Quantcast
Channel: Paper RSS Feed
Viewing all 7783 articles
Browse latest View live

The President Of the NYPD Union Wants NYC To Ban Quentin Tarantino

0
0

Screen shot 2015-10-26 at 4.14.00 PM.pngAfter appearing at an anti-cop rally in Manhattan's Washington Square Park on Saturday, toe-suckin' director Quentin Tarantino is now #1 on the NYPD's shitlist.

The revered filmmaker riled a crowd of protesters up by saying, "When I see murderers, I do not stand by...I have to call the murderers the murderers," in reference to the rising police brutality of the past two years.

With the murder of a NY cop Randolph Holder occurring in Harlem less than a week before Tarantino's park appearance, the city's boys and gals in blue are yelling "TOO SOON."

The president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, Patrick Lynch, used Tarantino's violent filmography to "expose" the auteur's hypocrisy.

720x405-GettyImages-494104796.jpgHe released a fiery statement on the matter:

"It's no surprise that someone who makes a living glorifying crime and violence is a cop-hater, too.

The police officers that Quentin Tarantino calls 'murderers' aren't living in one of his depraved big-screen fantasies -- they're risking and sometimes sacrificing their lives to protect communities from real crime and mayhem.

New Yorkers need to send a message to this purveyor of degeneracy that he has no business coming to our city to peddle his slanderous 'Cop Fiction.'"

Can you imagine the city actually taking him up on this and banning all things Quentin Tarantino?

Upscale hotel concierges denying him service....

"Try a Holiday Inn," a bougie one says.

 Later, Quentin sheepishly walks into the lobby of a Marriott Courtyard in North Jersey....

Entire neighborhoods piling Kill Bill DVDS, Pulp Fiction posters in the middle of the street and then lighting it on fire.....

A cab driver slowly recognizing Tarantino (who's wearing a disguise), and then dropping him off in the middle of the West Side Highway....

Teachers giving their elementary students lessons on what to do if they see Quentin Tarantino; they respond by pointing their fingers and screaming, a la Donald Sutherland in Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
 sutherland.jpgA world without Quentin.





Beyoncé Is Talking Strut Notes From "Hamilton's" Jonathan Groff

0
0
jonathan-groff-2014-billboard-650.jpgJonathan Groff, one of the stars of the hit Broadway musical Hamilton, is most likely trying to re-materialize this morning, after being turned to a puddle from an encounter with Beyoncé.

Groff plays a hilariously arrogant King George, and when Bey approached him after watching a performance, she informed the actor that she was a fan of his character's sassy gait, that drips with contempt for the plebeians around him.

Beyonce-Complex-beyonce-34038963-1280-960.jpgNaturally, Bey wants to adapt it into Sasha Fierce.

The encounter, as tweeted by the play's writer and titular star, Lin-Manuel Miranda, beautifully illustrates the reaction of a mortal receiving a compliment from Bey-Bey.

1.173807.jpg
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jonathan Groff in 'Hamilton'

(Especially, when that mortal also happens to be gay):


Screen shot 2015-10-28 at 10.05.25 AM.png
Screen shot 2015-10-28 at 10.11.03 AM.png

Sending our best wishes to Mr. Groff as he recovers.


Judge Abbi and Ilana's Halloween Costumes on a new Hack Into Broad City

0
0
The Hack Into Broad City webseries has been rather well-tied to holidays, from Yom Kippur to Columbus Day, so it makes sense that the latest episode would focus on Abbi and Ilana getting ready for Halloween. And, of course, they wear almost (almost!) exactly the same thing, as Abbi gears up to go out as the Notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg while Ilana dresses up as Judge Judy. In either case, they're really taking advantage of the opportunity to air themselves out. Watch it below.

Watch The Making-Of Documentary For Yeezy Season 2

0
0
Screen Shot 2015-10-28 at 11.01.36 AM.png

Ahead of Kanye West's highly-anticipated Yeezy collection landing in select stores tomorrow, the label has just shared an intimate, minimal (duh) silent documentary on the "making of" Season 2. Watch the maestro at work here -- though we'd advice choosing your soundtrack wisely.

[h/t Fader]

Serena Williams Is Reportedly Dating Reddit Co-Founder/Beautiful Person Alexis Ohanian

0
0
AlexisO_Main.jpg
We knew we were onto something when we named Reddit co-founder/coding QT Alexis Ohanian one of our Beautiful People -- after all, tennis superstar Serena Williams seems to agree?

That's right, in what is most likely the super-coupling of the century, the pair are reportedly dating with sources saying that Ohanian is even practicing his backswing for her, with an US Weekly source saying, "he'd never been into tennis until they started dating!" 

