Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Crushable

Crushable

Charlize Theron Was Disappointed Her Gynecologist Was Not A Handsome Homocidal Twin

Posted: 30 Nov 2011 11:15 AM PST

Despite my annoyance over the breathless way male writers tend to profile her, I have to admit that Charlize Theron seems like a pretty cool chick. She can act, she makes funny jokes, and now it turns out she’s got twisted taste in movies and lady-parts doctors, to boot.

In a recent interview with New York Magazine‘s blog Vulture, Theron professed her love for the 1988 David Cronenberg film Dead Ringers, in which Jeremy Irons plays insane twin gynecologists. When asked why she loved the film so much, she replied, “I just, I had a massive crush on Jeremy Irons, and when I met my gynecologist, I was like, “Wait a second. You’re not Jeremy Irons. You don’t look like Jeremy Irons at all!”

This might sound reasonable enough to anyone unfamiliar with the film, as Jeremy Irons is indeed a babe. But if you’ve seen it, your vagina is probably crying a little bit right now. Among other things, one of the Jeremy Ironses creates “gynecological instruments for mutant women” and then tries to use them on non-mutant ones, which is every bit as terrifying as it sounds. That movie ruined my whole week when I watched it for a class called Medicine in Film and Culture, and I seriously considered learning how to do my own pap smears.

Which is all to say: Charlize Theron is a braver woman than most. And/or she really wants to be in a David Cronenberg movie (who wouldn’t?). Either way, Dead Ringers is a great film and you should see it if you haven’t yet. Preferably with someone who’ll hold your hand through the icky parts.

(Via Vulture)

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Style Crush: Lana Del Rey

Posted: 30 Nov 2011 11:14 AM PST

Love her or hate her, it’s hard to deny that controversial “indie singer” Lana Del Rey has a pretty great sense of style. (Or: the people styling her are good at their jobs.) Looking at photos of Lana makes me want to ride my bike over to her house and raid her closet. Anyone want to come?

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What Chance Do Happy Feet Two And Gnomeo & Juliet Think They Have In Putting Out ‘For Your Consideration’ Ads?

Posted: 30 Nov 2011 10:16 AM PST

With the Academy Award nominations happening on January 24 — and the Golden Globes on December 15 – we’re seeing the first crop of For Your Consideration ads: Studios pushing their best films and individual performances to get noticed. Last year, the big controversy was Melissa Leo‘s tacky and pleading “Consider Me” campaign. Although the ads are more tasteful this year, I’d have to say that I’m baffled by some of the animated movies pushing for a spot in the nominations.

All of the live-action movies make sense: Bridesmaids, J. Edgar, The Descendants, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. But when it comes to animated fare, there seems to be a chasm between the transcendental masterpieces and (sorry) the popcorn fare. That’s why I was really surprised to see that movies like Gnomeo & Juliet (cringe-inducing) and Happy Feet Two (what I would consider just a shameless sequel) are vying for the Golden Globes’ Best Animated Feature.

Put up against The Adventures of Tintin and Winnie the Pooh, you have to wonder why they try. Consider, if you will, that not just the past years’ winners, but their nominees, were all on the more intellectual side of the spectrum: Up, Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox, How to Train Your Dragon.

What might be the case is that these studios behind both movies are hedging their bets and believe that they’ll do better in the music categories — especially Gnomeo with its Elton John crooners — and are just throwing in Best Animated Feature for the hell of it. But Oscar and Golden Globe voters seem to prefer the movies that make them feel more than a giggle, so in some ways this feels like the same inevitable failure as watching the social reject nominate him/herself for student body president.

Really, it’s not just the animated films that have a few “huh?” selections. I almost feel embarrassed seeing Sucker Punch offering itself up for Best Screenplay and Best Actress (Emily Browning)—I heartily enjoyed the movie, but I’m one of the few who did.

