| Kellan Lutz, Zac Efron Bring The Hotness Posted: 14 Feb 2011 07:18 PM PST Kellan Lutz, Zac Efron and Joe Jonas were among the celebs in attendance at the Calvin Klein fashion show at NY Fashion Week over the weekend and as you can see below, they know how to make mens’ suits look goooood. Well, at Kellan and Zac filled out their suits well … Joe, bless his heart, just kinda looked out of place. 
Don’t stare too long at either Kellan or Zac … you might end up pregnant … even if you’re a guy. Stare all you want at Joe, there’s no threat of anything sexy happening to you … at all. Le sigh, y’all. Le sigh.
[Photo credit: Splash News]  |
| Charlie Sheen Spends Quality Time With His Twin Babies Posted: 14 Feb 2011 05:40 PM PST Last week he was advising the UCLA baseball team to “stay off the crack” but this weekend Charlie Sheen was saving his quality time for his baby twin sons Bob and Max. Sheen, who is supposed to be “rehabbing” at home, hit the high seas with his baby boys and posed for a fairly cute photo. 
Charlie Sheen is downright suburban these days … spending his downtime with the twins. Charlie and the kids went out on a friend’s yacht a few days back for some whale and dolphin watching off the L.A. coast … and whaddya know? We got the pic. Turns out … Charlie sees the twins often. The kids even found treasure … in the form of the gold tooth in Charlie’s mouth. Ahoy!
Ugh … as you may recall, we learned yesterday that Sheen‘s porn star pal Kacey Jordan informed him that she “thinks” that he is not the man responsible for her unwanted pregnancy so it looks like — thus far — these baby boys are the last of Charlie‘s kids. It’s so heartbreaking to think what it must be like for these little boys to have a father struggling with addiction. I would hope that Charlie Sheen would realize how important it is for his sons to have their father in their life … if he can’t stay clean and sober for himself, he could at least try to clean up his act for his children. It’s all just sad. These precious little boys are so cute. It’d be a shame if they lost their father due to his dangerously reckless behavior :/ [Source]  |
| ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Is The Title Of The New Spider-Man Reboot Film Posted: 14 Feb 2011 05:00 PM PST The formerly untitled Spider-Man reboot film has finally been given a title … The Amazing Spider-Man. Additionally, today we get to see a freakin’ cool new promo photo for the newly titled film. Check it out below. 
The Hollywood movie studio behind the Spider-Man franchise on Monday released a title for the web slinger’s next film appearance, harkening back to his comic book origins. Columbia Pictures will call the film, which hit theaters on July 3, 2012 starring Andrew Garfield, “The Amazing Spider-Man”. Columbia, the film studio unit of Sony Corp, is looking to reinvent its massively popular “Spider-Man” movie franchise by casting Garfield, who was born in the United States but raised in Britain, to replace previous Spider-Man actor Tobey Maguire. The 2002 “Spider-Man,” sequel “Spider-Man 2″ and the last release “Spider-Man 3″ from 2007, which all starred Maguire, earned over $1.1 billion combined at box offices in the U.S. and Canada, according to industry tracker boxofficemojo.com. It is one of the most successful franchises in movie history.
Okay, I really LOVE this promo pic. The colors are vibrant even tho the photo is pretty dark. I love the title … it’s simple yet very well-known among Spider-Man fans. I approve of both the name and this new poster. Do you? [Source]  |
| Pregnant P!nk Really Loves Big Pickles Posted: 14 Feb 2011 04:27 PM PST Mama-to-be P!nk, who proudly showed off her beautiful baby bump on her official Twitter profile last week, spent some time at the beach over the weekend with her hubby Carey Hart. As you can see from the following photos, P!nk is clearly craving pickles during her pregnancy … because she was snapped going to town on a very large pickle. 
LOL! Now that is a BIG pickle … and how much do I love that Carey doesn’t even seem jealous by the size of it ;) I love when P!nk wears this cute bear hat. She first showed it off back in December … I’m glad to see that she’s still rockin’ it. Enjoy your pickles, P!nk! Woot!!
[Photo credit: X17]  |
| Shia LaBeouf Gets A New Girl & A New Hair’Do Posted: 14 Feb 2011 03:38 PM PST Last weekend we learned that actor Shia LaBeouf get himself into a bit of a scuffle at a local bar here in SoCal after a patron hurled a homophobic slur at him. Today we learn that Mr. LaBeouf managed to make it thru this weekend without getting into trubs … but he did get himself a new look along with a new chick. 
