Jezebel: Nbc

Style Icon, Designer Victoria Beckham Gets Surreal

Sadie — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:30:00 EST

Wanna see Posh's designs, complete with lampshades and elephant-trunk headpieces? Check out the new commercial for her fashion line. [Fashionista]
"The video sees various models taking inspiration from Posh’s own ads for Marc Jacobs last season by hiding themselves all over a large mansion – behind drawers, in carrier bags, hanging behind doors, turning themselves into lamp shades and transforming themselves into an elephant." [Sassybella]
Says Posh: “Being in the Spice Girls, fashion-wise probably didn't open any doors. If anything it shut doors and I've had to bang them down.” [Times Online]
A New York bridal shop is knocking off the Vivienne Westwood wedding gown in which Carrie Bradshaw was jilted. [New York Post]

Notify jeans classifies butts into three categories. [Guanabee]
Apparently Katie Holmes is surrounded by a whole gaggle of other moddles for her ballyhooed Miu Miu campaign. [New York]
Uniqlo beats the odds, is up 32%. [WWD]
This, we like: Kate Moss is teaming up with Liberty to use their classic floral prints in her next Top Shop collection. [WWD]
"Liberty are already working with Topshop on a lingerie collaboration, which launched in stores yesterday, though exactly how Moss will use the London store's iconic prints is still under wraps." [ElleUK]
Michelle Obama's Vogue cover's not a sure thing. Neither, apparently is Anna Wintour's job! [New York]
Meanwhile, Michelle continues to boost young designers: the latest beneficiary is Jason Wu. [WSJ]
Oh noes! J. Crew and Bloomies knocked out on a prime shopping day by website malfunctions. [Crains]
So why is the entire payroll of NBC in this batch of holiday Gap ads? [Jossip]
Luxury luggage gets extra-ridiculous to woo reluctant jet-setters. [IHT]
Zara's founder is funding alternative energy solutions in Spain. [Business Week]
Pre-fall collection peeks for Versace, DKNY, Alexander Wang, Armani, Missoni! [WWD]
Supermodel Miranda Kerr has been replaced as the face of Australia's oldest department store. [AdAge]
The “2009 Shop with a Conscience Consumer Guide" is a cheat-sheet to apparel made under ethical conditions. [WWD]
Helena Christensen's line for Pilgrim jewelry is "typically, ethnically-inspired and feminine, in both delicate orchid-pastels and strong, spicy colours, priced between £10 and £100." [Telegraph]
Victoria's Secret tries to go higher-end with a new flagship, "a level of elegance that casts the flirty and frilly lingerie and romantic beauty products in a softer, luxurious light." [WWD]

Jungle Fever

Maria — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:20:00 EST

Are you a fan of Lipstick Jungle? Then you might want to consider actually tuning in to watch this season's remaining episodes instead of relying on your DVR. The show has been facing cancellation for some time because of the low number of viewers who watch the show during its scheduled airtime. NBC says it has a "magnifying glass" on the show in hopes of seeing a rating increase which might save the series from cancellation. [NY Times]

The World Of Ryan Lochte Is One Of Diamond Grills And Bad Doodles

Intern Margaret — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:20:00 EDT

We've all enjoyed drooling over pictures of the U.S. men's swim team over the past few days, but if you care about the man behind the body, you must watch this clip of Ryan Lochte, which aired before his backstroke heat this morning. Some commenters have suggested that Lochte may be a more worthy lust object than Michael Phelps, and while there's no doubt that Ryan Lochte is both talented and beautiful, evidence has emerged which may influence your pick for favorite water boy. Can you still love a man who sports a diamond-studded grill? A guy who thinks he's "different" because he liked to throw rocks while all the other kids were playing tag? A man who considers himself an artist because he draws doodles of "rain going up" and fish that turn into comets? Be warned: these are the quandaries one must consider upon entering "The World According to Lochte."

The Baby Borrowers Shows Dumb Teens That Parenting Is Hard

Maria — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:30:00 EDT

It sure seems like a lot of teens are getting pregnant these days, and seeing pictures of Jamie Lynn Spears cheerfully roaming around Wal-Mart isn't really sending a message that baby-raisin' is hard to do. Seeing an education possibility (and by "education" we mean "ratings and profit") in this new "trend," NBC has created a reality TV show, The Baby Borrowers, based on a BBC program in the UK. The show follows five couples in their late-teens, all of "varying social and ethnic backgrounds", who want to experience the process of raising a child. Each week, the couples are given a new person to care for, ranging from infant to old person, and a major message is communicated: parenting is really hard! But did we need a TV show to tell us that? The critics weigh in, after the jump.

