Subject: Celebrity News

• Milk, Happy-Go-Lucky Top NY Film Critics Awards

  December 10, 2008

• Anne Hathaway Fix Evaporates at Golden Globes

  We weren't even going to mention the Golden Globes until we saw it on the front page of the New York Times -- who ever thought the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, once described as "100 stringers living off hors d'oeuvres," would gather such respect! -- but now we're duty-bound to mention that Anne Hathaway did not, as suggested by last week's website gaffe, win a Best Actress award at last night's ceremonies. So either the Globes are less corrupt than previously assumed, or more clever a

  January 12, 2009

• Grammys Fawn over Coldplay and Plant/Krauss, Set Race Relations Back 20 Years

  Good for you. As any self-respecting Grammy live blog will have told you by now, the highlight of last night's occasionally lively fiasco was undoubtedly the "Rap Pack" black-and-white "Swagga Like Us" blowout, ostensibly starring Jay-Z/Kanye/Wayne/T.I. but dominated by a stupendously pregnant M.I.A., rocking some sort of sheer ladybug maternity outfit and gamely thrusting about despite the possibility that her water could break at any moment. This is the stuff of riveting musical drama. Rad

  February 9, 2009

• Age, Beauty Before Youth at Grammys

  Despite myriad concessions to modishness and a Twitter feed, it was a Steely Dan sort of year at the Grammys as Robert Plant and Alison Krause's Raising Sand won five awards including Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year ("Please Read the Letter"), and awards in the Country and Contemporary Folk/Americana categories. Lil Wayne ("Tha Carter III") won four rap awards, Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" was named Best Song, Adele ("Chasing Pavements") won Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Performanc

  February 9, 2009

• It's Oscar Night: The Liveblog!

  Welcome to the Village Voice's not-really-annual Oscar liveblog! Feel the electricity. Not sure if you've heard, but: This year's Academy Awards will be UNLIKE ANY YOU'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE! First of all: They've hired an architect to design the set. Money well spent. Next: Taking a page from The Michael Steele Guide to Kids These Days, the Academy is ruthlessly targeting the youth demo with Australian Dance Award winner and musical theater showman Hugh Jackman as this year's host. Jazzy! And l

  February 22, 2009

• Liveblogging the Academy Oscar Awards! Part III!

  Additional, excellent live-blogging here with Allison Benedikt at Sound of the City. The King of All Oscar Predictors walks among you in Part III. Will this hubris bring us low? Watch and judge! Oh no, Ben Stiller, you are not. Natalie Portman, good straight woman. Stiller probably thinks he's Chaplin now, getting laughs with silence -- next he's gonna remake Monsieur Verdoux. "Hasidic meth lab" is pretty funny. OK, now Cinematography goes to... ahem. Slumdog. Millionaire. Hey, all the winne

  February 22, 2009

• Why Milk Stars a Hetero!

  Plus, singer-dancer Chita Rivera, drag queen Linda Simpson, and "Boys Gone Wild" at Mr. Black

  December 10, 2008

• On Britney Spears's Sadly Generic Circus

  More blandishments from the dance floor

  December 10, 2008

• On the Method Behind Beyoncé's Multiple-Personality Madness

  The importance of being Sasha Fierce

  December 17, 2008

• 2008 Film Poll Results

  December 31, 2008

• Janelle, Erykah, and Santogold Are the Afro-Techno Revolution

  January 21, 2009

• Rappers for Obama, and Vice Versa

  Why Young Jeezy and his revitalized ilk owe our new president more than he owes them

  January 21, 2009

• FINE FORMS

  March 4, 2009

• Which Half of Brangelina is Getting Shafted by Oscar?

  You read it here first! You'll be all chirpy and happy!

  January 14, 2009

• The Queen 2: This Time It's Personal

  How long before we get a sequel to the Oscar winning The Queen, with Helen Mirren recoiling as American First Lady Michelle Obama (played by Angela Bassett), dares to touch her royal-assed self? The film will examine the conflicting emotions inherent in a situation involving the first time the Queen has ever touched a black person and also the first time Michelle has touched a queen (except for the time she wished Elton John a happy birthday). Start polishing the Oscars again!

  April 3, 2009

• AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MUSE

  April 22, 2009

• Sporadically Vibrant Reports From the R&B Salt Mines with Ciara and Chrisette Michele

  New jams for low-riders and supper clubs, respectively

  May 6, 2009

• 'The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion' at the Met

  The Costume Institute's latest exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum is "The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion," sponsored by Marc Jacobs. The outlandish exhibition captures the evolution of fashion models from the last half of the 20th century while also delving into fashion photography, clothing, and the ways that the best models defined and inspired their respective generations--from the postwar resurgence of American fashion led by the sophisticated glamour of Dorian Leigh to the '90s skin-and-b

  May 6, 2009

• American Idol Top 3 Results: The Live-Blog

  CR: Ray Mickshaw / FOXL-R: Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert, Kris Allen. The exhilarating moment of truth (for this week, anyway) has finally come. Will Douchebag Gokey's backroom-of-a-bar performances last night earn him the well-deserved boot? Will Kris Allen's Beautiful Bubble finally burst? Will Adam ever be too gay for America? It's too close to call! And here's Ben Stiller! And Ben Hader, Hank Azaria, and Jonah Hill! Not so slyly promoting their new film and make fun of Paula all in one bout.