But who can blame him? After all, guy's gotta one up Serena's "flirty friendship" with Drake

[h/tUS Weekly

The New X-Files Trailer Has Actual Dialogue, Joel McHale, Smoking

0
0
Thumbnail image for xfiles.jpgThere's been quite the build-up for the revived X-Files series, featuring all sorts of promos that don't actually have anything happen in them (other than revealing that, if anything, Gillian Anderson can get it even more than in the '90s). Now, there's actually some dialogue in our trailers, including some portentous questioning between Mulder and Scully and a classic conspiracy monologue by... Joel McHale. (Also, in case you hadn't heard, the Cigarette Smoking Man is maybe back? Who knows.) Check it out below, via Vulture.

"I'm Grown Now": JoJo On Her Comeback, Avoiding the Tabloids and That "Fake" Cribs House

0
0
JoJo - Main Pub 2 - Ohrangutang copy.jpgHow do you remain a cultural icon and beloved pop star after putting out next to no music in years? JoJo, who broke out at the age of thirteen with her hit "Leave (Get Out)," making her the youngest female solo artist to have a number-one single in the States ever, still sees her mid-aughts anthems on heavy rotation at clubs, bars, karaoke lounges and anywhere else twentysomething millennials go out. But now, nine years after the release of her last album (2006's The High Road) -- and a nasty fight with her old record label -- she's making a much-anticipated reemergence. Back in August she released III. (pronounced "Tringle" as in "three singles"), and yesterday she premiered the new video for record track, "Say Love." Ahead of an upcoming North American tour this November and December we had the chance to sit down with the singer and hear how -- and why -- she stayed out of the spotlight these past years and why she's decided to get back in the music game.

Now that you're 24 and not 13 anymore, you have a lot more creative control than you did before. How does that feel this time around?


I feel like my evolution from that has been pretty natural...you know, growing into being a young woman. It didn't feel like I needed to prove anything. It's like, "I'm grown now." But I don't think it was a negative thing that people were helping to shape the direction to take when I was thirteen because I think they were able to soak up what I was giving them and they were like, "Okay, so you're an angsty little girl from Massachusetts and you're a little tomboy."  

What other things have changed this time around? Are you taking more styling risks?

I think the typical way of the pop star is like, "Now I'm grown. I'm going to show you all of my body." I think that's dope and I'm comfortable with my body and I enjoy myself, but I don't think that that's something that's necessarily new. I feel most sexy in clothes, actually. I like to feel cool so I like layers, I like long jackets. I like my stage look to be more things I can take off and play with. I love fabric and things that will blow in the wind. I love accessories. I have accessories that won't go anywhere (she points to her left eyebrow, where she has two piercings), so I like that. My little tats. They're all just kind of things that are accessories that don't go away.

You had a pretty infamous bout with your record label. Did you ever have a moment where you thought you were not going to do music anymore?

I don't really think of it as something that's separate from me. Singing is something that I've always done since I was two years old. So I didn't think of it as something I did when I was thirteen. Really, it felt strange when I wasn't able to continue on the path I was on when I was in limbo and I wasn't able to release music, so I did consider going to college but it was always with the thought that I was going to come back to it after that. Instead I chose to try to make it work with my label at the time. And then when it wasn't working, I was like, okay, well I'm already not college age, I'm like 21 at this point, and I'm just gonna sue you.
 

The video for JoJo's "Say Love"

You recently mentioned that your house on the Cribs episode you were on was not actually your house. Were there any other smoke and mirrors when you were younger?

No, that's an exception, honestly. I've never been a smoke and mirrors type of person. I just wanted to do Cribs! It would have been real smoke and mirrors if I had rented a townhouse or something but this is actually just my uncle's place. I grew up very poor, so this is actually the nicest home in our family. So it was a little bit of pretending -- well, actually, yeah I was totally pretending -- but it was definitely the exception.

What's something you think even your die-hard fans would be surprised to learn about you now?

Just because I stayed out of the tabloid stuff doesn't mean I haven't had my bouts with things or my ups and downs or experimentations. I don't really know how people perceive me but I'm not by any means a goody two shoes. I definitely get down.

Did you ever have a party girl phase?

I was tutored through the end of middle school and high school, and you know, didn't go to college, so when I moved to LA that was kind of like college for me. And I did go out a lot, from like 18 to 22, but I was also constantly in the studio. So there was a balance that I found but...I was getting super drunk. I was getting wasted. 

How did you manage to keep yourself out of the tabloids?

I don't know how it didn't happen at least once. And I'm so, so thankful because I can't imagine being Justin Bieber or Selena Gomez or Miley Cyrus and having that scrutiny, or being under that light the whole time. So I really got to figure some shit out on my own and then find a little bit more balance as I moved into my twenties.

I also don't date famous guys. I think that's helpful. I imagine it would be hard to date other artists. I've casually dated other artists, and it's always very fucking weird. I guess it makes sense, you guys can understand certain things, but I tend to like guys who are a bit more down to earth. So I think that that's been helpful, but also my friends tend to be outside of the industry as well, or more behind the scenes, so I do think that's helpful. I'm not a part of a girl squad.

