetric ‘mullet’ skirt proving a hit with fashion bloggers. Among the other stars she dressed for the night were 14-year-old True Grit star Hailee Steinfeld, who wore a brown lace number with the same hemline as Ms McCartney, and Rihanna, whose flawless body did the figure-hugging lace gown justice. Vogue Editor Anna Wintour, who traditionally wears Chanel couture for the event, posed for photographers with her daughter, Bee Shaffer, who wore burgundy Balenciaga. But it was Blake Lively who arrived with designer Karl Lagergfeld, who had dressed the Gossip Girl beauty in a Chanel Couture creation from fall 2009. Burberry’s Christopher Bailey was no doubt proud of Transformers star Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in his pink satin number, while Miranda Kerr and Shalom Harlow braved the infamous Marchesa collection that had models fainting during the New York Fashion Week showcase in February. Jessica Alba may be pregnant, but that didn’t stop her wearing one of the most elegant gowns of the night – gold strapless Ralph Lauren styled by Rachel Zoe’s former assistant Brad Goreski … The gala event marked the launch of the Met’s much-anticipated Savage Beauty exhibition, which charts McQueen’s career. Guests were served a Scottish-themed dinner in the Temple of Dendur to represent McQueen’s Scottish roots. According to the museum, ‘his iconic designs constitute the work of an artist whose medium of expression was fashion. ‘Approximately one hundred examples will be on view, including signature designs such as the bumster trouser, the kimono jacket, and the Origami frock coat, as well as pieces reflecting the exaggerated silhouettes of the 1860s, 1880s, 1890s, and 1950s that he crafted into contemporary silhouettes transmitting romantic narratives. Technical ingenuity imbued his designs with an innovative sensibility that kept him at fashion's vanguard.’ The exhibition will be open to the public from May 4, and will run until July 31.
I think it’s no secret that I am not a fashion hound … but I do get a kick out of seeing some of the fashions that are worn on display at this MET Costume Gala Ball. I LOVED Madonna‘s simple blue dress. The stars were a fabulous touch, she really looked amazing. I think Beyoncé‘s dress was a miss (horrible bust line) but both Gisele Bündchen and Blake Lively each looked so beautiful. Sarah Jessica Parker‘s high-necked dress was just so blah … her up’do made her look OLD. Take a gander at some of the outfits that were worn at the Gala event last night … who was your fave? Who do YOU think was the fugliest of the bunch?
Lindsay Lohan got a call late this afternoon from the Downtown Women’s Center — the place she’ll be doing her community service — telling her there was an open spot for orientation at 5 PM … and Lindsay took them up on it. Sources tell us Lindsay was downtown and just completed her orientation. She has not started the community service, but that will happen this week.
At least on the surface, it looks like Lindsay is serious about serving out her hours. My guess is that she may be hoping that the judge will be softened by her zeal to complete her community service hours and may lesson the time she must serve behind bars in jail. I highly doubt any such thing will happen but even if the full 120 day jail sentence is enforced, we all know she won’t really have to sit in jail for that long. But, I am happy to see that she appears to be taking this part of her sentence (at least) very seriously. The Downtown Women’s Center offers aid to homeless and low income women and provides a very important service for the needy. It’s not totally clear what kind of work Lindsay will be doing for the center but any help is welcomed by the center, I’m sure. I’ve said it before but it *is* possible that L. Lo is *finally* ready to clean up her act and get her life in order. Maybe she’ll learn a thing or two from the less fortunate people she’ll be serving at the Downtown Women’s Center. It’s never too late to turn one’s life around … hopefully this is the beginning of a whole new Lindsay?
Congratulations are in order for the new Broadway musical The Book of Mormon because it has nabbed 14 Tony Awards nominations … the most of any show this year. The full list of 2011 Tony Awards nominations was announced in NYC, NY earlier today and among the nominees there were some surprises … especially concerning those who did NOT get nominated at all. Daniel Radcliffe, the lead in the new musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, did NOT get a nomination … and he is speaking out to Celebuzz about about that snub. Read on for all the Tony Awards nominations goss below.