I’m guessing this new severe hair’do is for a movie role … or, mebbe his new chick is just into the whole half-shaved head thing. Whatever the case may be, Shia is lookin’ like one tough mofo … and mebbe that’s the point. I have to say … I don’t love this look on him … but he does wear it well. The shaved head goes nicely with his beefed up arms. What do y’all think of Shia‘s new ‘do? Do you like?
[Photo credit: INFdaily]  |
| Princess Zakiya Is A Mathematics Genius Posted: 14 Feb 2011 02:55 PM PST Pardon me but I have to put on my proud Godfather hat and gush a little bit about my beautiful and BRILLIANT Goddaughter Princess Zakiya. Her mom Tracey forwarded me an article that is featured on the Michigan-based website AnnArbor.com that profiles Zakiya‘s love of mathematics. Needless to say, I am very proud of my darling little girl … so I want to share that pride with all y’all :D 
Elementary kindergartener Zakiya said she loves math and numbers. When she tried to show how much, she stretched her arms as far as she could and said, "really big!" She said her love for math got even bigger after learning more about grouping and finding patterns with numbers. Playing the princess in a story about math helped, too. Zakiya, along with 18 other students and their parents from Northside and King elementary schools, attended "Let's Read Math," a workshop on Saturday at the Ann Arbor District Library’s Traverwood Branch. It was one of four workshops held throughout January and February designed to teach fundamental math skills to students in kindergarten through fourth grade. The American Association of University Women – Ann Arbor organized the series. "The whole idea is to dispel math-phobia," said Peggy Fisher, president of AAUW-Ann Arbor. "We want to show them math is fun" … "I think this is fantastic," said Tracey Schultz, Zakiya's mother. "She gets up in the morning and I tell her its 'Let's Read Math' today and she gets excited. She's encouraged, and I think that's outstanding." Students also completed activities showing how math is used in everyday life. One table had several different types of clocks — 12-hour and 24-hour, digital and manual — to show how time relies on math. Another table had measuring cups and other tools to show how math is used in cooking. Workshop volunteers handed out charts with a grid numbered one to 100 and had the students, helped by their parents, find different patterns. They used colored breakfast cereal to mark the patterns on the sheet. Afterwards, they used the cereal to make necklaces, replicating patterns they had learned. "I made mine in sevens," Zakiya said, holding up her new Fruit Loop chain.
Is this not the most amazing thing you’ve ever heard in your life? Sigh. My little baby girl is no longer a baby … but a math wiz! I’m telling you, I learned to hate math at a very young age and I never got over it. There are few things in life that Ioathe more than mathematics. I can’t even tell you how incredibly proud I am of Zakiya. I know some of you remember when I first posted photos of Z here in the blog when she was a newborn … now she’s a big kid gettin’ featured in articles like this. That’s my girl :D [Source]  |
| Darren Criss Does ‘Out’ Magazine Posted: 14 Feb 2011 02:22 PM PST Glee heartthrob Darren Criss is featured on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of Out magazine. The accompanying coverstory article discusses Criss‘s Glee character Blaine a bit (revealing that Blaine may actually be bisexual on the show) but it is the photospread shot by Mitchell Nguyen Mccormack that really caught my attention. Half-dressed and wet? Yes, please!! 