Get a copy of III.HERE and catch JoJo when she goes out on tour (complete list of dates HERE).

Millennials Can "Rent-A-Mom" With This New Brooklyn Service

0
0
nina1.jpeg
Nina Keneally / photo via NeedAMom.com

Twenty-somethings of Bushwick, have you ever found yourself sitting alone at home, missing your mom with her unconditional love, words of encouragement and arsenal of snacks? Well look no further, because you can now actually "rent a mom" via this new service.

And the mom in question is one Nina Keneally, a former drug rehab counselor and Tony-winning theater producer who moved to Bushwick after raising her own brood in the Connecticut suburbs. Figuring her "maternal know-how" would be really helpful to her "millennial neighbors in need," she also says she comes with the bonus of not being "judgmental about anybody's life choices...I don't compare them to their brothers and sisters."

"As I started to live in the neighborhood, do yoga and frequent coffee shops, I've noticed that a lot of young people in the neighborhood wanted to talk to me about what was going on in their lives," she said in an interview with Bushwick Daily, also mentioning that, "I have a therapeutic background, although I'm not a therapist."

Rates for her services are currently being determined, though a delivery of chicken noodle soup complete with an under-the-weather pep talk would ballpark around $40. Interested parties can contact her via the site to schedule pie-feeding sessions, hot cocoa talks and properly ironed shirts in anticipation of job interviews. 



Here are The Most Insane Things In the Trailer for the Zac Efron/Robert De Niro Buddy Comedy "Dirty Grandpa"

0
0
Sometimes, a movie announces itself as a totally insane pile of ridiculous, trashy thing that will still be delightful to watch (especially if you are drunk). Sometimes, a movie shows up on the internet and you say, "Wow, I really need to see that, even though I'm not really sure what it is." Today, that movie is Dirty Grandpa, a May-December buddy comedy starring EDM icon Zac Efron as a clean-cut dude preparing to get married to his boss' daughter and Robert De Niro as his recently-widowed horny grandfather trying to avoid going to a retirement community in Boca Raton. This is the poster for the movie:

enhanced-25767-1445981927-3.jpgOther actors who will appear in Dirty Grandpa include Aubrey Plaza, Jason Mantzoukas, Adam Pally, Dermot Mulroney, and Danny Glover, because sure, why not. Now, BuzzFeed has premiered the trailer for Dirty Grandpa, and you can watch it below.

Watch BuzzFeed's exclusive premiere of the Dirty Grandpa trail...

Watch BuzzFeed's exclusive premiere of the Dirty Grandpa trailer starring Zac Efron and Robert De Niro!

Posted by BuzzFeed Celeb on Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Here is a list of some of the crazy things that happen in the trailer for this movie:

  1. Robert De Niro calls a car a "giant labia."
  2. Aubrey Plaza seduces De Niro, or something, with suntan lotion.
  3. Zac Efron ties a sweater around his neck like your dad going to a James Taylor concert (sorry, dad, and sorry, James Taylor).
  4. The Macklemore song "Downtown" is prominently featured, perhaps indicating the presence of mopeds in the movie.
  5. Aubrey Plaza says "I want you to tear open my bra like it's a social security check."

You're welcome. See you at the theater in January.

Billy Corgan Is Hosting a Halloween Party -- Here's 5 Ways to Dress Up Like Him

0
0
Halloween, like most holidays, is a consumer-approved excuse for stress. The hassle of determining the right costume, party or even selecting the right group of friends to go out with is enough to make you wish the dark lord would just take you from this mortal plane (and give you whiskey and Wes Craven movies on Netflix to quell your anxieties).

Luckily for those in Chicago, Billy Corgan is helping solve all of your Halloween party problems. According to Stereogum, the Smashing Pumpkins frontman is hosting a Halloween party at his venue in the North Shore suburbs, Madame Zuzu's Tea Shop and Art Studio. For only $15 fans will get a complimentary tea, a vegan/gluten-free dessert, a chance to participate in the costume contest and -- best of all -- a photo taken by the evening's host, "Count William Corgan." Sadly, the tickets for the event are already sold out, but here are some Corgan-specific costume ideas for those who want to be there in ghostly spirit.

Billy "I'm Your Zero" Corgan from the "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" Video


The iconic "Zero" shirt encapsulated Generation X malaise and was featured in the video that won the Smashing Pumpkins a Grammy.

Billy "Turn of the 20th Century Pilot" Corgan from the "Tonight, Tonight" Video


The ornate costumes are a good look for anyone who wants to channel "Billy Corgan" and a "Nineteenth Century Dandy" in the same look.