One For Your Consideration plea that may sound absurd, but we’re fully behind? Andy Serkis for Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The movie itself was a wash, but his performance as intelligent ape Caesar was incredibly nuanced.

[via]

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Ali Lohan Is A Flower Child On The Cover Of Page 6 Magazine

Posted: 30 Nov 2011 10:03 AM PST


Lindsay‘s little sister Ali Lohan landed another modeling gig, this time on the cover of Page 6 Magazine. The 17-year-old channeled her inner flower child (read: “I once watched The Wonder Years on TV!”) for the shoot. Inside the mag, she talks about an array of fun teenage-appropriate topics like plastic surgery and drug addiction. Regarding rumors she’s had work done:

"I was cracking up. Because, like, when would I do that? I'm 17 years old. That's not legal! I would need my mother's signature, and do you think my mom would sign off on that?”

Boy, you really don’t want to make us answer that. Ali also discussed her say-know-to-drugs attitude, crediting her sister as being a cautionary tale. We certainly hope this is true — it would be nice to see a Lohan turn out okay.

(via Just Jared)

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Video: Stanley From ‘The Office’ Like You’ve Never Seen Him Before

Posted: 30 Nov 2011 09:24 AM PST

Best known to most people as Stanley Hudson from The Office, actor Leslie David Baker is seen as a curmudgeon by many. Many who don’t know him, that is! In his off hours, he enjoys drug-fueled orgies with multiple young women and throwing crazy pool parties at his house.

At least, that’s the idea one gets from his debut music video/single, “2 Be Simple,” which features a little-known music group called N.U.M. doing ominous things in the background. (I’m guessing they were the “brains” behind the song.) Baker might be the last actor you’d expect to attempt to cross over into Autotuned party jams, but maybe there’s something we don’t know about The Office‘s future. In any case, the juxtaposition of his grouchy, crossword-loving persona is so at odds with this Hugh Hefner-ish character that it makes for an amusing novelty. (Don’t forget that Stanley cheated on his wife, making him a bit of a scoundrel already). In general, though, I hope he doesn’t quit his day job.

And God help us if N.U.M. is angling to be the next Kreayshawn, i.e., an internet meme that refuses to go away and furthermore, demands to be taken seriously as an artiste. We have more than enough of those already.

(Via Popdust)

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Find A Date Today With TheGloss Dating

Posted: 30 Nov 2011 09:20 AM PST

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One Man’s Quest To Watch Julie & Julia Every Day For A Year Ended Last Night With A Party And Amy Adams’ Mom

Posted: 30 Nov 2011 10:18 AM PST

Over the past year, you might’ve heard of The Lawrence/Julie & Julia Project, where college student Lawrence Dai endeavored to watch the blog-to-movie Julie & Julia every day starting November 29, 2010 and blog about it. His repeated viewings led to a bevy of funny, off-the-wall posts about racism in the movie, reenactments, and of course recreating Julia Child‘s recipes. Viewing #365 happened last night—not in Lawrence’s Northwestern dorm, but a public screening in Denver attended by his fan club and even Amy Adams‘ mom!

Denver’s Off-Center at The Jones hosted the final party, organized by two people who had been obsessively reading Lawrence’s blog. (Yeah, things got reaaally meta.) In the style of Rocky Horror Picture Show or The Room gatherings, the movie was projected on a big screen, as was a Twitter feed using the hashtag #LJJ. As you can see in the photo, people dressed up as the characters of Julia Child (delightfully portrayed by Meryl Streep in the movie) and blogger Julie Powell (Amy Adams’ character) and cooked along with the movie—mirroring Julie’s original intent to cook one of Julia Child’s recipes each day for a year.

I’ve been reading Lawrence’s blog over the past 24 hours as research for this post, and I still can’t tell if he’s a true aficionado of the movie, or if he hated it from the start. Regardless, his skewering of the film works because of how often he’s watched it; he’s earned the right to mock the performances and make crass jokes. Some of my favorite posts from his blog are the ones that other people would shy away from, like a guide to the best moments to masturbate to Julie & Julia. (At least one of those scenes involves Stanley Tucci as Julia Child’s doting husband.)

