I think James Franco will be great hosting SNL - he seems to have the right frame of mind and would probably be willing to be a little sillier. I think it's best when the hosts are more open to stepping outside their comfort zone and when the writers can see them as more than just the one role for which they're best known. I'm not sure what to think about Taylor Lautner as a host, but my first instinct was, "Um, what?" I don't follow Twilight so I don't know how his acting is, but I don't think he's ready for something like this yet. Then again, he could turn out to be surprisingly good. I didn't have high hopes for Taylor Swift as a host but she turned out to be one of the better ones so far this season.
Maybe I'm just clueless, but who cares about Michaele and Tareq Salahi? They snuck into a party. Big fuckin' whoop. The only thing that makes it remotely interesting is the fact that they somehow beat the Secret Service, but the idea they're going to sell their story (and presumably tell how they dodged security and got direct access to the president) seems like kind of a dick move. If there really is a hole in presidential security big enough to fit a fame whore through, maybe they should help fix it rather than swap the president's safety for a shot at a shitty reality TV show and a spot on Larry King. I'm sounding increasingly like an old woman, but people these days...no respect! Whatever happened to decency? Now, who would like a hard candy from the linty recesses of my handbag?
It bothers me (somewhat irrationally, I know) that Rihanna said, "I love food because I'm from Barbados."
She does realize that lots of other folks and cultures love food too, right? I don't know why, but it just rubbed me the wrong way. I think I remember she's been quoted other times ascribing lots of things about her to Barbados, so maybe that's just her thing.
Am I the only one who has been disappointed with SNL's hosts this season? (James Franco & Muse episode, excluded). It seems like they've been catering to a younger demographic & just going with who's "hot" right now. There are so many people who are FAR more talented and proven than Blake Lively & Taylor Lautner who haven't been asked. It's getting ridiculous. This is the 35th season - you'd think they would be pulling some better people.
Also, it freaking KILLS me that an actor from Twilight was asked before one from HARRY POTTER!!! WTF SNL! The main 3 in HP crush their counterparts in Twilight (if you can even consider them counterparts... which, frankly, based on acting abilities alone, I don't!)
@marin79: hear hear
the acting in harry potter is 9574986y93475 times better than twilight. I was actually appalled by how bizarre twilight actually was - but I think that was a combination of the script, direction, and acting.
The Salahi's are from Front Royal, VA - more than 70 miles from D.C. How does this qualify them for TRHWofDC? Front Royal is at most, an outer exurb in the D.C. area. Bravo must really be pulling the bottom of the barrel for this show. I'm sure they'll not have people from Prince Georges County, even though it's right on the D.C. line. Not bourgeois enough?
@curiousgeorgiana: But they don't work in DC. IMHO,Front Royal is stretching it when there are millions of people in the D.C. area. Maybe I'll feel better if they show true representation of people in the D.C area, but I somehow doubt it from everything I've read. It'll probably be mostly folks from Northern Virginia and maybe one or two from Maryland. We'll be lucky if there is anybody that actually lives in DC on this show.
Then again, maybe folks from the inner suburbs and DC itself don't want to be on a show like this!
@curiousgeorgiana: I dunno, I'm with WashingMyHair. Were any of the NYC housewives from CT or NJ? If not, then I think all the DC housewives need to be from DC. I'm a purist that way. Oh, and I've never watched the show, so I don't know why this bothers me so much, but really? FRONT ROYAL? Might as well be TRHWof West Virginia.
@dgibber: Yeah, I just figured the DC themed show would be DC Metro, which would include NOVA and parts of MD.
I just know so many "housewives" from that area, Front Royal, Delaplane etc. that are right up this show's alley. I figured they would be stretching the definition due to the large metro area.
@WashingMyHair: Actually, given that DC has such a huge black population, and that P.G. is the largest and richest majority-black county in the country, I think it's possible (not likely, but possible) that they'll have a PG resident on Real Housewives. Just like how New Jersey and Atlanta's people showcased those places' demographics.
DC is slightly different than the other Housewives locales - most people don't live within the city itself unless they have to, which would make them unlikely subjects for the show. My bet is we'll see plenty of Alexandrians, PG-ers, and... people from Bethesda, who don't have a name.