Billy "The Nun" Corgan

Screen Shot 2015-10-28 at 1.14.34 PM.png[Image via Instagram]

That expression on Corgan's face makes you think he might whack someone with a ruler any minute.

Billy Corgan "The Nun 2.0" performing "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" with Marilyn Manson


Marilyn Mason and Nun Corgan singing "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" might be too dark even for Halloween.

Billy "The Perpetually Cursed Chicago Cubs Fan" Corgan

Screen Shot 2015-10-28 at 1.20.32 PM.png[Image via Twitter]

Billy looks almost as miserable at the Cubs game as Jack White.

Alber Elbaz Leaves Lanvin -- Is He Headed to Dior?

0
0
Alber2_header.jpgIn the latest shocking news to hit the fashion world, designer musical chairs continues with the announcement that Alber Elbazis leaving Lanvin after 14 years as creative director.
 
The designer who got his start as Geoffrey Beene's assistant later reached global attention as the designer for Guy Laroche. Elbaz was Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge's handpicked successor at YSL before the company was bought by the Gucci Group and Tom Ford replaced Elbaz after only a few season.

Lanvin seemed to be the perfect home for the charming, non-trendy designer. Over a century old, Lanvin was started by a woman, Jeanne Lanvin, and Elbaz has made it a brand that loves women and celebrates them.

In the past few months we've had Alexander Wang leave Balenciaga and Raf Simons leave Dior -- does this mean we'll be hearing an announcement soon that Elbaz will be moving into Simons' slot?

In a New York Times piece about Simons' departure, however, Elbaz had this to say to about the cut throat industry: "It's not about new designers and old designers, it's about good designers and bad designers. You can have a full wallet, but if there's nothing to spend it on -- off with his head! It's the system. We are all going through the same thing. But it is times like this that expose the problems in the system, which is good, because only when we see them can we start to fix them. Everyone in fashion just needs a little more time."

Guess time will only tell where Elbaz lands.



The Harrowing Twitter Odyssey of @_zolarmoon

0
0
1jevHvlX.jpgThe Internet is ablaze today after a series of tweets (150, to be exact) from a woman named Aziah King (@_zolarmoon) depicting a last-minute weekend getaway to Tampa, Florida that quickly became a bonafide descent into Hell.

Her recounting of the journey is PEAK TWITTER the whole way through.

"Zola," as she refers to herself in the story, has since deleted the sprawling posts, but, of course, they live on in the afterlife of Storify and and screencamp.

Screen shot 2015-10-28 at 11.44.19 AM.pngIt begins with our heroine meeting a young woman (Jess) and her male friend while working a shift at Hooters in Detroit.

Zola, who works as a stripper, gets to talking with fellow exotic dancer, Jess, and gradually realizes that she is also a prostitute, and the gentleman accompanying her is (one) of her pimps.

Screen shot 2015-10-28 at 11.58.41 AM.pngAfter Jess convinces Zola to come away with her and her emotionally unstable boyfriend, Jarrett (oh god, Jarrett!) on a weekend excursion of stripping in the twinkling metropolis of Tampa, the fever dream begins.

It doesn't take Zola long to realize that Jess "low key set her up" to be part of her tricking quest; Zola decides to make the best of this Floridian nightmare by exploiting Jess herself, working in tandem with a mysterious and terrifying dread-locked pimp lord, simply referred to as "Z."

Violence and betrayal ensues.

Jarrett, CONTINUOUSLY devastated from discovering the true occupation of the woman he loves, over and over and over (and over) again, unsuccessfully attempts to end his pain by leaping off a Z's condo balcony (his pants get stuck on the railing, and he lives, much to the amusement of Zola.)

The most absurd reaction of this suicide attempt comes from villainous, Z.

Screen shot 2015-10-28 at 11.39.24 AM.pngIts climactic twist ending (which I will not spoil), reads like a cross between the finales of Spring Breakers and Taxi Driver.

Informal prose aside, Aziah's account is perfectly structured, with vivid descriptions, dialogue, and character development.

It's still to be confirmed if Zola's Odyssey is authentic or not.

If it is, in fact, real, she's going to need a soooooooolid attorney, or as Jezebel says "a spot in the witness protection program."

Regardless of truth, and the fantastically casual and undeniably endearing way Zola relays it to us, this tale is a somber one.

The bleakness of this universe that so many women are forced to live in, painted with excruciating minutia, should be read by all as a serious reality check.

Viva la Zola. Now we await the inevitable book/movie deal. In the meantime, read the story in its entirety here.