“The Book of Mormon,” the equal-opportunity-offending Broadway musical from the creators of “South Park,” led the Tony Award nominations Tuesday with 14 nods. The musical “The Scottsboro Boys,” which closed earlier this season, received 12 nominations, and the revival of “Anything Goes” had nine. The nominees for best play included “Good People,” “The Mother… With the Hat,” “Jerusalem” and “War Horse.” This year’s acting nominees included Al Pacino in Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” Edie Falco in “The House of Blue Leaves,” Frances McDormand in “Good People,” Mark Rylance in “Jerusalem,” Ellen Barkin in “The Normal Heart” and Vanessa Redgrave in “Driving Miss Daisy.” The awards, organized by the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League, honor Broadway productions during the 2010-11 season. This year’s ceremony will take place June 12 at the Beacon Theatre in New York. The show will be broadcast live on CBS, with a delay for the West Coast. “The Book of Mormon,” at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, is the creation of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the duo behind the popular animated series “South Park.” The musical comedy, which was co-created by Robert Lopez, tells the story of Mormon missionaries who travel to Africa. The show’s 14 nominations fell just shy of the record 15 nominations earned by “The Producers” in 2001 and “Billy Elliot” in 2009. “War Horse,” adapted by Nick Stafford from the book by Michael Morpurgo, was first produced at the National Theatre in London before moving to the West End. The play, which uses life-size puppets to represent the equine characters, will come to the Ahmanson Theatre in 2012. A film version directed by Steven Spielberg is scheduled to open in December. The year’s most talked-about show, “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” was ineligible for awards consideration this season because its opening date has been delayed until June 14.
As exciting as all those Book of Mormon nominations are, I have to say, this year’s Tony Awards sound like a snoozefest. There really aren’t a bunch of great shows competing for Tonys this year … which means, IMHO, that The Book of Mormon is going to clean up in June. Without question, Book of Mormon is one of the best musicals I’ve ever seen. It hits all the points perfectly … story, characters, music, tone, humor, staging. It’s deffo the show to beat this year. It’s no surprise that Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark won’t be represented at the Tony Awards this year. I doubt it will ever win any awards of merit from any theater organization, to be honest.
Now, as for that DanRad snub … he spoke exclusively to Celebuzz about the snub and revealed that altho he is obvs disappointed his work wasn’t recognized, he is thrilled that his co-star John Laroquette managed to get a nomination for his work in the show:
"Obviously, it would be incredible to be nominated, but I care much more about John Larroquette getting a nod for Best Actor [in a Featured Role in a Musical.] I'd love him to win because he's so brilliant in our show," Radcliffe told Celebuzz. "It is disappointing if you're not nominated, but it is such a strong year for musicals on Broadway and there are others who are very worthy of getting the nods," he added.
Unfortunately, Radcliffe didn’t get a Tony nomination when he starred in Equus a few years back either. Having seen Dan‘s performance in Business, I’d say this snub is pretty lame. Radcliffe was really superb in the performance I saw and I think, at the very least, his work is worthy of a nomination. But … I guess it wasn’t meant to be.
Make sure you tune in on June 12 to see which Broadway musicals and plays will walk away with Tonys this year. I, personally, am not all that invested in the awards this year. I’m hoping The Book of Mormon will clean up but, in all honesty, the nominations this year are kinda lame.
Here is the FULL LIST of 2011 Tony Award nominations:
Best musical “The Book of Mormon” “Catch Me if You Can” “The Scottsboro Boys” “Sister Act”
Best play “Good People” (David Lindsay-Abaire) “Jerusalem” (Jez Butterworth) “The Mother… With the Hat” (Stephen Adly Guirgis) “War Horse” (Nick Stafford)
Best revival of a musical “Anything Goes” “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”
Best revival of a play “Arcadia” “The Importance of Being Earnest” “The Merchant of Venice” “The Normal Heart”
Best book of a musical “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” (Alex Timbers) “The Book of Mormon” (Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone) “The Scottsboro Boys” (David Thompson) “Sister Act”(Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner and Douglas Carter Beane)
Best original score (music and/or lyrics) written for the theater “The Book of Mormon” (music and lyrics: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone) “The Scottsboro Boys” (music and lyrics: John Kander and Fred Ebb) “Sister Act” (Music: Alan Menken; lyrics: Glenn Slater) “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” (music and lyrics: David Yazbek)
Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play Brian Bedford, “The Importance of Being Earnest” Bobby Cannavale, “The Mother… With the Hat” Joe Mantello, “The Normal Heart” Al Pacino, “The Merchant of Venice” Mark Rylance, “Jerusalem”
Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play Nina Arianda, “Born Yesterday” Frances McDormand, “Good People” Lily Rabe, “The Merchant of Venice” Vanessa Redgrave, “Driving Miss Daisy” Hannah Yelland, “Brief Encounter”
Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical Norbert Leo Butz, “Catch Me if You Can” Josh Gad, “The Book of Mormon” Joshua Henry, “The Scottsboro Boys” Andrew Rannells, “The Book of Mormon” Tony Sheldon, “Priscilla Queen of the Desert”
Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical Sutton Foster, “Anything Goes” Beth Leavel, “Baby It’s You!” Patina Miller, “Sister Act” Donna Murphy, “The People in the Picture”
Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a play Mackenzie Crook, “Jerusalem” Billy Crudup, “Arcadia” John Benjamin Hickey, “The Normal Heart” Arian Moayed, “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” Yul Vázquez, “The Mother… With the Hat”
Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play Ellen Barkin, “The Normal Heart” Edie Falco, “The House of Blue Leaves” Judith Light, “Lombardi” Joanna Lumley, “La Bête” Elizabeth Rodriguez, “The Mother… With the Hat”
Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical Colman Domingo, “The Scottsboro Boys” Adam Godley, “Anything Goes” John Larroquette, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” Forrest McClendon, “The Scottsboro Boys” Rory O’Malley, “The Book of Mormon”
Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a musical Laura Benanti, “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” Tammy Blanchard, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” Victoria Clark, “Sister Act” Nikki M. James, “The Book of Mormon” Patti LuPone, “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown”
Best scenic design of a play Todd Rosenthal, “The Mother… With the Hat” Rae Smith, “War Horse” Ultz, “Jerusalem” Mark Wendland, “The Merchant of Venice”
Best scenic design of a musical Beowulf Boritt, “The Scottsboro Boys” Derek McLane, “Anything Goes” Scott Pask, “The Book of Mormon” Donyale Werle, “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson”
Best costume design of a play Jess Goldstein, “The Merchant of Venice” Desmond Heeley, “The Importance of Being Earnest” Mark Thompson, “La Bête” Catherine Zuber, “Born Yesterday”
Best costume design of a musical Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner, “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” Martin Pakledinaz, “Anything Goes” Ann Roth, “The Book of Mormon” Catherine Zuber, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”
Best lighting design of a play Paule Constable, “War Horse” David Lander, “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” Kenneth Posner, “The Merchant of Venice” Mimi Jordan Sherin, “Jerusalem”
Best lighting design of a musical Ken Billington, “The Scottsboro Boys” Howell Binkley, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” Peter Kaczorowski, “Anything Goes” Brian MacDevitt, “The Book of Mormon”
Best sound design of a play Acme Sound Partners & Cricket S. Myers, “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” Simon Baker, “Brief Encounter” Ian Dickinson for Autograph, “Jerusalem” Christopher Shutt, “War Horse”
Best sound design of a musical Peter Hylenski, “The Scottsboro Boys” Steve Canyon Kennedy, “Catch Me if You Can” Brian Ronan, “Anything Goes” Brian Ronan, “The Book of Mormon”
Best direction of a play Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, “War Horse” Joel Grey & George C. Wolfe, “The Normal Heart” Anna D. Shapiro, “The Mother… With the Hat” Daniel Sullivan, “The Merchant of Venice”
Best direction of a musical Rob Ashford, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” Kathleen Marshall, “Anything Goes” Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, “The Book of Mormon” Susan Stroman, “The Scottsboro Boys”
Best choreography Rob Ashford, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” Kathleen Marshall, “Anything Goes” Casey Nicholaw, “The Book of Mormon” Susan Stroman, “The Scottsboro Boys”
Best orchestrations Doug Besterman, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” Larry Hochman, “The Scottsboro Boys” Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus, “The Book of Mormon” Marc Shaiman & Larry Blank, “Catch Me if You Can”
As special-operations military troops prepared for a firefight about 7,000 miles away, President Barack Obama entered a room in the Washington area early in the afternoon on Sunday to follow along. Like a page plucked from a Hollywood screenplay, Obama and other principal coordinators for the mission that killed Osama bin Laden convened in order to remotely monitor the situation, John Brennan, the U.S. counterterrorism chief, said in a White House news briefing on Monday. Obama arrived after many of the mission’s leaders had assembled there, but the president joined before the attack on bin Laden’s mansion in Abbottabad, Pakistan, began, Brennan said. “We were able to monitor on a real-time basis the progress of the operation, from its commencement, to its time on target, to the extraction of the remains,” Brennan said. “We were able to have regular updates to ensure that we had real-time visibility into the progress of the operation.” The White House and Central Intelligence Agency didn’t have access to a live audio feed, but they were able to tap other communications, a U.S. official told CNN. There was some live video, though the official declined to elaborate on the nature of that footage … After Obama had signed off on the operation, CIA Director Leon Panetta gave the official order around midday Sunday for the operation to commence, the Times reported. “We have rid the world of the most infamous terrorist of our time,” Panetta said in a statement Monday. “We gave President Obama and his team accurate, relevant, timely intelligence — providing the information and insight they needed at key points as this mission developed.” The CIA had been tracking bin Laden and provided intelligence to the White House saying the agency was “confident” the terrorist leader was inside the Pakistan compound, Brennan said. “It was probably one of the most anxiety-filled periods of time, I think, in the lives of the people who were assembled here yesterday,” Brennan said. “The minutes passed like days, and the president was very concerned about the security of our personnel. That was what was on his mind throughout.”
