Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Crushable

Crushable


Emma Robert’s Barbie Pictures Are Really Freaky

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 11:37 AM PST

Barbies don’t always inspire kids to play nicely. We all knew someone growing up who liked to decapitate their strangely proportioned toys or chuck Skipper and Kelly off the Barbie dream house roof. Emma Robert’s new Barbie photo shoot, however, makes a couple headless dolls look positively charming.

The photo collection done by photographer Tyler Shields stars Barbie in a more prominent role than Emma, but she does do a good job of looking horrified as she looks in on the doll debauchery. Some of Barbie’s many misdeeds captured on film include Barbie on Barbie (or more accurately, Ken) beheading, drug use, and binge drinking. It’s just like Toy Story, if Andy had brought his toys to college and left his cocaine lying around.

Creepy Barbie pics don’t come cheap; Tyler already has buyers ready to set down $200,000 for the shots. He’d already garnered attention from photographing stars like Lindsey Lohan. The pictures are definitely artistic, but I think I’ll stick to the Barbies of my childhood: bloodless, fully clothed, and clean and sober.

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The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills: The 9 Best Moments From Pandora’s Wedding

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 11:04 AM PST

Lisa in a tiara at Pandora's wedding on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills finale

On last night’s Real Housewives of Beverly Hills finale, the season-long drama of Russell Armstrong‘s suicide was put aside to celebrate the wedding of Lisa Vanderpump and Ken Todd‘s daughter Pandora Vanderpump. While the other ladies screamed at Brandi Glanville and tiptoed around Taylor Armstrong with her bruises, Lisa’s wedding preparations provided some levity. And they definitely paid off, as it was a lavish, pink-and-diamond-drenched event. We found ourselves laughing at several points last night, from Pandora’s “special request” for her mum to Ken’s obsession over what Giggy should wear.

So check out our gallery of the best moments from the wedding! For the most part, these are posed photos courtesy of Ron Foster Photography, but we also grabbed some screenshots from the episode. Because that’s the dichotomy of the show, but especially the Vanderpumps: Classy but still laugh-out-loud silly.

Side note: Doesn’t it sort of look like Lisa has angled herself to be the center of this photo? Pandora is almost swallowed up by a rambunctious kid; with her tiara, Lisa looks like the actual bride.

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Selena Gomez Will Be Visiting The Congo With UNICEF

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 10:45 AM PST

Selena Gomez continues her campaign for most likable teen star this week, reporting that she’ll be visiting the Democratic Republic of the Congo in April as a part of the humanitarian effort there. The Wizards of Waverly Place star has already been gone to countries like Ghana and Chile.

Her trip to the African country is a continuation of efforts she made on their behalf stateside; three years ago she went to the Raise Hope for the Congo, a benefit held in L.A.

All of Selena’s international charity work comes from her position as a UNICEF ambassador, a title she’s held for two years. Her most recent effort for UNICEF was a benefit concert held at The House of Blues this past Friday, which raised over $200,000.

Selena could easily spend all her free time making out with Justin Beiber on sandy beaches, and honestly if she managed to do that without involving illegal substances she could still be one of the most well behaved teenagers in Hollywood. Even if she wanted to get involved in charity work there are so many easier ways she could have made an effort, like launching a perfume line with a portion set aside for a nonprofit.

By not only holding fundraisers but traveling to the troubled countries she’s trying to help, Selena is showing her young fans to do more for a cause then wearing rubber cause bracelets.

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How Come War Horse Got Nominated For Best Picture But Beginners Didn’t?

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 10:24 AM PST

As we’ve all been reading all over the internet, the Academy Award nominations were announced this morning at the crack of dawn in L.A. And as usual, there were gasps of joy and mutters of “What the fuck?” not just from the Gershwin Theater but from fans and the media alike.

Not only does the Best Lead Actor category not include Michael Fassbender, who played his role of an emotionally wounded sex addict perfectly in Shame, but the Academy also failed to recognize one of the best films of the year, Beginners.

Written and directed by Mike Mills, the film is based on his real-life experience with his father, (played impeccably by Christopher Plummer and who received a nomination for the role), and his coming out at the age of 75. The character, Oliver, who is portrayed by the always near-perfect Ewan McGregor, is forced to not only deal with his mother’s recent death and his father’s coming out, but the fact that his father, Hal, although in denial about it, has terminal cancer.