Screen shot 2015-10-28 at 12.02.21 PM.png






9 Must-See Art Shows Opening This Week

0
0

Lyoka Mask 118.jpg

Max Steiner

A couple of Halloween-themed shows (and arty-parties) open this week including one at The Standard Shop (442 West 13th Street) with a pop-up sale of one-of-a-kind masks made by Bushwick designer/sculptor Max Steiner. Stop by this week, they're only on view until Halloween.


pet sematary.JPEG

"Pet Sematary," a group show atShoot the Lobster(138 Eldridge Street), opens on Wednesday, October 28th, 6 to 8 p.m., and is up through November 8th. Not sure how -- or if -- this relates to Stephen King, but here's the artists involved: Elaine Cameron-Weir, Jeffery Joyal, Win McCarthy, Jeanette Mundt, Will Sheldon and Nolan Simon.


The Storefront for Art and Architecture hosts their annual (and always fun) Critical Halloween party on October 31, 9 p.m. until late, at DCTV Firehouse (87 Lafayette Street). This year's them is "DEMO" -- as in democracy, demolition, demoted, demographic etc. -- so dress accordingly and stick around until midnight, when a jury will award seven prizes. Music by Daniel Perlin and Surfing. Tickets are HERE


membersonlynm.jpg

Madison McGaw

The New Museum's (235 Bowery) "members-only" Halloween bash is on Wednesday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. Dress as a thrift store painting (and check out Jim Shaw's retrospective), have a cocktail and dance to the music. All for a $70 membership fee, and you'll be invited to all up-coming member events.


Bortolami (520 West 20th Street) opens "CIRCA" featuring several new works, as well as some from the 90s by New York artist Tom Burr on October 29th, 6 to 8 p.m. Included are his photos from public-restroom cruising spots and Polaroids of 42nd Street facades along with a life-size re-creation of a section of Zurich's Platzspitz. Up until December 23rd.


TMRW__2015__36_x_24_1.jpg

Bryce Wymer

Hazan Projects (35 North Moore Street) presents their inaugural exhibition, "TEXT ME," on Thursday, October 29th, 6 to 8 p.m., and up until December 12th. The group show features "text-based" art that aims to "challenge our ingrained understanding of letters, words and language." The artists include Meg Hitchcock, Henry Mandell, Matt McCormick, Andrea Mary Marshall and seven more.


IMG_1211.jpg

Kota Ezawa

On Friday, October 30th, 6 to 8 p.m., Murray Guy (235 West 17th Street) opens an exhibit by Oakland artist Kota Ezawa who looks at the 1990 robbery of Boston's Gardner Museum via his "reconstruction" of the 13 stolen works and a new six-minute animated film, recreating the museum's surveillance video footage. Up until December 19.



Cocksedge_Ring_Table_lrg0.jpg

Paul Cocksedge

Friedman Benda (515 West 26th Street) opens "FREEZE," their second show of works by the London-based designer Paul Cocksedge on October 29, 6 to 8 p.m. This time around, Cocksedge "exploits freezing temperatures to create a bond between metals that otherwise do not adhere in nature." On view until December 9.


Each day in November, fine art photographer Steve Giovinco will post one portrait of his father's decline and final moments on Snapchat. The images can be viewed for only 24 hours. The app exhibition, "Scenes From a Life, Ch. 3, "captures his unfolding emotions...and difficult moments when(his) father's illness became worse." Sign in to Snapchat and go to SteveGiovinco as a friend.


306913a5e6574a037d43b905331eb8f6.jpg

Maira Kalman

Julie Saul Gallery (535 West 22nd Street) presents several gouache paintings from Maira Kalman's latest book "Beloved Dog," opening on October 29th, 6 to 8 p.m. They also have a show of early photos by Morton Bartlett opening the same night. Both up until December 23rd.


Venus Over Manhattan (980 Madison Avenue) has a show by "eccentric art world maverick" H.C. Westermann called "See America First" opening on November 2nd, 6 to 8 p.m., and up until December 19th. Sculptures and works on paper by the late, American post-war artist reflect his "yearning for an era that favored traditional values."


ONGOING (AND WORTH CHECKING OUT):


To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, a monumental art installation called "Enlightened Universe" by Spanish artist Cristobal Gabarron has gone up in Central Park's Rumsey Playfield. It's on view until November 15th.


Jack Shainman's The School (25 Broad Street, Kinderhook, New York) has a multimedia group exhibition up now called "Winter in America" with works by over 40 artists that explore "the mood currently expressed in the United States...(and) that reflect the quiet introspection of winter." Check it out on Saturday's from 11 a.m.to 5 p.m. 


The "Difficult" show at R & Company, (82 Franklin Street) curated by Jim Walrod, closes on October 29th. Last chance to check out his picks of works that were originally mocked, but eventually became icons of 20th Century design.

Rihanna Has Joined Cara Delevingne In Luc Besson's "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets"

0
0
rihrihrih-860x485.pngWhile we're already painfully waiting on Rihanna's forthcoming LP Anti, she's thrown yet ANOTHER project in our faces... RiRi now has a "big part" in Luc Besson's upcoming sci-fi epic Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, based on the graphic novel of the same name by Pierre Christin and Jean Claude-Mezieres.

