The American Today show had a segment ostensibly about "brains and beauty" that actually concerned some internet game "Would you rather be fat or [blank]", in which people go online and pick the "disability" they would prefer over suffering from obesity.
So Today show producers sent their cameras out on the street and interviewed a half-dozen people (all of them women, of course), asking "Would you rather be 40 pounds overweight and smart, or skinny and stupid?"
Now that gay marriage is legal in California, Ellen de Generes announced last week that she was marrying her Aussie girlfriend Portia de Rossi. Congratulations to them both. And their puppy dog.
The man who could be the next President of the United States (please God no), Republican candidate John McCain is an oponent of gay marriage and when he went on Ellen's show a couple days ago, Ellen challenged him on the subject. See the clip after the jump.
She's bloody cool that woman. I'd marry her.
Madge did an interview that aired in the US earlier this week where she said she thought her thighs were 'fat'. If Madonna's thighs are fat, what does that make the rest of our thighs?
Don't answer that. In this clip,she talks about her age and both she and the interviewer make some excellent points. Like: why does no-one mention the fact that Mick Jagger is - what - 75?
The whole interview after the jumpski.
On a cold Saturday morning in New York recently, 200 people from a group called Improv Everywhere staged a.....what would you call it......THING. At a pre-arranged time, they all froze in place at the exact same second and stayed there for five minutes in the middle of Grand Central station, the world's largest and busiest train station.
Check out the reaction and think about how freaky this would be if it happened to you. I love this shit.
aIn case you have better things to do than watch the AFL Footy Show - like, I don't know, eat a box of hair - you may not have heard about the latest controversy surrounding Sam Newman's appalling antics.
A couple of weeks ago, co-host Sam Newman groped a lingerie-clad mannequin dressed up as The Age's chief football writer, Caroline Wilson. He mocked the fact she wore braces and said she had a lisp.
Here's the clip - the vision quality isn't great but you'll get the gist.
Caroline Wilson came on another show to RIGHTLY label the stunt "shameful and humiliating" and demand an apology. She's extremely dignified in her reponse but is clearly distressed about it. As she should be.
I love Olivia Newton John's daughter Chloe Latanzi. Here, in a magnificent clip from the show, we see her visit her father, ONJ's ex-husband Matt Latanzi. Matt lives in a teepee. Yes he does. At one point, Chloe is telling him how hard she's finding the experience of being judged and criticised on the MTV reality show Rock The Cradle.
Her Dad looks at her, takes a cleansing breath and says "That's why I live in a teepee".
Right on Matt.
This is a video John Mayer made for Funny Or Die about "the artist's creative process"....
Oprah on Tom's couch this time. No jumping. Just a lot of self-justification and defensiveness.
Goodness, I find him scary. Controlling and scary.
Even in the second clip, Oprah seems very....stiff and like she's not loving Tom. I think she sees through the whole performance.
BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!!!
After the jump, the begining of the show when Oprah arrives and is greeted by Tom and Katie. Holding hands. I do this a lot with my husband as we walk around the house. Sometimes it makes household tasks difficult to do - you know, with only one available hand - but WE'RE IN LOVE so it's important to get that across.
What do you do in 2008 when your much older, very rich husband tries to divorce you on suspicion that you only married him for his money? You hire a film crew, make a video assasinating his character, talk in detail about how you never had sex and then post it on Youtube where more than two million people will watch it and you will become an international news story. Wait, you have to take your meds first and wash them down with a bottle of vodka.
After watching this video, I'm siding with the husband....
In other fascinating news, the colour wheel is going to stop turning for a while on today's version. Maybe I'll change it once a week. Ultimately it will come down to my concentration span and boredom threshold......I'm thinking this is a sign that she has too much money or too much time. Or too big an appartment. Or all of the above. And all her lingerie is on COAT-HANGERS. Colour-coded.
Take a look at this clip from her Oprah interview giving a guided tour for the world because - well, I have no idea why you would do that.....oh wait, she has an album to sell and girlfriend needs to make more money so her socks can also have their own closet bigger than some houses.