@ladyfalcon is skin deep: Actually, many people if the inner suburbs would like to live in the city these days, if they could afford to. It;s the people from the outer burbs that have preconceived fears about the city. Even what some consider "iffy" neighborhoods are very expensive by most standards. I also guarantee that you won't see too many PG'ers! Even if it's the richest AA county in the nation, it's still treated like the step-child of the metro area by other metro area citizens, retailers, etc. I HAVE NO DOUBT that Bravo may continue with that snubbery. Though there may be one housewife from Ft. Washington to round out the cast.....possibly.
Again, mark my words, there will be more people from NOVA (most likely not from Alexandria and Arlington), but more likely Fairfax and Ashburn-ish types of areas. Maybe I'll be wrong, but I bet the representation from Maryland will be more from Potomac or Rockville on out, probably not Bethesda or Chevy Chase citizens. Maybe one from DC itself.
I hope that all of my predictions on this are wrong though.
@rodmanstreet: He has made some real clunkers, but he was also in The Departed, The Aviator, State and Main, and The Sponge Bob Square Pants Movie. That should count for something, right?
@Sputnik_Sweetheart: And for God's sake, he's making a movie with Meryl Street, albeit a romantic comedy. The grown-up romantic comedies ideally are a little more seasoned and better than the typical Kate Hudson/Matthew McConaughey shit.
He has been in movies for twenty, thirty years, so if he's tired...I can understand.
@rodmanstreet: I don't know if it's been a failure, but it's been a disappointment, at least in terms of what people were predicting for him when he first hit the scene. He was expected to be a major star, but he just never really made it past the second tier.
@heykoukla: There's only so much space on the point of the pinnacle. Lots of interesting works happens in the base camps beneath, and that's where I think he's been.
@WashingMyHair: Julia Roberts has been a bona fide lead actress, and for a long time, her name could open films - Alec Baldwin has never been in that position. I think he's great, I've always liked him (and when I say always, I mean I remember him from when he was in Knots Landing!). When he first hit, it was expected he'd be as big as, say Harrison Ford. I'd still say he's a major star - we all know his name, right? But I would say, in strict Hollywood terms, he's no Julia Roberts.
@ardentlilac: I agree. I'm referring to his failure to live up to expectations that he would be a huge box office draw. As for making interesting films and being great in them, he's no failure in that respect.
@LazyHippo: Oh, clever point. Also not necessarily a movie-opening A list star, but has had a varied and fascinating career, with some great character turns.
@morninggloria: then again, hes also had ahmedinejad and the obamas in the recent past - I think he CAN get really great and interesting people, but his bookers are shit and go for the obvious choice (and ratings)
Tiger Woods followed his announcement that he was buying a Bryant-esque ring at Zales by telling the same friend that he was going to get his wife "a real nice blouse, like one Ivanka Trump would wear" at Ann Taylor.
@hortense: AND, perhaps Tiger's GPS started talking to him, like in the creepy Jared commercials, and it startled him and he crashed. By jove, I think we've solved it!
@dcdulce: If he wants to win her back he should go with the Open Hearts by Jane Seymour(tm) collection. "If your heart is open love will always find its way in." Available only at Kay.
@curiousgeorgiana: I feel like Baldwin's comment is a very strange one to make when he has a movie coming out next month. Now I'm worried that It's Complicated is going to be super lame, which is a shame because I was looking forward to it.
@Adah: I totally forgot about that movie. Maybe he was just speaking in reference to his entire body of work as an average. Hopefully It's Complicated will still be watchable. With Meryl Strep-- it can't be that bad!
@curiousgeorgiana: I liked him in Beetlejuice. with glasses! Also, I tried really hard to find the image of him and Geena Davis with their faces stretched out but couldn't.
@curiousgeorgiana: Despite the fact that he no longer looks like Superman, I sort of though Alec was just hitting his stride...he's brilliant on 30 Rock, by NO means a bad looking older guy, and has a sort of swagger about him that he didn't have 20 years ago. Don't go, Alec, please!
The script was very, very funny so I have high hopes for the movie.
I think Alec is referring to the fact that everyone in Hollywood thought he was going to be a MAJOR movie star/leading man.
He had the looks and talent. But turned down the Jack Ryan sequel to do Broadway, he can be "difficult" on set and then the Marrying Man came out. Things were never the same after that.