The first time Darren Criss appeared on the Fox sensation Glee, he shared a flirtatious moment, and instantly became a rumored love interest, for Chris Colfer's tortured Kurt Hummel. By the end of that on-screen meeting, Criss belted out his own version of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream." The next day, Glee's version of the song shot up the iTunes charts, becoming the most downloaded song yet from a show that had recently surpassed the Beatles' record for most singles to chart on Billboard's Hot 100. Criss, of course, knew playing gay would raise immediate questions about his own sexuality. Initially thinking he would play it coy, he soon came out as straight. "It's more empowering to everybody if I'm articulate about identifying myself as a straight male playing a gay character," Criss says. "Ultimately that's more powerful for both communities." Still, as a kid, Criss had plenty of exposure to the gay community having performed in local musicals in his hometown, San Francisco. As a performer, Criss quickly befriended cast mates in their 20s and 30s. "I was staying out much later than most kids after shows, going to restaurants," he remembers. "It's not like I was doing body shots off beautiful Castro boys. I was friends with older guys–they were who I looked up to. It wasn't until later that I put together that they were gay." Will Criss' Blaine and Colfer's Hummel ever wind up together? Glee creator and showrunner Ryan Murphy remains coy on the subject. "When that moment comes–if it comes," notes Murphy, "I want to treat that relationship like we treat all the other relationships on the show. I want it to be flawed and as exposed as everyone else's." Murphy also addressed recent rumors that one-half of that potential Glee coupling will experiment with bisexuality. "It's my job as showrunner to keep them apart as long as possible," Murphy says. "Blaine will openly question whether bisexuality is real. I think that some people will love that discussion and some will not love it." Romance or not, Glee continues to show that out gay teens can have a support network in honest and platonic relationships. "The most important thing to convey to those watching is for Kurt to have someone he can relate to," Criss says. "This is the first time he has a young out male friend, a support system, to show that that's possible." How Glee-ful!
Without question, Darren Criss joined the cast of Glee and immediately became a sensation. I’m not sure how I feel about this bisexual storyline but I guess we’ll have to see how it plays out. I mean, what do y’all think? Do you want to see Blaine go bi? No matter what happens with Blaine on the show, Darren has proven that he is a star worthy of attention … case in point, check out photos from his amazing Out photospread below and enjoy.          [Photo credit: Mitchell Nguyen Mccormack; Source]  |
| Eduardo Cruz Gets An ‘Eva’ Tattoo Posted: 14 Feb 2011 01:19 PM PST Last week we saw new photos of the *just* divorced Eva Longoria hookin’ up with Penélope Cruz‘s younger brother Eduardo Cruz on a love boat of their very own (HERE, HERE and HERE). Today we get to see a new photo of Eduardo sporting a very interesting tattoo. As you can see in the photos below, Eduardo has the name Eva tattooed on his arm. Um … could he REALLY have gotten Eva‘s name tattooed on his arm after only a few days of dating?! 
What. The. Eff?! EVEN if Eva and Eduardo were dating for weeks … months … I think it is still FAR too soon to get someone’s name tattooed on their body. The fact that Eva only been divorced for 2 weeks and now this tattoo is … odd. It’s possible the tattoo isn’t new or maybe it’s meant for another Eva but … wow. If Eddie really got this for Eva, he is pretty insane … I mean, right?
[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin; Source]  |
| Britney Spears Releases An Eleventh Teaser For Her ‘Hold It Against Me’ Music Video Posted: 14 Feb 2011 12:44 PM PST Britney Spears just unleashed the eleventh teaser clip for her upcoming new music video Hold It Against Me. We still have 3 days to go before the Hold It Against Me video debuts simultaneously on MTV and online at precisely 9:56 PM PT on Thursday February 17 but I think it’s safe to say that today’s teaser clip is a knock out surely to please eager fans. 
We only get a quick glimpse of our dear Britney in today’s teaser … but I still think it’s a great tease:
BOOM! Then a dance break-down, right? OMG … I’m so over waiting for this video, for seriously. BUT, we are in the home stretch now. 3 days. Just 3 days, y’all. [ Source]  |
| I Heart Jake Ryan Posted: 14 Feb 2011 12:40 PM PST Yesterday was a very bizzy day here in LA for David and me. We stepped out to enjoy the beautiful weather yesterday afternoon for a fun brunch date together and then relaxed at home with a few vinyl records before we met up with Emma and Josh for an extra special movie double date. As far as Sunday’s go, yesterday was a pretty damn good one. For brunch, David and I ate at Mauro Cafe at Fred Segal in West Hollywood, CA. Not only is the food fantastic but I love being surrounded by the huge photographs of the biggest movie stars around: 
After brunch, I was in the mood to hear some of the best music to come from the 1990s so I put on Garbage‘s self-titled debut, Spiritualized‘s masterpiece Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space and Alanis Morissette‘s Jagged Little Pill:
Then it was time to meet Josh and Emma for a special Valentine’s Day weekend screening of Sixteen Candles:
Without a doubt, Sixteen Candles is one of my fave movies ever … and last night was my FIRST TIME seeing the film on the big screen. Emma is a HUGE fan of the movie. She recently wrote a fun article about the film for the site Forces of Geek. Here is an excerpt:
I loved everything about it, but mostly I loved Jake Ryan. He was my first, and only, crush on a fictional character. I haven’t read the Twilight series, but I imagine this is how millions of teenage girls (and fifty year old women, strangely) feel about Edward Cullen. The difference is back then celebrities were not made so accessible to the media with the greater goal of converting them into merchandising machines. I wasn't given a Jake Ryan doll for Christmas and I didn't have a poster of him on my wall. I didn't even know the actor’s name that played him until I sat down to write this.