Last night I had dinner with my friend Zoe who said I should post about the pack-bashing of a cheerleader in America by 6 of her "friends". They invited her over to one of their houses and then attacked her for 30 minutes.
Oh, and they filmed the whole thing to put up on Youtube and Myspace (the video has been seized by police who have charged all the attackers) to show how tough they were and also as a warning to others not to cross them. I don't want to put it up on mamamia because it is sickening.
But here is a news report about it from CBS:
A girl's voice can be heard on the original tape saying: "There's only 17 seconds left; make it good." The victim in the attack, Victoria Lindsay, suffered a concussion, loss of hearing in one ear, damage to her left eye and numerous bruises.
The beating continued way after she was unconscious. What you see above is after she regained consciousness.
Good news, Peeps. Olivia Newton John's oddly-faced daughter didn't get voted out of the MTV reality show Rock The Cradle despite this dodge performance last week.
On this week's episode, it was parents' choice and LIv chose "I hate everything about you" for her daughter to sing. And oh, how she sang it.....
[COLOUR NOTE: no, we haven't stopped forever at orange. Will be changing later today and each day as promised until I get bored of it]
Meet La Pequeña Winehouse. She was born a he and now he/she is a very small Amy Winehouse impersonator. And, well, look, I'm not sure if this is appalling or funny. You tell me......
Oh my giddy aunt.....here we go. The promo for Mr Pregnant Man's interview with Oprah tomorrow. Will post excerpts from interview itself here as soon as they're available.
This ad is fab. It's an anti racism ad from Malaysia. I'm not sure if I want to adopt that little guy or bags him to marry my daughter......
Second part of the interview after the jump.
Love this Celine spoof. Took me a minute to realise it was not, in fact, Celine.
I can't believe we haven't discussed So You Think You Can Dance. Because I haven't been this fixated on a reality show - hell, ANY show - since the first series of Big Brother with Sara-Marie.
This show is gold and I live for it. It's hard to say what's my favourite part but I'll try to keep it to a brief summary:
1. Matt's hat. It's so jaunty.
2. Everything about Jason. I am obsessed with him in a platonic way. I just want him to be on TV constantly, reading the news, the weather, doing breakfast, starring in Cashmere Mafia (that's the only way I might actually watch that show....)
3. The dancers. I am bereft when they are eliminated. I can't comprehend I will never again see Cassy and Marko and Camilla and Sermsah.
4. The dancing. It feels a bit like I've done exercise after watching them leap about for an hour.
5. The new words I now use in casual conversation. Like Chorry.
6. Natalie's hair. I barely recognise her from show to show and that's fun.
7. The costumes. I would very much like to own them so I could play dress ups in the privacy of my bedroom.
8. The dancers' make-up. It never smudges even when they are sweaty. And I love that they all got their teeth bleached so their smiles are flourescent.
I could go on. I'm no fan of Idol. Any 15 year old born with some talent can be a star and they all end up looking and sounding the same to me. But with SYTYCD, these are professionals who have spent YEARS honing their craft. They're athletes and their bodies and styles are all so different. And how much more articulate are they than Idol contestants, let alone Big Brother ones.....
I also love how I am now a dance expert and the fourth judge. "She soooo out-danced him" I announce confidently, slightly surprised when a real judge doesn't back me up.
I do dearly hope there will be a live show that tours the country. Sign me up for the front row of that.
There's a story in today's paper by a famous choreographer who says the show is 'hideous' and 'a fast-food version of dance'. Jealous? Methinks so.
More behind-the-scenes videos after the jump.....
This clip from the US reality show Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp is worth watching if you are feeling hungry or are on a diet. Or if you are thinking about going on a diet. Diets are baaaaad and here is the proof.
You KNEW there was a reason why you ate that Chunky Kit Kat, right? Because it makes you a nicer person, yes it does.
The 'celebrity' losing her shit in the most spectacular way is former America's Next Top Model contestant Toccarra who doesn't look particularly fat to me. Give the girl a grande mocha frappuccino somebody. Please.