Washington Post:

What's wrong with "The Baby Borrowers," NBC's new domestic reality show? For starters, everything, and then again nothing — nothing that isn't wrong with most reality shows of similar bent.

Once you accept as givens the many foibles and failings of the format — exploitation and humiliation packaged as entertainment — "Baby Borrowers" is not without value, and value beyond whatever ratings it might earn for NBC, king of the have-no-shames. Insights into human behavior, particularly stress-driven behavior, are not beyond possibility. And at a basic, manipulative level, the show is bound to have you rooting for some of the contestants while hissing and booing others.

The New York Times:

Only one of the young women, Kelly, a student at Auburn University in Alabama, demonstrates a real knack for parenthood. She is horrified when Morgan, a fellow mother-in-training and a surfer from San Diego, changes a diaper without wiping the baby’s bottom first. Morgan, who is blond and sullen and dismissed by her boyfriend for her laziness, seems consistently surprised by the digestive habits of the very young. She constantly wears an expression of confusion, as if to say, “I auditioned for ‘The Hills’ and still don’t understand why I never got a callback.”

The experiment, which can get repetitive, also tests the solidity of each relationship. Morgan and her boyfriend, Daton, acknowledge their shakiness upfront, but the other couples seem to assume that they are strong enough to withstand the stresses of regurgitation and tantrums.

Los Angeles Times:

With its emphasis on the domestic, "The Baby Borrowers" has the potential to be that rare animal — a show for the whole family. Even the youngest children can appreciate a baby spitting out food or how gross it is to change a poopy diaper, teens will like seeing their peers mouth off and mess up, and parents, of course, will emerge feeling victorious, validated at last for all their unsung heroics.

But the take-away is probably sweetest for women over 30. All the young women on "The Baby Borrowers" are lovely to look at, with their flawless skin and unlined faces. But watching them whipsaw between independence and petulance, confidence and narcissism, those of us who have reached adulthood with our faculties intact can exult in the fact that, no matter what else happens in our lives, we will never, ever, have to be 18 again.

USA Today:

And that's the mind-boggling question at the center of NBC'sThe Baby Borrowers, TV's latest life's-a-joke assault on the boundaries of bad taste: Who in heaven's name would lend their infant out as a reality-show challenge? Yet there they are, five babies given to five teenage couples in a "groundbreaking experiment" that, as the show progresses, will find the same couples caring for toddlers, pre-teens, teens and, in the end, senior citizens.

Tonight at 8 ET/PT, Baby Borrowers wants to have things both ways, teasing you with the quickly dismissed possibility that the babies might be at risk while ignoring the cold, hard fact that they are at risk, no matter what safeguards exist. If the borrowers drop those babies, how could the show's "shadow nannies" catch them before they hit the floor? And even if the babies aren't in danger, what is the upside for them in this arrangement? They certainly don't seem very happy about it.

Variety:

As a consequence, viewers who endure the first few episodes will probably find themselves pulled along if only for the final crawl to see which couples survived the experiment.

At one point, as a toddler drives one couple to distraction, the kid's real mom — watching a monitor — wryly muses that this is the point where the pseudo-parents "run screaming for the condom aisle."

Newsday:

The conceit, and joke, of "The Office" is the idea that a documentary on office life is an absurdity wrapped in an inanity. What happens in an office? Well, people push paper around, and gossip, and go out after work, and ... In a sense, "Baby Borrowers" has embraced this conceit without embracing the absurdity. What is it like to raise a baby, whether you're a teen or adult? Well, it's really hard work, and babies burp and cry and you don't sleep much, and ... Yes, this is life, and yes, as subject matter for television, this is also boring. NBC clearly has serious intentions here (producer Tom Kelly, a "Survivor" alum, is a master of the form). Teenage pregnancy does exist (have you heard?) and this show wants to serve, on some level as a reality check. Such checks are fine. That doesn't make them watchable.

NPR:

Realism just isn't Baby Borrowers strong suit. The show's idea of simulating pregnancy is having its teenage contestants don fat suits. And even such a simple challenge is enough to drive a wedge between one couple, Kelly and Austin. [audio of Austin making fun of Kelly in a "suit like a pregnant lady," Kelly throwing a tantrum because he laughed at her and refusing to wear the fat suit] Yes, there is plenty of crying, whining, and whimpering on this show. And sometime you'll hear from the babies as well If poor Kelly can't deal with a fat suit, can you imagine her attempting breast-feeding?
[...]
A show like Baby Borrowers should really function as a gut-check for any teenager contemplating early parenthood. But too often it just goes for silly sight gags like dirty diapers.