Besson excitedly announced the news this morning, via Instagram.

Screen shot 2015-10-28 at 1.13.51 PM.pngThe flick, which focuses on humanity's discovery of time travel in the 28th century, also stars ex-model/actress/snapback enthusiast Cara Delevingne and perpetual brooding schoolboy Dale DeHaan.

-1.pngRi and Cara won't have to try very hard for onscreen chemistry; they've been party pals since the early 2010s.

Cara_Delevingne_Rihanna_Party.jpgAnd this ain't Mr. Besson's first distant future rodeo. He directed the legendary 1997 space-saga The Fifth Element, starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich, with seeeeeeeriously gorgeous costumes by Jean Paul Gaultier.

4228cf52b22fefbecc0684f122ff1798.pngIndeed, Ms. Fenty has some IMDB cred on her tapestry of talent.

She had a starring voice role in this year's animated Home, a cameo in bro-comedy This is the End, and, of course, her scene-stealing turn as a brassy Naval weapons specialist with an attitude as deadly as the bullets she fires in 2012's Battleship.

Rihanna Battleship.jpgRihanna as a time-space continuum-hopping bad b*tch, wearing some absurdly awesome couture? Count us in.

Valerian comes out in 2017.

These Photos of Brad Pitt Will Grate Your Heart Like His Sandpaper Stubble

0
0
Screen shot 2015-10-28 at 4.14.42 PM.pngV Magazineoffered us a preview of their Winter 2015/16 edition called "Born to be Brad," where Angelina Jolie's husband (Brad Pitt) "channels '70s style icon Robert Redford for a shoot with Inez & Vidoodh."

The result has the 51-year-old megastar looking tender as hell.

Screen shot 2015-10-28 at 4.33.00 PM.pngScreen shot 2015-10-28 at 4.35.18 PM.png
Screen shot 2015-10-28 at 4.37.59 PM.png
Screen shot 2015-10-28 at 4.39.08 PM.pngGetting serious Thelma & Louise Brad vibes


thelmapitt.jpgPitt shot the cover -- styled by David Vandewall -- to promote his upcoming drama, By the Sea, which he stars in alongside his wife (who also wrote and directed it).

The Pitts play a couple who head to the French Riviera to mend their melting marriage, only to spend the whole time writhing around on vast beds and solemnly watching window curtains sway in the Mediterranean breeze with half-opened mouths.

Angie did her part in promoting the film, casually deciding to grace this month's cover of Vogue; Brad and their children were included in the shoot.  

These snaps of Mr. Pitt are certainly not a family affair, and that is perfectly fine.

By the Sea is out November 13, 2015.

Here's the trailer.
 





Carmen Carrera Does Pioneering Her Own Way

0
0

screenshot_2015-01-04-00-22-45.png

Carmen Carrera's journey from beloved drag performer and star of the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race to fashion model (photographed by Steven Meisel) and actor (appearing alongside Meryl Streep in this year's Ricki and the Flash), all as a trans woman, has happened in the public eye.

Screen-Shot-2015-07-27-at-1.39.59-PM.jpg

Carrera's natural tenacity has armored her through the pit falls of being a media pioneer for the trans community, enduring prejudices and exploitation by an often cynical television industry. Her advocacy for the trans community comes through in meticulously strategic career decisions in acting and modeling.   

"I always approach a job, like, 'How can this benefit trans people in specific, while also getting to entertain everyone," Carmen says."It's killing two birds with one stone."

Her appearances on reality shows like ABC's social experiment What Would You Do?, and even TLC's Cake Boss, the latter of which she criticized for the show's editing of her appearance into a transphobic plot line, have been turning points for trans education on TV.

Now appearing on VH1's popular reality show Couple's Therapy with her husband, Adrian Torres, Carmen, again sees an opportunity to enlighten.

mgid-uma-image-vh1.jpg

Carrera with Torres

I planned to not mention being trans when we first arrived at the house, and just have it come up naturally during therapy sessions," Carmen says of her cast mates (including Janice Dickinson and rapper Joe Budden).

Her decision worked.

"I thought about the viewer at home who might be seeing all this for the first time," she says.

carmen-carrera-and-adrian-torres-620x347.jpg

Carrera also points out how valuable this could be for VH1, a network with strong ties to the notoriously homophobic and transphobic hip-hop community.

"Trans women of color are the most common victim of violence and murder, so it's so important for this to be on that network," Carrera says.

"I came on this show headstrong, and prepared for any ignorance; I'm willing to get in there if it's going to help or teach people something."

It's thanks to public figures like Carmen, Laverne Cox, Janet Mock, Andreja Pejic, and now, Caitlyn Jenner, that the trans community is finally getting the media lift that it so desperately needs.