Here are more examples of Lawrence’s irreverence: He tried to sync up the movie to Kanye West; about a month in, he contemplated the movie’s racism; he wrote some “julierotica”; and my personal favorite, he interviewed a Dean & Deluca cheese guy who was an extra in the movie.

The party copied the blog in being the opposite of passive viewing: The attendees churned butter, reimagined the characters as beavers (not the dam-building kind), and handed out goodie bags filled with onions. And like I mentioned above, some “celebrities” have taken notice: Somehow Amy Adams’ mother heard about the blog and decided to drop by the party; and all the way back on Day 1, Julie Powell herself commented on the blog and said it was both impressive and random.

I have to believe that what might have started as a stunt piece really did touch Lawrence. In his final post on the blog (for now!), he says that the experience gave him structure in the beginning of college, an amorphous and intimidating period in anyone’s life:

But here's what Julie & Julia really taught me. It taught me discipline. It taught me to never give up. It taught me that even the stupidest of ideas could find a home on the Internet.

…The Lawrence/Julie & Julia Project has given me some structure in my life, as strange as it sounds. Like Julie Powell says in the movie, "It’s a regimen… It gives you something you have to do every day, one day at a time." And being forced to write something funny/amusing about the same movie every day has definitely maed me a more better writer-person.

And finally, I like to think that by doing this stupid, stupid thing, I have made some people happier. I have grown fond of my daily readers and I hope they've found my antics to be amusing this past year. I do it all for you guys. Really.

So, what’s next? One of the attendees tweeted about some announcement concerning the date of July 8, 2012, but so far we have no idea if it’s connected or not. And according to Lawrence’s Twitter, it seems that for now he’s just enjoying the surreal end to this passion project.

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Crushable Quoteable: Daniel Craig Has Some Harsh Words For The Kardashians

Posted: 30 Nov 2011 08:50 AM PST

I think it’s safe to say that at this point, most people are ready for the Kardashians to fade from the public eye. But we don’t all feel this as strong as Daniel Craig, who launched a profanity-filled rant against the sisters while giving an interview:

“I think there’s a lot to be said for keeping your own counsel. It’s not about being afraid to be public with your emotions or about who you are and what you stand for. But if you sell it off it’s gone. You can’t buy it back—you can’t buy your privacy back. Ooh I want to be alone. Fuck you. We’ve been in your living room. We were at your birth. You filmed it for us and showed us the placenta and now you want some privacy?

Look at the Kardashians, they’re worth millions. I don’t think they were that badly off to begin with but now look at them. You see that and you think ‘what, you mean all I have to do is behave like a fucking idiot on television and then you’ll pay me millions.’ I’m not judging it—well, I am obviously.”

It’s a good point Daniel’s making here — if you’ve sold your privacy to the public (for a nice chunk of change at that), you can’t suddenly ask for it back. Daniel’s led a notably private life for being such a big star — his marriage to Rachel Weisz was done without publicity and fanfare — so he’s definitely showing no signs of hypocrisy here. Always classy, just like James Bond.

(via Gawker)

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World AIDS Day 2011: The Killers Release A Christmas Song To Benefit The (RED) Campaign

Posted: 30 Nov 2011 08:24 AM PST

Did you know that The Killers record a new Christmas song each year to benefit the (RED) Campaign, which fights HIV/AIDS in Africa? Ever since 2006, they’ve been contributing to this noble cause, with all proceeds from their iTunes sales going directly to the charity.

This year, they decided to do a country western style ditty called “The Cowboys’ Christmas Ball.” As Christmas songs go, it’s not bad. Granted, I do not much care for Christmas songs, but I’m trying to be diplomatic about this. You can listen to it below, and if you like, purchase it over at the iTunes store. Or if one Killers Christmas song just isn’t enough for you, there’s a whole EP available.