You can read the rest of Emma‘s love letter to Jake Ryan, er, I mean Sixteen Candles HERE. We all had a great time … even David, WHO HAD NEVER SEEN THE MOVIE BEFORE LAST NIGHT. OY! I really think my dear David was born on another planet … but, I digress. After the movie, we stopped by Pink Taco for food and drink: 
And that was our night.
Today for Valentine’s Day, David and I are planning to keep things pretty quiet. We are really looking forward to celebrating our upcoming 5 year anniversary together with a trip to Berlin, Germany next week so we’re gonna keep today nice and normal. I would like to point out that the balloon that he got me for VD last year is still alive and kicking: 
It doesn’t fly anymore … but it did live for ONE YEAR! Happy Valentine’s Day to YOU! I hope all y’all have a day filled with love … so I’m sending it YOUR way today :) xoxoxo
 |
| Les News, 021411 Posted: 14 Feb 2011 12:02 PM PST |
| The 2011 BAFTA Awards Are Handed Out Posted: 14 Feb 2011 11:14 AM PST Last night the 2011 British Academy Film and Television Awards were handed out at the The Royal Opera House in London, England and by all accounts the night belonged to the film The King’s Speech. Yes, there were other winners but The King’s Speech won all 7 awards it was nominated for including the biggest prizes of the night Best Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress and Best Film. The BAFTAs are called the Oscars of the UK and there is no question, the folks in the UK LOVE The King’s Speech. 
There was no hesitation when it came to The King’s Speech at Sunday night’s British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards – the BAFTAs. The popular drama about King George VI’s seemingly insurmountable stammer swept the ceremony at the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden, with seven awards. These included those for Best Picture, Actor Colin Firth, Supporting Actor Geoffrey Rush, Supporting Actress Helena Bonham Carter and Original Screenplay writer David Seidler. For Firth, it was a back-to-back victory. He also won last year for A Single Man, about a gay man mourning his late lover. “I like coming here,” the Oscar frontrunner told the Bafta crowd, eliciting a laugh. He also paid tribute to his beautiful Italian wife Livia Guiggioli, saying, “I would like to thank Livia and the whole family for remaining so steady, whether they are dealing with a dancing queen or a sometime king.” Natalie Portman was named Best Actress for Black Swan – though her pregnancy prevented her from flying to London – while David Fincher won as Best Director for The Social Network, which also took awards for its Adapted Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin and for its Film Editing. Both Firth and Portman won Screen Actors Guild Awards last month, another sign that they will likely take home Oscars. “I’m so used to losing its quite a strange feeling to win, but it feels very nice,” said Bonham-Carter, who plays Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mum) to Firth’s King. “Although, of course, children, if you are watching it is not about the winning.” Sorkin said, “Normally I’d be excited about this, but sitting in the seat in front of me was one of the Beatles.” Sir Paul McCartney had presented the best score award, to The King’s Speech.
Here are some of the photos of some of the BAFTA winners last night. Among this year’s BAFTAs honorees was the Harry Potter films, which won the special award for Outstanding Contribution to Cinema: 
A tribute film, with contributions from stars including Daniel Radcliffe, Julie Walters, Emma Watson and Robbie Coltrane, was played before the author of the books, J K Rowling, came on stage to accept the award with members of the cast and crew including producer David Heyman. She said: “It’s very strange to look back after seven films and remember how wary I was of anyone putting Harry on the big screen and it was David, Heyman not Warner, who persuaded me.