"The Baby Borrowers" premieres tonight on NBC at 9/8 c.

God Bless Ridiculous Fashion Folk, Every One Of Them

Jennifer — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:30:00 EDT

God bless Vivienne Westwood for being so undeniably herself. Says the fashion designer-cum-philosopher: "I'd like to do less, but there are people dependent on me now. My thing has always been, just let me finish this pair of trousers and then I can read my book. We've all got to wear something, I suppose. So my advice would be to buy quality. Choose well. I think there's a certain status in seeing someone wearing the same thing over and over again." [Vogue UK]
God bless Heidi Klum. She's just so wise: "[Take] time out for yourself so you can engage in an activity that you really enjoy. [Also, don't] neglect the romance in your life. [And] wear pretty lingerie if you don't want to feel schlumpy." [Vogue UK]
God bless Donatella Versace for saying at the Times Talks on Sunday that her fashion motto is "Don't let the rappers wear more bling than you do!" and that she hopes to be reincarnated as Maya Rudolph. [Fashion Week Daily]

God bless Agent Provocateur co-founder Joe Corre (who is, incidentally, also the son of Vivienne Westwood) for making his brand's latest advertising campaign, fronted by Kate Moss, actually about his feelings of disdain regarding the Vatican and Catholicism. The apple clearly does not fall far from the tree. [NYMag]
God bless the Project Runway producers for sticking to their guns and maintaining contracts with NBC rather than following their bastardized show to Lifetime. [Yahoo]
God bless Burberry for not using Agyness Deyn in its next advertising campaign. [Fashionista]
God bless Jack White and Karen Elson for seemingly non-stop sex. [Globe and Mail]
God bless model/tsunami survivor Petra Nemacova for making big money in real estate. [Page Six]
God bless Margerita Missoni for deigning to look at apartments in Alphabet City, NYC. [Fashionista]
God bless Giorgio Armani for sorta slighting the Met when talking about last night's Costume Institute Gala: "The superheroes theme is both topical and modern and will, I believe, attract a wider audience than usual to the Costume Institute. I am looking forward to welcoming everyone." (Let us not forget in his first press conference regarding the exhibit, he managed to insult Anna Wintour.) [Vogue UK]
God bless alice+olivia designer Stacey Bendet, who is reportedly pregnant with baby number one. [Page Six]

Lucy Liuser?

Jessica — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:45:00 EST

Will Cashmere Mafia soon be sleeping with the fishes? Fashionista is reporting that the Lucy Liu vehicle has been canceled, but a source close to the production tells Jezebel that as of right now, Cashmere's fate is undecided, adding, it's "definitely on the bubble." An ABC flack tells us that the future of the show is unclear. "It's just not in production at the moment," according to a network rep. "[Fashionista] doesn't understand how it works. The network hasn't made a decision. It won't be back this season but that would be true of a lot of our shows." The uncertainty is a bitter pill to swallow, especially since the Cashmere competitor Lipstick Jungle will probably survive the strike. NBC has just ordered 6 more scripts of the Brooke Shields-helmed dramedy. [Fashionista, Zap 2 It]

Do Female-Oriented Morning Shows Suck?

dodai — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 10:30:00 EST

If you're female, morning TV is made for you. Writes Alessandra Stanley in today's New York Times: "Morning programs like 'Today' on NBC and 'The View' on ABC are the modern equivalents of the old Barbizon Hotel for Women, a frilly haven where men were not allowed above the first floor — or here, after the first hour — and viewers are treated to diet tips, ambush makeovers, cancer health scares, relationship counseling and, of course, shopping." And so the fourth hour of "news" on Today is full of handbags, frugal fast-food finds and product placements. For chicks only! Matt Lauer doesn't stick around, but, Ms. Stanley explains, "[Al] Roker gamely tags along for recipe tests, laundry tips and makeup lessons like a husband dragged through a Labor Day white sale." And with so many segments for the "Christmas holiday marketing frenzy," she adds, "It is sometimes hard to tell the NBC program [Today] from those on ShopNBC or QVC." Hey, girls love to shop, right?