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Glee Report Card: She Kissed A Girl

Posted: 30 Nov 2011 08:09 AM PST

I really wanted to like Tuesday night's episode of Glee: for me, Season 3 has represented a significant improvement in quality from the last. And a Santana-centric episode is cause for celebration, what with Naya Rivera's consistent awesomeness. But the song choices killed it for me—not the performances so much as the music itself. On a series where characters express themselves through song, you've got to be careful what message you're sending.

"Perfect"
Performed by Kurt and Blaine
Originally performed by P!nk
But things started off OK. Aside from that ridiculous half-sweater Kurt was wearing, this duet was pretty sweet. I've grown much more interested in the Kurt/Blaine relationship ever since the show introduced some tension. The only really off moment for me was when Kurt was forced to rap briefly—I think Lea Michele's facial expression said it all. Otherwise, yeah, cuteness. And I will totally give Blaine a pass on those stupid bow ties, because sorry, he's adorable.
Grade: B+

"I'm the Only One"
Performed by Puck
Originally performed by Melissa Etheridge
I thought it was a little strange (or at least on-the-nose) to feature both Melissa Etheridge and k.d. lang in Santana's big coming out episode. On the other hand, I really like this song, and it was a good fit for Puck. I still have trouble believing everyone in the room couldn't tell he was eye-fucking Shelby. And how exactly was this supposed to inspire Santana on her journey? Whatever. Points for Puck's mohawk (especially hot this week, amirite?) and Damian rocking out.
Grade: A-

"Girls Just Want to Have Fun"
Performed by Finn (with Artie)
Originally performed by Cyndi Lauper
Ugh, this is where I lost it. Everything about this was wrong: I hated Finn's rendition, I hated the violin, and mostly, I hated the sentiment. Encouraging Santana to be herself is a noble cause, but this was the wrong song for it. The implication, unfortunately, is that lesbianism is just girls having fun. And while I know that's not what Glee believes, that's the way it came across. The poignancy of Santana's tears and her hugging Finn meant little after that.
Grade: D

"Jolene"
Performed by Coach Beiste
Originally performed by Dolly Parton
Well, this was interesting. It was nice of Glee to give Dot Marie Jones a chance to stretch herself vocally, but the whole thing felt out of place. Sure, the song was appropriate, but it wasn't really necessary. It was out of touch with the rest of the episode, and not only because it was about two women fighting over a man. So while I appreciate that Coach Beiste is getting some actual plotlines this season, I didn't buy this. And that moment when she sang to Quinn was just weird, right?
Grade: C

"I Kissed a Girl"
Performed by Santana, Rachel, The Troubletones, and the female members of Glee Club
Originally performed by Katy Perry
Guys, here's where I get livid. If "I Kissed a Girl" is what Glee considers to be either a queer rallying cry or an anthem of female independence, I have to seriously question its judgment. Even more than "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," "I Kissed a Girl" is about how kissing girls is a thing you do just for kicks. It's a way to be naughty. If you're lucky, it'll turn on your boyfriend! I can't even grade the performance itself, because I'm so angry about this song choice. Oh, and quick note on Damian: loved the face he made during the number, but why has this guy been reduced entirely to useless reaction shots?
Grade: F

"Constant Craving"
Performed by Santana and Shelby (with Kurt)
Originally performed by k.d. lang
Get it? Because k.d. lang is a lesbian. All right, this almost worked, and I'll admit I was delighted to hear two of my favorites, Naya Rivera and Idina Menzel, singing together. But something about the context of this song really bothered me, and I realized, once again, Glee had mangled its queer politics. Here, Santana's attraction to women was aligned with Shelby's attraction to a student. Again, I don't think Glee believes any of this to be true, but there was a link between queerness and student-teacher romance. Not cool, however unintentional. Saved only by amazing vocals.
Grade: B-

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