@cinematheques: Oh, I know. I don't like Alec all that much, but Adam Maitland was teh awesome. Look at that outfit! The Harry Belafonte! Tiny models of the town!
Beth Ditto - she is effing AMAZING. And I agree with her... Lil Wayne really confuses me. Because in so many ways, he embodies the negative aspects of hip hop. But at the same time, and in the same song, he'll prove that he is a musical genius, an artist, an innovator, and a really cool human being. And as a person, I like him a lot. But then he'll say something stupid and stereotypical and offensive again. I'm conflicted. I can't dismiss his talent, but I can't overlook musical grossness past a certain point...
That quote is yet another reason why I fucking LOVE Rihanna. I eat constantly and I'm a natural 00. I would probably be turned down for health insurance because of this if I weren't already ruled out for a preexisting condition. It's about being healthy, and there are ways of measuring health other than weight or size or BMI.
And I thought that last dumbass quote was from Russell Brand at first. I was really disappointed till I realized it wasn't... Ugh, Joss Stone. You're only relevant because you're saying stupid shit. Which means you have no room to criticize. I hope the way Lady Gaga handled the whole Kanye thing sets an example. She was even classier about it than Beyonce.
@Calisee: She said that she refuses to criticize anyone personally. She prefers to talk about music and art, and she judges performers by their work, not who they are as people. And even if she feels one way or the other about an artist, that isn't what she's interested in talking about, and she doesn't want to create any more hate or put fans in the position where they have to take sides. She'll only come out with a public opinion on issues she feels very strongly about and is informed enough to speak on (like LGBT rights). Otherwise, she feels that people should be paying attention to her for her music, not for what she says or who's team she's on.
She also said that when the whole thing happened, she wasn't thinking about how it would affect the tour she and Kanye were planning, because Kanye is her friend, and she was thinking about him, Taylor, and Beyonce, as people. And it was just a crazy thing that happened.
All of this is from a few different interviews I've seen...
It explains how she can be friends with Perez Hilton, why she handled the thing with Christina Aguilera the way she did, and why she hasn't tried to distance herself from Madonna after so many people have compared the two... She's a really classy person who won't put anyone down. :)
@prismatism: wow, that pretty much doubles my respect for her. I didn't really have an opinion except 'she makes decent music', guess I'll be following her a lot more closely from now on.
@Calisee: I love her as a person more than I love her music, and I love her music a lot. Knowing more about her definitely makes it easier to appreciate what she's doing musically, because if you hear her without context, her songs can sound like slightly above average pop & not much else. But she's coming from a place where you'd expect her to be making experimental indie rock that has a cult following and critical respect, but isn't commercially successful, and instead, she's one of the most successful pop artists in the world. She's intentionally doing what a lot of people would say is a waste of her talent & the discomfort a lot of people have with her is exactly what she wants them to feel. :)
Sorry, I preach a lot when it comes to Gaga, because when I first heard of her I HATED her. I thought she was using Bowie and Warhol and the gay community to seem edgy without understanding them, and I thought she was talentless, but I was totally wrong & want to convert anyone else who feels the same way I did.
@prismatism: How does the statement that she only judges people by their work explain why she can be friends with Perez Hilton? His work is the problem.
@yvanehtnioj: Her way of dealing with things she disagrees with is to make her own work an example of what she thinks is right, and to speak her own opinions as clearly as she can without involving other people. She is very vocal about being against misogyny, in support of women having high self esteem and loving their bodies, taking creative risks, and being confident in your own work, knowing that it's great, and not caring what anyone else says about it. Which all counter the things Perez does that are uncool.
Her way of seeing it is, if you call someone out and publicly shame them, all you do is polarize people. You'll be preaching to the choir, and alienating the fans of the person you're calling out, making them side with a position that they wouldn't necessarily support otherwise. Plus, criticizing people is what Perez does, so criticizing him is just adding to the original problem, which is that anyone is using their fame to criticize anyone else. She has said that she is an absolutist when it comes to love and positivity, and will never fight people to change the things she sees wrong in the world. She sees the good in people & supports that, because there is good in everyone, and everyone is sort of selfish - whatever gets them the most attention, they'll do most. If that's being a misogynist who puts down young women, that's what they'll continue to do. If it's being friends with Lady Gaga, who refuses to put anyone down, then they'll want to be associated with her as much as possible. And Perez does have good qualities. He supports LGBT equality, supported Obama during the election, is against smoking, and gives a lot of attention and publicity to unknown musicians. He's not a lost cause, and her insulting him or distancing herself from him wouldn't make him more likely to change. She takes a risk by being his friend, but she knows where she stands, and hopefully her work speaks for itself, and the end result will be that she rubs off on him.