Movie legend Christopher Lee, who has starred in films ranging from Dracula to The Lord of the Rings, was also honored with the BAFTA Fellowship award. It sounds like it was a hot time in jolly ol’ England last night. Click HERE for a full list of last night’s BAFTAs winners. The British have had their say … now we count down the days until the Academy Awards are handed out here in the US at the end of the month. [Photo credit: Wireimage; Source, Source]  |
| Marion Cotillard Joins The Cast Of ‘Batman: The Dark Knight Rises’ Posted: 14 Feb 2011 10:46 AM PST Last August we first heard the rumor that Academy Award-winning French actress Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose, Inception) would be joining the cast of the new Christopher Nolan-directed Batman film. Today we learn that, yes, Cotillard has joined the cast of Batman: The Dark Knight Rises. Last Summer, it was rumored that Marion might play either Talia al Ghul or Selina Kyle/Catwoman but we learned last month that Anne Hathaway has been cast as Selina Kyle … so … does that mean Marion will play Talia? 
Gotham City is about to get a French accent. Already set to star Anne Hathaway as Catwoman and Christian Bale returning as the Caped Crusader, the latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, is also welcoming a formidable femme fatale: 2008 Oscar winner Marion Cotillard. While it still remains to be seen whether the French star, 35, will play a romantic interest or a rival superhero to Hathaway’s character of Selina Kyle – also known as Catwoman – the addition of Cotillard comes as a surprise, reports Monday’s Le Parisien newspaper. Sources also tell PEOPLE that the La Vie en Rose Oscar winner, who is expecting a baby in April with her French actor-director beau Guillaume Canet, signed onto the Batman project Saturday in Paris. The Batman movie will also reunite Cotillard with her Inception director Christopher Nolan and costars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy. Others in the cast include Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman. According to sources, Cotillard will start shooting at London’s Elstree Studios in mid-June, then move on to locations in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles this summer. Filming is expected to wrap in New York in November, with the picture’s release set for July 2012.
YES!!! This is FANTASTIC NEWS! I fell IN LOVE with Marion Cotillard in the film La Vie en Rose and altho I felt her talents were wasted in Inception, I have NO DOUBT that she will be amazing in The Dark Knight Rises. I was really hoping that Marion would be cast as Selina Kyle/Catwoman but I will take what I can get. This is amazing news … Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and now Marion Cotillard?! Eff yes!! Soooo damn excited, this is such great news … wouldn’t you agree? [Source]  |
| Prince William Selects Prince Harry As His Best Man Posted: 14 Feb 2011 09:50 AM PST As planning continues for the upcoming Royal Wedding of Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton, new information about the actual wedding ceremony is being made known to the public. In what should be the most unsurprising news of all, Prince William has chosen his younger brother Prince Harry to be his Best Man at the ceremony. Kate chose her sister Pippa to be her Bride of Honor. Read on to find out who else will be in the wedding party at the upcoming Royal Wedding. 
It will be all in the family for Prince William and Kate Middleton, who Monday morning announced their wedding party. As was widely predicted, Kate, 29, has chosen her sister Pippa as her maid of honor – whose job, it is stated, will be to make sure the bridal gown is displayed properly and the young wedding party is kept in line – while Prince Harry will be his brother’s best man, the palace announced. For royal watchers, the real treat may be in observing the young friends and royal relatives who will make up Kate’s bridal party. Among them are Lady Louise Windsor, 7, the daughter of William’s Uncle Edward and his wife, Sophie Wessex. Hon. Margarita Armstrong-Jones, 8, is also from the wider Windsor clan. She is the daughter of Queen Elizabeth’s nephew Viscount Linley and his wife, Serena. A close friend of the couple, Hugh van Cutsem, is the father of another bridesmaid, Grace, 3. She, like one of the pageboys announced by the palace, Tom Pettifer, 8, is a godchild of William’s. Pettifer is the son of William’s nanny, Tiggy Pettier (nee Legge-Bourke), and her husband, Charles. There’s also a spot for Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall’s granddaughter, Eliza Lopes, 3, whose mother is Camilla’s daughter, Laura. The other pageboy is William Lowther-Pinkerton, 10, son of Jamie Lowther-Pinker, who as the princes’ private secretary is the one heading up the wedding planning – and all the crucial work for the couple and William’s brother Harry. The palace ends its announcement by saying that the couple will withhold news of the what the bridesmaids dresses and the uniforms of the pageboys until April 29 – which happens to be the wedding day.