Beginners is interconnected by a series of flashbacks where Oliver is trying to remember moments as they actually were, as opposed to how his memory has filed them away. It’s a poignant example of how when our lives are truly in emotional turmoil our brain shuts off as a coping mechanism and it chooses to conjure up the past on a level with which is easier to deal.

After Hal’s death, Oliver becomes the owner of Hal’s dog, Arthur, who like Oliver is equally heartbroken and confused by the events that have occurred. Because of this pain on the part of Arthur, he can’t be left alone without crying and yelping. In turn, this leads to one of the most endearing aspects of the film – Oliver having to take Arthur with him everywhere.

A few months after the loss of his father and with Arthur in tow, Oliver meets Anna, a beautiful French actress played by the beautiful French actress, Mélanie Laurent, at a costume party. Their relationship evolves quite quickly and it’s almost too-real to witness just how much of yourself you can see in these characters who grapple at the strings of potential love all while dealing with their own emotional baggage.

Beginners is not a happy movie; and its ending, just like with love in real life, does not offer something definitive. In other words, there is no sunset in which Oliver and Anna ride off into as the credits begin to roll. Instead, it’s a film about love in all its forms. It’s about love for family, friends and if you’re willing to risk it and put yourself out there, love for another person who, like you, is willing to risk something in the hopes of getting that often elusive ending — that which being ‘forever.’

The poster for Beginners includes the tagline “This is what love feels like,” and it honestly summarizes the film perfectly in just those few words. Love hurts like hell sometimes, but when it comes down to it, you don’t want it any other way. If you’ve never known the anguish that comes with loving someone more than you love yourself, then you can’t fully appreciate when that agony passes and the elation begins.

Why the Academy didn’t understand all that and give Beginners a nomination is mind boggling.

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Ezra Miller Deserved An Oscar Nomination Just As Much As Rooney Mara And Glenn Close

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 09:37 AM PST

With the Oscar nominations announced this morning, the Lead Actor and Actress categories seem to have stirred up the most surprises, both delightful and frustrating. We’re psyched to see that deserving folks like Melissa McCarthy and Jonah Hill have been recognized, but for me, there was a glaring omission: Ezra Miller, who embodied the creepy calculation of teen killer Kevin Khatchadourian in We Need to Talk About Kevin.

Judging from the nominees, this year the Academy was swayed by truly transformative performances. Who can blame them? It’s astonishing to see Glenn Close play a woman trapped for decades in her lifelong disguise of a beloved male servant. Part of what made Melissa McCarthy’s performance in Bridesmaids a “breakout” after fifteen years in the biz was that the very feminine actress played up her character’s uncouth and butch mannerisms for humor.

And of course, since Rooney Mara was cast in David Fincher‘s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, we’ve learned every detail of the sweet young actress’ transformation into Lisbeth Salander: Chopping off her hair, bleaching her eyebrows, piercing her nipple, auditioning hungover, learning to drive a motorcycle, etc. etc.

Ezra’s transformation was much subtler: He didn’t add tattoos or piercings to play the psychopath teenager who deceives his father (John C. Reilly) and tortures his mother (Tilda Swinton). The most distinguishable “costume” he has is Kevin’s penchant for wearing T-shirts and jeans three sizes too small. But Ezra is Kevin incarnate; he’s internalized and put back out every mocking compliment, every shudder of revulsion at his parents’ obliviousness and his peers’ foolish passions.

The destruction and bodily harm he wreaks on his family is all the more chilling for how calculated he is; as they struggle to keep accepting and encouraging him, he catalogs the people and objects they hold most dear and then rips them away. Take, for instance, this scene after his little sister suffers a trauma that leads to doctors removing her eye, and his mother is certain that he did it:

And it’s sorta NSFW, but I have to point to the very disturbing masturbation scene from the movie:

Even more evidence in his favor is that the real Ezra is charming and quirky, bereft of the cruel smirks that warp Kevin’s face. And yet, like any of the actors nominated for their performances this year, he won’t soon forget the character he embodied for the years it took to make this movie. “To my horror, I do feel a little connected to Kevin,” he confesses. “Always did. Always will.”

With the exception of Viola Davis‘ role in The Help, the Best Lead Actress nominations highlighted performances where the actress was almost unrecognizable: The ladies I mentioned above, as well as Meryl Streep in her latest complicated costume (and fake teeth). By contrast, the Best Lead Actor nominees are a lot more recognizable; you think to yourself, “Now this is Christopher Plummer playing a sweet and awakened old man.”