Jay-Z and Sean "Diddy" Combs rented out a $5000 a night room, complete with "padded walls and a couch, eight ounces of beluga caviar and a magnum of champagne,"
@ihateyourescalade: What I don't understand is, why are so many celebrities ashamed to admit that they choose to have Botox and/or plastic surgery? Their professions ruthlessly demand that they look perennially youthful, so why not just say (like Dolly Parton, for example), "Hell, yeah, I'm doing whatever I need to do to keep from looking like the Crypt Keeper for as long as I possibly can!" *
@Lysergic Asset: I think the difference is that for Dolly, it's all part of her act. Crawford probably wants everyone to believe she's supernaturally beautiful and wonderful and admitting to botox is like admitting to cheating.
@elaborate bacon (princessprissypants): and she did the whole skin care infomercial routine too, touting how she staved off aging with these potions and lotions.
@Lysergic Asset: Yeah, I don't know if she's still doing botox and collagen, but it irritates me when celebrities won't admit to it.
It also drives me crazy that we live in such a youth obsessed culture that once women reach a certain age magazines start putting their faces (and asses) under a microscope. Like it's shameful that they had the nerve to get older.
I'm roughly the same age as Cindy and can honestly say that I don't have crows feet - yet. Seriously. My secret? I haven't smiled in 20 years.
@RupertsDrop: My secret is: I live in a rural pueblo in Mexico and I haven't had a regular job in six years. I also have 2 mini Schnauzers who are a constant infusion of joy.
We can't change society, but there's no way it's going to make me feel any less than awesome about all aspects of my (41-year-old) self-actualizing self.
If you want to discourse more, I would love it! You can e-mail me (my screen name @ gmail.com) if you want to. Take care!
"Beauty. Old yet ever new. Eternal voice and inward word." – John Greenleaf Whittier, "The Shadow and the Light"
@jenjen: She's still doing it on late night TV. It's apparently expensive and this new little tidbit just makes me dislike her. Is she that tight for money that she's got to shill shit to insomniacs?
Back in the 70s, we'd watch the Dick Clark Awards because they mostly covered popular forms of music, so you didn't have all of the different genres, as you get from the Grammys and it was a place to see bigger productions than those on the variety shows.
Then some time in the mid to late eighties, they became kitschy and considered uncool, but now thanks to the blogosphere, cocooning and online video, they're apparently back in vogue.
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She does realize that lots of other folks and cultures love food too, right? I don't know why, but it just rubbed me the wrong way. I think I remember she's been quoted other times ascribing lots of things about her to Barbados, so maybe that's just her thing.
01:03 PM
Also, it freaking KILLS me that an actor from Twilight was asked before one from HARRY POTTER!!! WTF SNL! The main 3 in HP crush their counterparts in Twilight (if you can even consider them counterparts... which, frankly, based on acting abilities alone, I don't!)
01:28 PM
the acting in harry potter is 9574986y93475 times better than twilight. I was actually appalled by how bizarre twilight actually was - but I think that was a combination of the script, direction, and acting.
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Then again, maybe folks from the inner suburbs and DC itself don't want to be on a show like this!
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I just know so many "housewives" from that area, Front Royal, Delaplane etc. that are right up this show's alley. I figured they would be stretching the definition due to the large metro area.
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DC is slightly different than the other Housewives locales - most people don't live within the city itself unless they have to, which would make them unlikely subjects for the show. My bet is we'll see plenty of Alexandrians, PG-ers, and... people from Bethesda, who don't have a name.
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Again, mark my words, there will be more people from NOVA (most likely not from Alexandria and Arlington), but more likely Fairfax and Ashburn-ish types of areas. Maybe I'll be wrong, but I bet the representation from Maryland will be more from Potomac or Rockville on out, probably not Bethesda or Chevy Chase citizens. Maybe one from DC itself.