Right now there are a whole bunch of 'celebrities' who I don't understand. Truly, I don't get what they do or why they are in magazines. Someone called Lauren Conrad. And Kim Kardashian are two shining examples of such 'celebrities' - and boy, do I use that term LIGHTLY.
On The View this week, Barbara Walters - God bless her, she must be 80-something by now - asks the damn obvious: "you're very pretty but what do you DO". It's highly amusing to watch Kim stumble around to try and find an answer. Nominations for other 'celebrities' you don't get?
As much as I wish I didn't have to say this, I do love Britney's song "Piece of Me". Yes, I know this doesn't say a lot for my musical tastes but they have never been particularly highbrow. This new single? I'm not so sure. But high five to her record company for thinking outside the square (or, the mental hospital) and finding a way to release a Britney video without Britney actually in it. Is it good? Oh no, it's a shocker. But it's still infinitely preferable than having to watch the girl herself writhe around in hot pants, ripped fishnets and those awful brown boots.
Yesterday, New York Governer Eliot Spitzer held a press conference to confess to America that yes, he'd been busted with a prostitute. According to investigators: "he was clearly a repeat customer who spent tens of thousands of dollars with the high-priced prostitution service over an extended period of time". Nice.
But worse even than that...did he have to drag his poor wife along to stand next to him at his 'mea culpa' press conference? Silda Wall Spitzer is a Harvard law graduate, corporate lawyer and mother of Eliot's 3 daughters. In short, no dummy.
I can't begin to imagine what could have made him ask her to stand there or what made her agree......the press conference below is cringe-making......
Seriously, the challenge on a recent episode of America's Next Top Model was for the girls to pose with homeless women and portray their inner struggle. I'm struggling not to cringe and then maybe vomit.
Having worked in mags for a long time and having conceived many a photo shoot, it's not often that a fashion editor will suggest "I'm seeing, like, a homeless person and maybe some rags with, like a cardboard sign and some fingerless gloves." My office used to be across the street from a park where lots of actual homeless people lived. The worlds of fashion and homelessness don't often merge. AND THERE'S A GOOD REASON FOR THAT TYRA BECAUSE IT IS SICK AND INSENSITIVE.
Click below if you want to see all the girls and their homeless shots.
On the PR trail for her new album, Janet Jackson tries to teach Larry King how to dance. Seriously. It involves repeated exhortations to "hug yourself Larry".
More of the interview - click below.
Now this is what I call rehabilitation. 1500 inmates of a Philippines prison perform MC Hammer's You Can't Touch This. One of my all-time favourite songs. Top of my pops. And those orange jumpsuits? They da bomb.
After the jump, THRILLER!!!! This could possibly be my new favourite thing. I wonder if they take requests. I'd love to see some Kylie.
Because you know you want to see it, here is the brand new trailor for the Anna Nicole movie. It's unclear whether this will be a cinematic release but it totally should be because I'm thinking Oscar. My favourite part may be the voice-over guy who, I'm sorry, sounds like he's maybe.....holding his script with one hand. Ahem.
So. Have you seen the movie Juno? It's about a precocious teenager who gets pregnant to her geeky boyfriend and then gives the baby up for adoption. It's one of the few Oscar-nominated movies that doesn't include psychopathic killers and violent death so I'm a fan. The star of the film is Ellen Page who was nominated for an Oscar last week. Didn't win. Cute as.
Rumours are flying this week that she's a lesbian. One blogger noted that when you google "Ellen Page boyfriend', not many entries come up. Well, that seals the deal then! Case closed! She's gay! Stick her on a Mardi Gras float and call it a day.
Another blogger noted that the person she took to the Oscars was a woman with short hair. Gay! Gay! Gay!
Ellen herself has come out (so to speak) on Saturday Night Live which she hosted last weekend, to do a very amusing skit on the whole subject of lesbians. See for yourself.
After the jump, an interview from earlier this year she did with Letterman. This girl is cool and WHAT a refreshing antidote to the Gen Y celebutards....
So there's this fairly appalling quiz show in the US on the Fox network called The Moment of Truth.