It’s clear that things were very, very serious in the White House as this raid was taking place. So many things could’ve gone wrong … but in the end, US military special forces got the job done and rid the world of a heinous monster. A different photo from inside the Situation Room made its way to Twitter that seems to show how the job of finding Osama bin Laden really got done:
Yep, I knew it! Chloe O’Brien ALWAYS gets the job done!
Despite the fact that bin Laden was THE most heinous man alive, the US government decided to still afford the man the courtesy of a proper burial in death. Altho some people feel he wasn’t worth any courtesy of all, I think it was wise for the decision to be made to handle bin Laden’s burial in a proper way:
He may have been America’s enemy number one, but after U.S. forces killed him, Osama bin Laden was afforded Islamic religious rites by the U.S. military as part of his surprise at-sea burial on Monday. The U.S. military said preparations for the al Qaeda leader’s burial lasted nearly an hour. His body was washed before being covered in a white sheet and religious remarks translated into Arabic by a native speaker were read over bin Laden’s corpse. “The burial of bin Laden’s remains was done in strict conformance with Islamist precepts and practices,” said John Brennan, President Barack Obama’s top counter-terrorism adviser … Under Islamic tradition Muslims need to be buried within 24 hours. Transferring the body to another country for interment could have taken too long, officials said. News of the sea burial ignited immediate outcry, raising the possibility of wide backlash despite the apparent care the U.S. military gave to his last rites … Brennan said the U.S. government had not determined whether it will publicly release a photograph of bin Laden’s corpse and it was unclear if a video of the burial might be made public. The body was transported to the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, which brought him to his final resting place somewhere in the north Arabian Sea. Preparations for burial began at 1:10 a.m. EST and were completed at 2 a.m. EST. His corpse was lowered toward the sea on one of the aircraft carrier’s elevators. “The body was placed in a weighted bag. A military officer read prepared religious remarks which were translated into Arabic by a native speaker,” the U.S. official said. “After the words were complete, the body was placed on a prepared flat board, tipped up, whereupon the deceased’s body eased into the sea.”
There’s actually new word going around today that the White House *may* release the photo of bin Laden’s body. I honestly believe the photo and other identity proof will be released to the public but it remains to be seen when that info will be released. IMHO, because bin Laden’s body was rightfully disposed of in such a quick way (adhering to Muslim custom), the photo and DNA evidence should be released. Maybe not today or tomorrow but at some point. It may be gruesome but … release the photo, White House.
And finally … Time magazine is readying the release of a special issue marking the death of Osama bin Laden. In much the same way as they reported on the deaths of Adolph Hitler, Saddam Hussein and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Time will be releasing an Xed out photo of bin Laden as their coverphoto:
Time magazine will publish a special, 68-page issue on the death of Osama bin Laden. Hitting newsstands Thursday, the cover will feature a Tim O’Brien illustration of the terrorist's face with a red X across it (the issue will be available on the iPad the same day). Bin Laden is the fourth person in the magazine’s history to receive that treatment (Adolf Hilter [May 7, 1945], Saddam Hussein [April 21, 2003] and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi [June 19, 2006]).
Good riddance, good riddance. As sobering as this “real” news may seem on a celebrity/pop culture blog, the information coming out is, IMHO, too important not to address, share and comment on. This is not a news site. Real news should be gotten from actual news outlets. But, sometimes even stories this big, this serious do creep into the realm of pop culture. The man responsible for masterminding the 9/11 attacks has been brought to final justice … that’s a news story that absolutely should be repeated … and often.
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