Jonah Hill is the only young’un in the bunch; so both age and type of performance could have made a win wholly unattainable for Ezra. But we would have at least liked for him to have the chance.

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Is Demi Moore Dating A Goofy Canadian DJ Named Ricky J?

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 09:28 AM PST

Today, in improbable Demi Moore rumors! Radar Online reports that the former Mrs. Kutcher is getting her rebound on with Canadian DJ/producer Ricky J, who, if “sources” are to be believed, is both visually and professionally attracted to the 49-year-old bombshell:

Demi and Ricky have been getting very flirty recently,” a source close to the situation tells RadarOnline.com. “Ricky thinks she’s really hot, and Demi seems to be loving the attention.”

While I would not put it past Ms. Moore to be secretly sleeping with someone way cheesy (we’ve all been there, right?) there are a few things that push this rumor into the realm of the clearly false. First, there’s no grainy photo of them getting into a car together, only this ridiculous Photoshop:

And there’s the assertion that Demi Moore, A-list actress, just can’t wait to get into the studio and lay down some sick tracks with him:

“Ricky wants to get her to record a track with him,” the source says. “Demi has actually got a great voice, and it helps that she is super, super hot too!”

Ricky J’s music sounds like this:

I rest my case.

(Via Radar Online)

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Gossip Girl Power Ranking: ‘Father And The Bride’

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 08:57 AM PST

Gossip Girl Power Ranking: Father and the Bride

We’ve made some changes to our Gossip Girl recaps: Joshua Friesen will still be asking why there are so many parties and ragging on Penn Badgley in the way that made his “30 Year-Old-Man’s Guide to Gossip Girl” posts so funny. But now he’s adding in sports-inspired power rankings to keep you abreast of all the social intrigue on the show.

I love sports. I guess that's no big surprise; I am a man in his (early) thirties, after all. Inspired by that love, I've adapted a common sports writing tool that allows me to bring a bit of quantitative analysis to the teen drama game: The power ranking. If you're not familiar with the concept of a power ranking, it's generally used to rank sports teams or athletes, how their performance rises and falls over time, and the reasons for any change.

Each week I'll rank all the major characters and any minor characters that played an important role in the episode. With that out of the way, here's the very first Gossip Girl Power Ranking:

Character

Rank

Last Week

Trending

Comments

Nate Archibald

1

-

File:U+2191.svg

Normally, learning a family member plotted to kill you would push a guy into a downward spiral. Nate, on the other hand, seems enlivened. He set his grandfather straight and is engineering a buyout of The Spectator. Congratulations, Nate. You're number one!
Blair Waldorf

2

-

File:U+2191.svg

I like drunk Blair. She's so much more fun that dour Blair, or scheming Blair. This week, she cut loose, got locked up, and still came out smelling fresh. In my book, that's good enough for spot number two. But watch the bulimia jokes, sister. If you keep that up, the only thing falling faster than your rank, will be Seal's will to live.
Gossip Girl

3

-

U+2190.svg

I'm not sure what's going on with Gossip Girl right now. In return for spiking Serena's first column, she feeds Nate damning information on his cousin. But in Nate and Serena's plot to ensnare Tripp, the column goes up anyway. Was Gossip Girl in on that? Was she double-crossed?  The answer will be crucial in determining future rankings.
Chuck Bass

4

-

U+2190.svg

Bad Chuck is back, or at least he seems to be. I've been hoping for this all season, but now that it's here, I'm conflicted. If he succeeds in breaking up Blair's wedding, that may be his own Rubicon. I wish he'd use his evil powers for good, like ruining Dan. In summary: trend – undetermined, rank – unimpressive.
Serena van der Woodsen

5

-

U+2193.svg

What are you doing, Serena? You were on a roll. Your first column was a hit in the nation's biggest city, you helped your friend Nate ruin a man you hate, and you looked great in all those short skirts. But now you're lying to Dan so you can continue to fake date him? You don't need to stoop to that level. You're a seven-foot tall blonde, for god's sake. Just seduce him and get it over with.
Kati Grimaldi

6

-

U+2193.svg

Kati's arrow was going up for the first 59 minutes of this episode. She had finally turned a corner and accepted Blair, even saving her from embarrassment in the press. But when you get exiled to Africa, it's an undeniable downward trend. I guess that's what you get for trusting such an impossibly square-jawed priest. (Yeah, I noticed. What of it?)
Dan Humphrey

7

-

U+2193.svg

I may have misheard (I hope I misheard), but did Dan really say he wanted to write a "modern western"? He's gone too far this time. I loathe you, Dan Humphrey. I wish you ill.  If you keep this garbage up, you'll be on the bottom of this list forever.