Yes, yes … all of this is to be expected but … it would be INCONCEIVABLE for anyone BUT Harry to be William‘s Best Man. It is going to be so cool to see the whole young wedding party assembled. We are just about 2 months away from the big day, y’all! We will be celebrating the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton in no time … are you excited? [Source]  |
| Radiohead Announces The Release Of A New Album Titled ‘The King Of Limbs’ Posted: 14 Feb 2011 09:35 AM PST As a Valentine’s Day gift to their legion of fans, Radiohead have announced today that they are releasing a new album THIS SATURDAY. Titled The King of Limbs, the album will be made available in digital download form for $9 and an expanded, deluxe “newspaper album” edition for $48. The “newspaper album” edition comes complete with vinyl, compact disc and “625 tiny pieces of artwork”. Read on for all the deets and find out how YOU can place your pre-order for The King of Limbs today. 
Radiohead’s new record, The King Of Limbs, is presented here as the world’s first* Newspaper Album, comprising: * Two clear 10″ vinyl records in a purpose-built record sleeve.
* A compact disc.
* Many large sheets of artwork, 625 tiny pieces of artwork and a full-colour piece of oxo-degradeable plastic to hold it all together.
* The Newspaper Album comes with a digital download that is compatible with all good digital media players.
* The Newspaper Album will be shipped on Monday 9th May 2011 you can, however, enjoy the download on Saturday 19th February 2011.
* Shipping is included in the prices shown.
* One lucky owner of the digital version of The King Of Limbs, purchased from this website, will receive a signed 2 track 12″ vinyl. *perhaps
The digital files will be made available this Saturday February 19 but the physical cd edition won’t be made available until the end of March and the deluxe “newspaper album” edition won’t be made available until May 9. As for the music that will be included on this album, not much is known for certain (particularly because the band has said many times in recent months that they weren’t planning on making a new album at all). But NME did manage to cull together what little info there is about The King of Limbs: We do know that it was produced by Nigel Godrich and recorded both at Radiohead’s Oxford HQ and in Los Angeles. Writing sessions began in May 2009. Download-only singles ‘Harry Patch (In Memory Of’) and ‘These Are My Twisted Words’ both came from those initial sessions, but are unlikely to be included on ‘The King Of Limbs’. Work continued in early 2010 in Los Angeles. One new song that might make the album is ‘Lotus Flower’, a hypnotic and twisted love song in the ‘True Love Waits’ mould that features the lyric “There’s an empty space inside my heart/And it won’t take root”. It’s mostly been played by Thom Yorke solo – but the full band performed it at their Haiti benefit gig … we know the album title relates to an oak tree in Wiltshire’s Savernake Forest, thought to be around 1,000 years old. The forest lies around three miles away from Tottenham House, a listed country house where Radiohead recorded part of ‘In Rainbows’. This keys into a mini-theme that runs through Radiohead’s music. For them, trees are symbols of naturalness and authenticity: the back of the ‘OK Computer’ sleeve features a secluded tree against a blue sky, juxtaposed with a jumble of broken images of modernity.
I am terribly intrigued by this “newspaper album” edition of the album so I’ve already placed my pre-order. If you would like to pre-order the deluxe version or just the digital version, you can do so HERE. Any big Radiohead fans out there? Has your mind been blown? Will YOU be buying The King of Limbs when it is released this weekend? [Source, Source]  |
| The 2011 Grammy Awards Are Handed Out Posted: 14 Feb 2011 09:14 AM PST Earlier today we learned that the relatively unknown artists Esperanza Spalding (Best New Artist) and Arcade Fire (Album of the Year) took home two of the biggest awards at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards last night … but right now, we get to check out some photos from some of the other Grammy attendees and winners from last night’s show. The big winner of the night was Country act Lady Antebellum. They walked away with two of the most prestigious Grammy Awards of the year — Record of the Year and Song of the Year — and won 5 of their 6 nominations. BUT, there were other winners as well. It was a big night for music here in LA last night. 