  May 13, 2009

• Found: World's Least Persuasive Apartment-Share Ad Reply

  So we've all heard that one silver lining to the whole economic meltdown is that New York is

  June 22, 2009

• Live: No Doubt and Paramore Stay Young at Jones Beach

  No Doubt/Paramore Jones Beach Theater Saturday, June 27 "I always thought I'd be a mom" is not the most obvious applause line at a rock concert. But when Gwen Stefani cooed just that in the middle of the conflicted 2000 power ballad "Simple Kind of Life," the thousands of girls-- teens with teens, teens with moms, twentysomethings without moms-- that filled up the Jones Beach Theater on Saturday roared in approval. Much of the gut acknowledgment was thanks to simple tabloid recognition--peopl

  June 29, 2009

• RIP, Michael Jackson

  Let's put all jokes aside for a moment---all sardonic reminiscences of the Jesus juice, the child-dangling, the courtroom appearance in pajamas. Let's brush away any remembrances of his bizarre insistence on being called the King of Pop long after his career had been way overshadowed by his personal hijinx and bizarre epaulets. Let's eradicate all cracks about his retractable nose, his whitefaced-features, his pet monkey, and his Disney-style ranch filled with representations of Pinocchio, whos

  June 25, 2009

• Monday Michael Jackson News Roundup

  The weekend saw a host of news reports that make us all wonder how we didn't see Michael Jackson's death coming. But no matter how many tales of the King of Pop's fragility there are, we still can't believe he's gone. It's impossible to sort through all the speculation, but here are the depressing findings so far:-- First, the autopsy: Los Angeles County medical examiners found Jackson had taken unspecified prescription medication at the time of his death. The coroner's office has also dispelled

  June 29, 2009

• Michael Jackson: The Man in Our Mirror

  July 1, 2009

• Emmy Nominees Include The Family Guy, Ernest Borgnine; Jon & Kate Snubbed

  Emmy-nominated The Family Guy featuring Emmy-nominated Seth MacFarlane. For us the joy of the Emmy Nominations, announced this morning, is in the less-well-known categories. We see that there are only two shows, for instance, up for Outstanding Children's Nonfiction Program: Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am? with Maria Shriver, about Alzheimer's, and Nick News With Linda Ellerbee/Coming Home: When Parents Return from War. We'd love to hear kids' reactions to these, or to hear nominees for Outsta

  July 16, 2009

• Who's The Biggest Pop Diva of All?

  Which glorious singer with female private parts do you feel reigns over all the other pretenders (and no, this has nothing to do with "Now that Jacko's gone...") The top diva choices are: Lady Gaga. Her three songs are fee-eerce. Will her future be so bright she still has to wear shades? Rihanna. Bad taste in men, but great taste in producers. Please don't stop her music.

  July 16, 2009

• I AM SOMEONE, DAMN IT!

  July 28, 2009

• 'The Be Yourself Tribute to Michael Jackson with Danny Tenaglia'

  July 28, 2009

• No, Yanks, This Doesn't Mean You Get a Do-Over

  ​Lawyers have leaked that Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, stars of the Red Sox teams that won the World Series in 2004 and 2007, tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003, the first year Major League Baseball tested for steroids. Other previously-revealed members of that class of 100 or so include Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and Sammy Sosa. Ramirez got a 50-game suspension for PED earlier this year, but till now Ortiz had not been tied to their use -- at least, not officially

  July 30, 2009

• This is the Kind of Morning It's Been: Tiger Woods Farts

  A video of Tiger Woods allegedly farting on the 18th hole of the Buick Open -- or, as breaking news site Uploaded Channel puts it, "Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods farts, Tiger Woods fart video, Tiger fart, Tiger Farts, Buick open fart, Buick open" -- has been burning up the internet. But now the video has been removed "due to a copyright claim by PGA TOUR." So eventually you may be asked to pay for footage of Tiger Woods farting -- just like quotes from AP dispatches. Carry on.

  August 3, 2009

• Who Should Perform at The Michael Jackson Tribute?

  ​On September 26, Vienna will be home not to just mountains of high-caloric wiener schnitzel, but to scads of bad-for-you stars singing their love for Michael Jackson so they can gain a mass televised audience and revive their careers. It's basically the memorial all over again, but without all those silly speeches and tributes.

  August 13, 2009

• Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Kanye Will Be Here Long After the World's RAV4 Dealerships Have Gone Extinct

  You gotta give it to Jay-Z, Kanye, and Rihanna--they are absolutely not afraid to suggest that when the world has ended and all the BMWs are just burned out husks and humans have to wear masks and bandanas to survive, they will still rule all of us. Video: Jay-Z feat. Rihanna & Kanye West - Run This Town [Nah Right]

  August 20, 2009

• DO YOU REMEMBER THE TIME?

  August 25, 2009

• DO YOU REMEMBER THE TIME?