Contestants are asked yes or no questions, if they tell the truth they earn more money, but if they lie they lose it all. Last night’s episode featured a wife, Lauren, who painfully humiliated and destroyed her husband Frank on national TV for a chance to win $500,000. She was asked if she married the wrong guy, ever pretended to be single, if she had sex with another man during her marriage, and the toughest question of all....watch the video to find out.
I really wish there was a Brad and Angelina channel on Foxtel. I would just like to look at them and they're rainbow kiddies all day. Beats CNN.
Heidi Klum seems to do a LOT of publicity. Last week she was all "Britney should come live with me!" which was a terrific idea given that Heidi has three babies at home and Britney is, let's be kind, u--n-s-t-a-b-l-e.
Now she's on Ellen, cooking balls and explaining what one actually does with them (especially brown balls - Heidi's words, not mine) because, you know, Ellen doesn't have a lot of experience there.....
So if you saw the most excellent video made by comedian Sarah Silverman for her comedian boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel you will get another huge giggle out of the revenge video Jimmy made for Sarah. Oh he's raised the stakes and then some.
Click below to see how many of the all-star cameo cast you spotted.......you'll be surprised.......
Nothing spontaneous every happens at the Oscars. Rarely does anyone get drunk or break a heel or say anything inappropriate. It's all stultifying Stitched Up.
Until Gary Busey comes along. I'm not even sure who he is...name vaguely familiar, looks a bit like Nick Nolte, think he may have been an actor. A bad one. Who knows how he got an Oscars ticket but he sure made the most of it. Poor Jennifer Garner....
Now I'm going to shock some people here and admit that I'm not averse to dropping the c-bomb myself on occasion. My mum, a wonderful feminist, always told me that as it was a word used to describe a particularly important part of the female anatomy, it was important not to use it as a term of abuse. I assumed this meant I could greet her fondly with "Hello, you lovely c---!". But alas, I am inclined to use it - albeit only occasionally - as a term of abuse. I love my feminine parts and respect those of all other women, but my golly, sometimes you just need a word that's going to shock and convey a certain depth of feeling. Possibly because the f-word has become so over-used and now has a similar shock value to wallpaper, the c-word seems to be on more, er, lips that it used to be. I do love the way Jane just drops this so casually on live American TV and the host, Meredith Viera, tenses visibly but then just breezes through it.
Manuel Uribe is the world's fattest man. But if you're keen to take that particular title for yourself, I bring good news! Manuel is losing weight. Because he is in love. So just keep eating, confine yourself to bed for, say, 15 years and in no time, you could be kicking Manuel's fat ass (which is getting skinnier) out of the record books.
At his fattest, he weighed 572kg but since hooking up with Claudia, he's lost 259kg. His goal weight is a highly ambitious 120kg.
Claudia used to be married to Manuel's friend but her husband died from....obesity. Methinks Claudia might be a Fat Chaser. Whatever turns you on, really. Unlike Claudia, I think I'd struggle to feel amorous after performing some of the personal hygiene tasks Manuel requires...like the weekly changing of his sheets.
But this clip is part yucky, party heart-warming. I particularly love the bits where he dances in bed.
This heaven song shows a typical conversation between a teenage boy and his dad. It's going ballistic on youtube, taking the image of the Aussie grunting teen boy to the world.
My son is 10 and we talk. A lot. I am told that boys stop talking and start grunting at about age 12 and don't start speaking in sentences again until late teens, early twenties. True or false?
It's not just that Paris Hilton is in it but the entire premise makes me want to throw a heavy object into my computer screen.
To see what Paris's publicist looks like, click below. Perhaps if she's taking advice from this man, her choice of movies makes more sense.
Ok, so there's this comedian in the US called Jimmy Kimmel who does a late night show and has a huge following. He's like a younger, cooler Jay Leno. With cred. His girlfriend is another comedian called Sarah Silverman. She's also very cool. They have this running joke about her crush on Matt Damon. For Jimmy's birthday, she made this excellent video. Maybe turn down the sound if you're at work.