Judging by the preview, it looks like next week is D-Day for Blair and Louis. Maybe we'll see The Graduate all over again: Chuck banging on the church window, he and Blair making their escape on a passing bus, sitting in silence together as the full weight of their decision comes crashing down… Probably not. Knowing this show, they'll just drag the wedding out over the next seven episodes. I guess we'll see.

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Video: ‘You’re A Creep, Charlie Brown’ Is The Perfect Peanuts Theme Song

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 08:11 AM PST

I’ve always thought Peanuts was on the verge of being too sad to be watched by children, and this adds to my pile of proof. As it turns out, the kids’ cartoon syncs up perfectly with Radiohead‘s anthem to alienation, “Creep.”

In this video, which was cut together by Rob Yulfo, we see the much put upon Charlie Brown going through the motions of his sad, lonely, incompetent life as the depressing lyrics to “Creep” are sung by a chorus of his peers. He sleeps at the bus stop, gets teased mercilessly, seeks questionable psychiatric help, and yes, fails once again to kick the football. But all is not lost! The clips holds a hopeful ending for Charlie Brown, as if to say, “things are not always as bad as you think they are.” Only most of the time.

(Via Laughing Squid)

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Jonah Hill’s Oscar Nomination Is Great News — Even Though He’ll Probably Lose

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 07:50 AM PST

Jonah Hill Brad Pitt Moneyball

Jonah Hill was great in the Brad Pitt baseball biopic MoneyBall. And this morning the Academy recognized that, with an Oscar nomination for the 28 year old actor. This is great news. Jonah’s chances for actually winning the Oscar may be slim, but this basically guarantees that he will get more serious dramatic roles. Which will be good for everyone.

This year Christopher Plummer is expected to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Ewan McGregor‘s gay father in the movie Beginners. But even just recognizing Jonah’s performance in Moneyball will be great for his career.

Jonah is known for being a super funny comedic actor, and he’ll most likely continue to helm Judd Apatow comedies and strange remakes like the upcoming 21 Jump Street with Channing Tatum. But his performance in Moneyball was subtle, empathetic and nuanced. (I personally thought he was better than Brad Pitt, but I know I’m in a small minority on that one.)

Everyone who loves movies will benefit from seeing him straddle the line between drama and comedy more often. There are a lot of young dudes in Hollywood who have comedic skills. Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Aziz Ansari, Bill Hader and Andy Samberg are all very funny, but they struggle with seamlessly transitioning to dramatic roles.

Actors Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Schwartzman, and Michael Cera have all starred in comedies with those guys, but they are actors who are able to hold their own in comedies. Jonah is one of the few comedians in that age bracket who has started to prove that he has serious acting skills.

Very few comedic actors can handle that switch. But when they do they often go on to become massive stars (and make bank for movie studios). Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Ben Stiller and Will Smith are just a few guys who started off doing light comedies and ended up becoming bankable movie stars. I don’t think it would be a stretch for Jonah Hill to be on that path in a few years if he makes the right choices.

Even if that means the next poster for Jonah’s remake of 21 Jump Street is going to have “Starring Oscar nominee Jonah Hill” printed across it.

(Photo: IMDB)

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Video: Josh Hutcherson Imitates Vanessa Hudgens’ Laugh

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 07:15 AM PST

Josh Hutcherson and Vanessa Hudgens are adorable. I thought I would be saying this about them as a couple, but it turns out that she’s currently dating Chord Overstreet lookalike Austin Butler (from Lifetime’s The Bling Ring). Regardless, Josh and Vanessa obviously know each other pretty well after starring in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, as evidenced by this radio interview they did with The Kyle and Jackie O Show in Australia.

The hosts usually ask their celebrity guests to do interviews pretending to be another star, but since they had two on the show, they asked Josh and Vanessa to just play each other. What followed was an exchange with Vanessa pitching her voice low and Josh imitating the High School Musical star’s high-pitched laugh. You might think that he’s exaggerating, but wait until the end of the video to see that it’s entirely accurate.

At the source you can listen to an extended audio interview, with a moment even sweeter than the video: Josh mentions receiving a hand-knitted scarf from a Hunger Games fan—none other than Shylah, one of my fellow panelists on the weekly Hunger Games Fireside Chat podcast! Very cool.

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