  August 25, 2009

• DO YOU REMEMBER THE TIME?

  August 25, 2009

• Doug Hughes's Labor of Love and Reprisal, Royal Family

  September 8, 2009

• Live: Jay-Z Celebrates Life, Death, and The Blueprint 3 at Madison Square Garden

  Jay-Z and Madison Square Garden have a little history between them. In 2003, on the occasion of his retirement, Jay-Z recorded his MSG farewell concert on 35MM film. That footage became Fade To Black, the single best concert film of the decade. In 2009, on the occasion of the eight year anniversary of the single worst atrocity committed against America (and Jay-Z's sixth album, The Blueprint), the Fuse network aired the concert live. So...what's that saying about diminishing returns? Last nig

  September 12, 2009

• Kanye West Ruins Everything at MTV Awards

  ​Fond as we are of his music, Kanye West is such an egomaniac that we are unsurprised to learn he interrupted Taylor Swift's Best Female Video award at the stupid MTV Awards last night, grabbing the mic and explaining to the nonplussed honoree and audience that Swift's fellow nominee Beyonce "had one of the best videos of all time." Thereafter the crowd booed his ass every chance it got. We find Swift ridiculous and still cannot endorse this gesture, as it seems inspired less by genuine c

  September 14, 2009

• The Highs and Lows of the VMAs

  ​So the channel that doesn't show videos anymore gave its annual awards to videos, and as usual, there were weirdnesses. (For example, if Beyonce didn't win Best Female Video, how could she win Video of the Year?) But there were astounding performances, all reflecting the sense that no longer can someone just stand still and belt a tune to get attention. You must dance and gyrate, backed by dozens upon dozens of dancers in perfect synch with you (like Beyonce)

  September 14, 2009

• Nobody Puts Patrick Swayze In A Corner

  ​The sick joke going around these last few months was, "What do Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson want for Christmas? Patrick Swayze!" Alas, they didn't even wait till Thanksgiving. And I can tell you from personal experience that Swayze, while not exactly DeNiro-like in dramatic stature, was a very affable man who livened up many a red carpet event for me through the years. He was always accessible and quick with the sound bites, seeming to sense that it was part of his job as a movie s

  September 16, 2009

• Jockbeat: Yankees' MVP? Allen Barra Ranks Jeter Fifth

  With all the talk of Derek Jeter as the possible MVP winner for 2009, an important question has been overlooked: who is the Yankees MVP? Bill Madden inadvertently weighed in on the issue last Sunday with a piece headlined "Ring In The Old -- Yanks rediscover formula for success: more Jeter, less A-Rod & AL-proven arms." Madden's thesis, pretty much summed up by the subtitle to the story, is that "the erosion of the Yankees' championship mantra could be explained by their big acquisitions s

  September 16, 2009

• Kylie Minogue

  October 6, 2009

• PORTRAIT OF A PRESIDENT

  October 6, 2009

• A Suggestion to Remedy the Injustice of Jay-Z Performing "Empire State of Mind" at Game One of the World Series

  ​Is it Jay-Z's turn to ether a Philadelphia sports team? 76ers fans will not forget the day, back in 2001, when Beyonce and the rest of Destiny's Child emerged at halftime for Game Two of the Finals, IN PHILADELPHIA, wearing Laker jerseys--the prelude to first a tremendous amount of booing, and then a Philly defeat, the first of four straight. Now, apparently, Jay-Z is looking to get in on wifey's act: Rap Radar reports that Jay and Alicia Keys have been conscripted to perform "Empire Stat

  October 26, 2009

• Bill Simmons, Court Jester

  October 27, 2009

• Bruce! Sam! Billy! Bonnie! Live From The Ludicrously Star-Studded MSG Rock Hall Extravaganza

  Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Celebration Madison Square Garden Thursday, October 29 The first half of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's two-night benefit concert and 25th-anniversary celebration lasted six hours, ended at 1:30 a.m. and featuring star-studded sets by curators Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash, with guests ranging from Billy Joel to Tom Morello to doo-wop legends Little Anthony and th

  October 30, 2009

• LEBRON BRINGS IT HOME?

  November 3, 2009

• WHAT A FOX!

  November 3, 2009

• Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin as Oscar Hosts!

  ​Remember the comedy team of Martin and Lewis? Hello? Well, brace yourselves for Martin and Baldwin! Yep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will cohost the Oscars next year, and they should do pretty well, especially if no one tells them that Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. unceremoniously turned the gig down. Clearly, the producers were going after duos because (a) This way, they get to straddle different demographics; (b) If one of the two ends up sucking, maybe the other one won't; and

  November 4, 2009

• Bondage Lambert, Dead Michael Jackson Enliven American Music Awards

  In entertainment news, American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert performed simulated bondage sex, including fellatio and reverse buttsecks ("This was not family entertainment"), and engaged in lascivious melisma during the American Music Awards, which gave four prizes (Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, Favorite Pop/Rock Album, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B Album) to the deceased Michael Jackson. Also, Jennifer Lopez fell down. ("Honey, if that was your comeback, fire the baby s

  November 23, 2009