Pop provocateurs Lady Gaga and Eminem may have brought more compelling career stories to the 53rd annual Grammy Awards, but on a shocking night the big trophies went home Sunday with Southern trio Lady Antebellum and Montreal indie-rock band Arcade Fire. Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now,” a harmony hit of closing-time yearning, was named record and song of the year (the former is for best overall track; the latter is specifically for song writing), while the best album honors went to Arcade Fire’s “The Suburbs,” the third studio album from the seven-member band led by the married couple Win Butler and Régine Chassagne. A dizzying string of envelope surprises at Staples Center began with perhaps the biggest shock of all: Esperanza Spalding, the 26-year-old jazz bassist and vocalist from Portland, Ore., was named best new artist, beating out far more famous nominees, among them kid-pop sensation Justin Bieber and rapper-singer Drake. Spalding is the first jazz artist to win the coveted best new artist award, but her win recalled the 2008 show when Herbie Hancock took home the album of the year honors. “I take this honor to heart so sincerely, and I’ll do my damnedest to make great music for all of you. It’s such an honor, and God bless,” said a shocked Spalding, who released her third album, “The Chamber Music Society,” last year. Taken collectively, the honors for Spalding, Arcade Fire and Lady Antebellum were vivid reminders that the 13,000 voters of the Recording Academy aren’t marching to the same beat as music consumers or even music critics. The Antebellum victories — they won in five of the six categories in which they were nominated — show the consolidated power of the industry’s country-rooted constituency that has powered major category upsets in recent years for the Dixie Chicks, Taylor Swift and the twang-informed duo of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Formed in Nashville in 2006, the trio of Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley saw a bookend quality to their Staples Center success on Sunday. As they pointed out during their acceptance speech, their performance of “Need You Now” on last year’s Grammy Awards was a key turning point in the single’s success. “We just cried our eyes out backstage,” Kelley said … In a couple of other historic benchmarks, a Grammy for the first time went to a composition written for a video game: Christopher Tin’s “Baba Yetu,” which was named best instrumental recording; and the version of Train’s song “Hey, Soul Sister” that won best pop performance by a duo or group was from the iTunes Session EP, the first time iTunes original content has won a Grammy … As far as performances, the show was a mix of major stars of the past, present and, perhaps, the future. All five nominees in the best new artist category performed, and three icons whose recording careers date to the early 1960s took turns at the microphone: Bob Dylan sang “Maggie’s Farm,” Barbra Streisand performed “Evergreen” and Mick Jagger tore through a version of “Everybody Needs Somebody” as a tribute to the late Solomon Burke. The show opened with a squadron of siren voices — Christina Aguilera, Yolanda Adams, Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride and Florence Welch — performing a medley of hits associated with Aretha Franklin, the soul queen who has been ailing in recent months. A video message from Franklin followed the number, and the 68-year-old said she hoped to make it to the show in person “next year.” The final surprise was an unprecedented encore at the end of the show. After their acceptance speech, Arcade Fire members returned to their instruments and launched into “Ready to Start,” their second number of the night. Some in the audience thought that it was a punk-spirited coup of the microphone, but Grammy executive producer Ken Erhlich said in recent days that he would let the band do an extra song if the show was running ahead of schedule.
Here are some photos from the show itself. Christina Aguilera, as part of the tribute to Aretha Franklin, sang beautifully … but then fell on stage afterward — whoops! 
I, personally, thought the show was fun to watch … primarily because it was all about the musical performances. There were a few hits and deffo a few misses (duh, the cones go on your boobs, NOT your shoulders) but overall … the show was pretty fun to watch. Last night’s Grammy Awards telecast was the highest rated show in 10 years. And I loved that there was no host. If the Grammy Awards keeps this up, they might actually be good again. Keep honoring NEW talent, Grammys … I think you’re on to something there ;) Click HERE for a full list of last night’s Grammy Award winners. Did your faves win? What were YOUR fave parts of the show?
[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]  |
| Victoria Beckham Says That She Does NOT Know The Sex Of Her Baby Posted: 14 Feb 2011 08:37 AM PST Earlier this month we learned of a report out of the UK that made the claim that Victoria Beckham and David Beckham are pregnant with a baby girl. Today we hear from Vicki B. herself that she does not know the sex of her baby, contrary to the rumors going around. Speaking with USA Today in NYC at Fashion Week, VB talked a bit about her incubating baby … oh, and her new collection of dresses. 
[Victoria Beckham] cleared up any misconception about her bun in the oven. “I can go on the record and say contrary to rumors, I do not know the sex of my baby!” And, she added, she’s not even sure they’ll find out. A little girl would provide Beckham with a mini-me fashionista for sure, but she says they just “feel so lucky and so blessed” to be expanding their family. “We know what to do with boys,” she says of her three sons with footballer David Beckham. “They’re excited about having a little brother to teach how to play soccer. … But, if it’s a girl, we’d be over the moon as well.”