I hope that all of my predictions on this are wrong though.
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He has been in movies for twenty, thirty years, so if he's tired...I can understand.
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Not to say I don't love me Alec Baldwin.
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Everyone knows he went to Jared.
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I also really liked him in The Cooler. Movie had its flaws, but he was great.
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The script was very, very funny so I have high hopes for the movie.
I think Alec is referring to the fact that everyone in Hollywood thought he was going to be a MAJOR movie star/leading man.
He had the looks and talent. But turned down the Jack Ryan sequel to do Broadway, he can be "difficult" on set and then the Marrying Man came out. Things were never the same after that.
I think he's really underrated.
12:21 PM
wow. I'm speechless.
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That quote is yet another reason why I fucking LOVE Rihanna. I eat constantly and I'm a natural 00. I would probably be turned down for health insurance because of this if I weren't already ruled out for a preexisting condition. It's about being healthy, and there are ways of measuring health other than weight or size or BMI.
And I thought that last dumbass quote was from Russell Brand at first. I was really disappointed till I realized it wasn't... Ugh, Joss Stone. You're only relevant because you're saying stupid shit. Which means you have no room to criticize. I hope the way Lady Gaga handled the whole Kanye thing sets an example. She was even classier about it than Beyonce.
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She also said that when the whole thing happened, she wasn't thinking about how it would affect the tour she and Kanye were planning, because Kanye is her friend, and she was thinking about him, Taylor, and Beyonce, as people. And it was just a crazy thing that happened.
All of this is from a few different interviews I've seen...
It explains how she can be friends with Perez Hilton, why she handled the thing with Christina Aguilera the way she did, and why she hasn't tried to distance herself from Madonna after so many people have compared the two... She's a really classy person who won't put anyone down. :)
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Sorry, I preach a lot when it comes to Gaga, because when I first heard of her I HATED her. I thought she was using Bowie and Warhol and the gay community to seem edgy without understanding them, and I thought she was talentless, but I was totally wrong & want to convert anyone else who feels the same way I did.
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Her way of seeing it is, if you call someone out and publicly shame them, all you do is polarize people. You'll be preaching to the choir, and alienating the fans of the person you're calling out, making them side with a position that they wouldn't necessarily support otherwise. Plus, criticizing people is what Perez does, so criticizing him is just adding to the original problem, which is that anyone is using their fame to criticize anyone else. She has said that she is an absolutist when it comes to love and positivity, and will never fight people to change the things she sees wrong in the world. She sees the good in people & supports that, because there is good in everyone, and everyone is sort of selfish - whatever gets them the most attention, they'll do most. If that's being a misogynist who puts down young women, that's what they'll continue to do. If it's being friends with Lady Gaga, who refuses to put anyone down, then they'll want to be associated with her as much as possible. And Perez does have good qualities. He supports LGBT equality, supported Obama during the election, is against smoking, and gives a lot of attention and publicity to unknown musicians. He's not a lost cause, and her insulting him or distancing herself from him wouldn't make him more likely to change. She takes a risk by being his friend, but she knows where she stands, and hopefully her work speaks for itself, and the end result will be that she rubs off on him.
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wow, a couch?!!! CLASSY!!!
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*(paraphrase)
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It also drives me crazy that we live in such a youth obsessed culture that once women reach a certain age magazines start putting their faces (and asses) under a microscope. Like it's shameful that they had the nerve to get older.
I'm roughly the same age as Cindy and can honestly say that I don't have crows feet - yet. Seriously. My secret? I haven't smiled in 20 years.
04:33 PM
We can't change society, but there's no way it's going to make me feel any less than awesome about all aspects of my (41-year-old) self-actualizing self.
If you want to discourse more, I would love it! You can e-mail me (my screen name @ gmail.com) if you want to. Take care!
"Beauty. Old yet ever new. Eternal voice and inward word." – John Greenleaf Whittier, "The Shadow and the Light"
04:47 PM
11/23/09
Back in the 70s, we'd watch the Dick Clark Awards because they mostly covered popular forms of music, so you didn't have all of the different genres, as you get from the Grammys and it was a place to see bigger productions than those on the variety shows.
Then some time in the mid to late eighties, they became kitschy and considered uncool, but now thanks to the blogosphere, cocooning and online video, they're apparently back in vogue.