That visibility has had a real effect on the crisis of violence against trans people.

"5 years ago, if a trans girl got murdered, it was normal for it to not get reported on, or even investigated," she says. "Today that's different."

In the beginning of Carmen's media career, she did not publicly identify as trans. A popular drag queen in Northern New Jersey, where she still lives today, Carrera reluctantly auditioned for RuPaul's Drag Race at the request of her friends; "It was like pulling teeth," she remembers.

Once the season aired, she was an instant viewer favorite,bonding inside the house with fellow competitors Manila Luzon (Karl Westerberg), and season winner Raja (Sutan Amrull), both of whom she counts as best friends to this day.

1cc4620ff59fe556e51822a9142c6639.jpg

However, since coming out as trans in 2012, Carmen's relationship with the show's head queen, RuPaul, became strained after her time on Drag Race and DragU.

In 2014, Carrera felt his use of the term "she-male" on the show, and an overall perceived dismissiveness of the trans experience, was deterimental.


On Ru, Carrera says, "he came from the New York club scene,dealing with hate from the outside world was literally a necessity to survive. So when I politely suggested that he and the show's producers be more aware of these issues, he didn't want to hear it."

Transphobia in the gay community is a very real thing, which Carrera can attest to.

"Since being trans is related to gender, not sexuality, many gay people see us as not belonging with the 'LGB'," she says. "But our struggles are very similar... when it comes to the rest of the world not understanding us, not accepting us or taking us seriously, not giving us jobs; right now, it's just my community's time in history to stand up... we all need to work together to achieve that."

In the meantime, Carmen has some goals.

"I want to be in Victoria's Secretand Sports Illustrated," Carrera states, and there's absolutely no reason the stunning model couldn't be.

Just this week, she opened up to TIME about her desire to be the brand's first transgender Angel.

A new petition on Change.org has sprouted up, already with 50,000 signatures, asking for Victoria's Secret to give Carrera a chance.

Appearing in these two areas, in specific--each a celebration of society's view of ideal or natural femininity--become a perfect symbol for trans inclusion.

71a70e3c0aafb8e181aa0c8c56685a90.jpg

"It would show me that we're being accounted for," Carrera says.

Watch Carmen on Couple's Therapy, Wednesdays at 10/9c on VH1. 

Why Can't Someone Make a Good Remix of the Weeknd's "Tell Your Friends?"

0
0


The Weeknd's year couldn't be better. Multiple number one songs, a number one album and he even got an amazing album deep cut, "Tell Your Friends," produced by Kanye West and Mike Dean. The song toasts to the new Weeknd's new direction of throwing away the mystery and façade that was this early-career appeal. "My cousin said I made it big and that's unusual" he sings on the final verse of the song. That kind of pompous egotism should be a great jumping off point especially for Drake, Kanye West and even Mike Dean, who have all offered their own interpretations and remixes of track. But nine of them could harness a solid remix of a song that felt perfectly made for them.



The Weeknd was the original artist that received the Drake co-sign, but the two artists haven't worked together that closely and the prospect of this remix should've been exciting. Except that instead of Drake taking this remix and making it into something that feels uniquely his -- see: "My Way", "Tuesday", "Versace" -- he instead mumbles to a past lover about how she's finally become a good women because she's no longer a good girl. Typical Drake nonsense. He sounds great over the electric instrumental, but his version does little to spark real fan curiosity.



Mike Dean, a southern rap producer with decades in the game who is also Kanye's right-hand man, does not step to the microphone with his reinterpretation. He stays behind the boards and extends the surging guitar instrumental on the track. It's not bad, per se, but the dynamism ruins the original song's tight structure. This version just feels like studio noodling -- albeit very crunchy and crisp noodling.

A couple weeks ago Kanye West uploaded a couple of tracks out of the blue to Soundcloud. One was a re-doing of his 808s and Heartbreaks opener, "Say You Will", and the other was a quasi-remix of "Tell Your Friends". West's heavily auto-tuned wailings makes it sound closer to that 808s era than anything he's done this decade. But at barely two minutes long it appears closer to a reference track than a remix that could stand up to the original.

That each took a shot should that "Tell Your Friends" isn't too hard to be remixed on a technical level. Each successive miss does show the amount of effort needed for a good remix -- it's not as easy as Drake can make it look most days. Then again this might be why artists' remixes are starting to feel out of vogue. If you can't make a song your own, best to pass than leave a half-baked attempt to collect internet dust.

Brand of Confusion: How Phil Collins Can Disrupt His Image With Fire Collabs

0
0


"I'm no longer officially retired,"Phil Collins told Rolling Stone. "The horse is out of the stable and I'm raring to go."