Here is Justin Timberlake's new commercial for Pepsi. He turned 27 this week and is arguably the world's hottest pop star - hot in a successful way and also, according to some, in like a hot hot way.
Beyonce Knowles was also a child star. And Christina Aguliera and they have their shit together. I'm just saying.
London commuters got a little bit a of free entertainment yesterday when a group of people got out of their seats and busted out Michael Jackson's "Thriller." They performed the routine and then sat down like nothing ever happened.
Could this be the answer to the over-crowding on our roads? We need more choreographed routines on our public transport I say.
Montel Williams is an American talk-show host. Here he is on the Fox Morning Show, railing against the coverage of Heath Ledger's death and comparing one life to the 28 soldiers who died in Iraq the day before.
And what about the Iraqi civilians! How many of them died! It's not just about Amercians, Montel....
Look, I think the war is appalling and messy and I'm not proud to say that I change the channel and turn the page of the paper when Iraq news comes up. But Heath? Oh I'm reading everything about that.
Was his life more important than the people dying in wars or famines around the world? i've certainly not seen a death media frenzy like the Heath one for years....since.....well, Anna Nicole certainly didn't get this kind of coverage.
What do you think? Are we being death voyeurs. Should we just let him be buried and move on?
*warning: you may want to shower after you watch this clilp of the interview Slimeball sold to Entertainment Tonight.
So there's this new dance trend in Brazil called the Funk de Cueca. In the fine traditions of silly dances like the Macarena and The Chicken Dance, this is what's floating boats all over Brazil.
Youtube is full of videos of people doing the Funk de Cueca but here is one I thought we could all enjoy: some teenage boys doing it in the underwear.
From Amy to Britney to the tragedy of Heath, it's been a tragic week in Hollywood and blogland. We all need some light relief I think.
The interviewer is Suzy Menkes, the quite nutty yet iconic fashion writer for the International Herald Tribune. She's interviewing the Spice Girls backstage at Roberto Cavalli's men's collection.
I've always thought she was incredibly beautiful. Not sure if she had a personality but well, now? I think she's had personality lipo since she married Tom. Check out her appearance on David Letterman where he desperately tries not to ask about Andrew Morton's book or Tom or Scientology or actually anything.
I can't decide whether I'm interested to see this movie or not. When SATC finished, I was a bit bummed and I didn't love the final episodes. I found Carrie had become stupid and needy and really rather pathetic in Paris with that silly Russian who treated her like dirt. Somehow, the whole thing was anti-climactic. I'd stopped cheering for Carrie - let alone identifying with her - and started to just want to smack her a little bit and say STOP WHINING AND BEING SO SELF-CONSCIOUSLY WHIMSICAL.
And then....and then, in the aftermath, so much came out about the none-too-cosy relationship between Kim Catrall and the others and it all just got a bit...spoilt for me. So my care factor was low when I heard that the movie was happening.
Now that I see the trailor though...the fashion looks good and it all looks kinda glossy and fun and maybe I will go see it. There's something rather iconic about SATC for women around my age. I wonder if it will be like Baby Boomers going to see The Rolling Stones doing those endless world tours in their sixties, trying to recapture the magic?
Are they on crack? I've never seen a more depressing bunch of primping, preening, pouting thirty-somethings. AND THEY HAVE KIDS. Yes, we know they've got good bodies that may or may not be the work of good surgeons and extensive lipsuction.
But do they have to writhe around in their undies? Ironic really that Sporty is the only one who ISN'T a mother and she's the only one who doesn't look like an expensive hooker. Remember when they bounced around singing about girl power? Now they look like they barely have the energy to lift their hands for a manicure or undo their own perky bra straps.
Or am I just being a total prude and this is what being a yummy mummy or thirty-something celebrity entails these days?
Tyra Banks has now eclipsed all other supermodels as the most recognisable model in America. I read that somewhere. She is the new Oprah. But skinny. Ab Fab's French & Saunders have done this quite fabulous tribute to The Tyra. You go, Sistah Girlfriend.