Aww … well, I’m still hoping for a baby girl (and I’m guessing that even if VB knew she was having a girl at any point in her pregnancy that she would NOT divulge that information publicly). As for her new line of dresses, this is what VB has to say: “I really want to give women the freedom to look beautiful, but feel comfortable,” she says of her new designs, which are looser and more forgiving. Ironically, however, the clothes preceded the pregnancy. “I can’t wait to fit in (the dresses) again,” she said while narrating the show, held in a house on the Upper East Side. “I designed this collection before I found out I was pregnant.”
And so … the bump watch continues. While we await the first sign of Vicki B‘s burgeoning baby bump, we can now go back to the guesswork of whether or not she will have a girl or a boy. It’s gonna be a long pregnancy for VB, I can already tell. [Photo credit: Splash News; Source]  |
| Aaron Carter Checks Out Of Rehab Posted: 14 Feb 2011 07:30 AM PST A few weeks ago we learned that former popstar turned trainwreck Aaron Carter checked himself into the Betty Ford Center rehab facility in order to try and overcome his addictions … today we learn that he has checked OUT and is a free man once again. After spending about a month in treatment, Carter left rehab and is reportedly working on a new album. 
Aaron Carter is back on his feet. The 23-year-old singer has checked out of the Betty Ford Center after successfully completing a month of rehab, his rep exclusively confirms to E! News. Carter is currently back in his native Florida and working on a new album. When he entered Betty Ford last month, his rep said that the former tween dream had sought treatment to get himself into fighting shape for the career challenges ahead. “Aaron, understanding the challenges and hard work it would take to get himself back to the top, requested to take some time before we started to heal some emotional and spiritual issues he was dealing with,” the rep said. “Therefore he has chosen to enter a facility where he feels he will get the guidance and cleansing he needs that will help him on the music journey he’s about to take.”
As … ambitious … as this sounds, I think this is a very positive step forward for the always troubled Carter. Whatever the future may hold for him professionally, I hope that he doesn’t lose sight of this extreme positive statement and he is able to better control his “emotional and spiritual issues” (as well as any other issues not directly stipulated in this press statement). In all honesty, nothing would make me happier than to see Aaron Carter truly get his life back in order. Best of luck, Aaron! Stay clean, stay healthy … stay out of trubs!! [Source]  |
| The 2011 Grammy Awards Honor Esperanza Spalding & Arcade Fire With 2 Of The Biggest Awards Of The Year Posted: 14 Feb 2011 07:02 AM PST The 53rd annual Grammy Awards were handed out here in Los Angeles, CA last night and, for the most part, many of the awards were handed out to the usual suspects. BUT, two of the night’s biggest awards were handed out to musicians unknown to the better part of the mainstream audience … which resulted in a lot of “Who?!” exclamations after their names were announced as winners. The 2011 Best New Artist award went to singer Esperanza Spalding (who beat out Florence + the Machine, Justin Bieber, and others) and the night’s biggest award — Album of the Year — went the Arcade Fire for their album The Suburbs (who beat out Eminem, Lady Gaga and more). 
While I am not a huge fan of either act, I applaud the Grammy Voters for making these bold choices. Year after year we are inundated with the same winners putting out, essentially, the same music. I honestly had never heard of Esperanza Spalding before last night … but you can be sure I’m going to check her out now. Here is what Esperanza had to say about her big win last night:
“I feel really lucky that I got to be acknowledged on this stage in front of so many people who hopefully will get to experience my music, and I got there by doing what’s really dear to my heart.”
As for Arcade Fire, I like them but I don’t love them. What I do love is that this indie band who is really only popular among hipsters was awarded the biggest award of the night in a show of appreciation for their musical talent. As soon as the band collected their Grammy last night, this is what they posted on the Arcade Fire official Twitter profile: 
I’ll post more photos and stuff from last night’s Grammy Awards … but I really wanted to highlight these 2 wins. To be honest, it’s very exciting to me when stuff like this happens. I actually learned something from the Grammy Awards … and now I have 2 new music artists that I need to take the time to get to know.
So what did you think of these wins last night? Were you upset? Are you planning to seek out the music of both Esperanza Spalding and Arcade Fire? [Photo credit: Wireimage]  |
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