This is great news -- not only is Phil Collins a total baller, it's also good to hear that he's getting back to a place where he's physically capable of playing music, several years after being forced into retirement by nerve injuries. But that doesn't mean this next phase of his career is without pitfalls. Coming back to music after several years away will be difficult, in a changed landscape with different priorities.

It would probably be easy for Phil Collins to tour on the back of his old hits and not have to put in work to capture mass ears again, but we have a better suggestion: collaborating with people you totally would not expect. (His most recent attempt at working with others involved Adele, but that's too expected -- we need to dig deeper.) Here are a few people we think Phil Collins should work with.

5. Vince Staples
I don't know exactly how Vince Staples would use Phil Collins, but I do know that I can trust Vince to acknowledge that Phil Collins totally jams, that there is a good way to deploy that skill in a dark, brooding rap song probably produced by No I.D.

4. Neon Indian
Wait, wait, hear us out -- imagine Phil Collins singing on a dark, synth-y ballad like the ones on Alan Paloma's latest, VEGA INTL. Night School. It would work, trust me.

3. Florence + The Machine
This would... just be good, right? There are a lot of people doing the whole "belting" thing, but Phil Collins would do really well on a Florence + The Machine song. You know their duet would just be delightful.

2. Taylor Swift
Phil Collins is probably too-old, not-cool, and not-girl enough to be in Taylor Swift's girl gang, but imagine Collins in full "You'll Be In My Heart" ballad mode just rocking a Taylor Swift production, something in the vein of "Blank Space." Like, a remix of "Blank Space" with Phil Collins would destroy, would it not?

1. Kanye West
Phil Collins should be on "Only One." Phil Collins should be on "FourFive Seconds." Phil Collins should be the guiding light of Kanye's"adult contemporary Starbucks parody" phase. Phil Collins is our king. Long live Phil Collins.

The 1975 Channel Glam Rockers In Their New Video, "Love Me"

0
0

While we await the release of The 1975's forthcoming second album, I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it (Dirty Hit/Interscope), the band's whetted our appetites with the video of their first single, "Love Me." Frontman Matthew Healy channels androgynous '70s/'80s glam rockers in a clip directed by Diane Martel that gently pokes fun at rock star tropes and our modern-day social media habits. During a performance, we see Healy and his bandmates onstage with the singer dancing around life-size cardboard cut-outs of everyone from Elvis and Rita Ora to Charli XCX and Harry Styles, whom he makes out with. Later, we get to see a shot of the foursome in a jacuzzi. About the video, Healy says:

"With Love Me we wanted to capture the neon-hued enthralling acquisition of success and excess, the screaming momentum, the sexy daze. Everything is REDICULOUS! But, is it? The only art worth any investment is art that makes one feel personally addressed. A simple truth, or set of truths, that galvanises an awareness and passion within an individual and in doing so immerses the individual into a sense of shared experience and community founded upon that same personal connection or experience. Too many artists care what others think. We are for the 'community'! A non-linear observation on everything that has been and what will become. A lack of understanding of the world we are living in. The post-ironic notion of the modern world. Selfie mythologizing. Creating how we consume. Fragments of culture. Not settling for what you're given. WE'VE JUST COME TO REPRESENT A DECLINE IN THE STANDARDS OF WHAT WE ACCEPT."

Give it a watch above.

George and Amal Adopt Rescue Dog, Increase Their Perfection

0
0
BFA_1446131980_1497913.jpg[Photo by Billy Farrell/BFA.com]

With one year of marriage crossed off, George and Amal Clooney have decided to add another brushstroke to their portrait of human transcendence, and adopt an adorable Basset hound from the San Gabriel Humane Society in California. The gorgeous pup, who they've named Millie, is 4-years-old, and was found trolling for food in the town of San Gabriel in early October.

Fortunately, the canine gods bestowed upon Millie the shimmering bronze bounty that is the Clooneys.

Screen shot 2015-10-29 at 10.34.20 AM.pngThe couple already have one rescue in the family -- a 10-year-old Cocker Spaniel named Louie -- who they adopted in NYC; Louie accompanied his parents to meet Millie and gauge their compatibility.

Apparently, it went well.

Meanwhile, Kylie Jenner and Tyga adopted a puppy worth $50,000. We know that because Kylie captioned a SnapChat video of the uber-bred bulldog pudge pile "50k." Cool.

Screen shot 2015-10-29 at 10.45.02 AM.pngBut back to the Clooneys.

It always goes back to the Clooneys.

george-amal-clooney.jpg"Send me a photo of them," Amal will text George about the dogs, as she rides along in a bulletproof Escalade on her way to a trial, where she's representing an exiled Nepalese peace activist.

"How do you send pic on phone," George will respond, after taking 10 minutes to type.

"I'll show, you, George!" I'll reply to both of them.

What? I can dream!!!!!!

giuliana-rancic-george-clooney-amal.gif[via ET]



Viewing all 7783 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images