Over on The View, it's always been about women, but Ms. Stanley claims that since Rosie O'Donnell left, the show lacks the "unhinged energy" it had. "The discussions have turned more sedate and predictable," she complains. And of Today, Ms. Stanley says the changes have "smoothed out some of the more interesting quirks, making the new format seem even longer than four hours." In other words, a woman finds the programming for women downright boring. Where did the producers go wrong? What do women really want out of morning television, anyway, if not handbags, diet tips and Whoopi Goldberg? News and weather?

Morning TV Veers From News To Frills [New York Times]

Black Women Are Richer And More Successful Than Ever! So Why Do I Feel So Depressed?

dodai — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:40:00 EST

All this week, NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams has been running a series called "African- American Women: Where They Stand." So far, on blogs and in e-mail blasts, the series has stirred up quite a bit of controversy, according to Advertising Age's Carol Watson. "Some were enthusiastic about uncovering the struggles and issues that are often the topics of conversation by black women already and others have been skeptical about NBC motives and divisiveness," writes Ms. Watson. "The journalists covering the stories are incredibly talented black women that I am sure had to fight hard to get even these 2-minute segments running for five consecutive days. But the debate on the value and context of the information still creates a storm among black consumers." I saw one segment of the series, about women and business. According to the reporting, (which focuses on a 39-year-old single mother and Stanford grad who has her own PR/marketing business) the number of businesses owned by black women (in a five year period) is up 75%, yay! But the number of businesses owned by black men is only up 29%, sigh.

The "African-American community" has $850 billion to spend, and women control 62% of that. Which means black men only control 38%. The reporter, Rehema Ellis, admits that the reasons for such disparity are complex, but does note that some complain of schools that give up on young black males at the elementary level, and of a society that celebrates the "bad boy" image made popular by the likes of 50 Cent — making dropping out seem cool.

Meanwhile, the complaint about the NBC series is that there's a "constant burden of negatives with little or no solution or context for the reasons for the disparities."

The Monday segment compared black women to white women and comparing black women to black men — a pattern in news media that makes the black consumer cautious and hesitant about the motivations of the media. As Essence Editor Angela Burt-Murray said in an online comment, that segment may make a black woman want to shoot herself in the head.

I didn't want to shoot myself, but I was confused. Here's how I felt, watching the successful single black woman with her own business: First I recalled that old statistic that gets thrown around; the one about African-American women being the least likely in our society to get married. Sue me. Then I thought, but she went to Stanford! Then I wondered if the story was supposed to be uplifting? Or depressing? I just wanted someone to tell me. Then I thought, it's great that there's this positive portrayal of a black woman, but she's just one individual in a flood of negative portrayals and there is no one truth, anyway. And then I just got annoyed; I was only watching the news because I was curious if we were being bombed and what the weather was going to be like. In any case, I do applaud the reporters for their hard work and for shedding some light on an often underrepresented group. The other NBC segments focus on education (the ratio of women to men at black colleges is 7 to 1); breast cancer (black women with breast cancer are 30% more likely to die from it than white women); interracial marriage; who black women will vote for, Clinton or Obama; the impact of hip-hop music on women and the black family of the future. Some of the reports are available here, let me know if you think they're uplifting or depressing.

NBC Stirs Controversy With 'Black Women' Series [Advertising Age]
African-American Women And Where They Stand [NBC Nightly News]

The Female Stars Of 80s TV: Dreamgirl Domestics

Anna — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 13:40:29 EDT

We just came across this YouTube clip — via Comedy Central's Insider blog — of a musical number from Dreamgirls performed by the major female stars of NBC's mid-80s lineup. It's a fun, albeit telling, look back because, as the clip reminds us, careers given to women characters on TV included housekeeper, nanny, cook... and substitute teacher. Great to see that in the ensuing 21 years NBC has evolved its idea of 'female role models' to those found on, uh, Age Of Love.

This Happened [Fast Hugs]
NBC: 60th Anniversary Celebration-Dreamgirls "Family" [YouTube]
Related: Age Of Love [NBC]

George Clooney: White Knight To Rich Folk Vacationing in Italy

Jennifer — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 19:15:28 EDT

George Clooney, champion of rich folk with vacation homes everywhere!, protests new construction developments in a small Northern Italian town. Where he has a home. Because he fears the new developments...would turn it into a tourist trap? And then his pretty movie star home wouldn't be a pretty movie star home any more. Boo hoo. [USA Today]
And at the first day of the Glastonbury Festival...it rains. Lucky for festival attendees that Kate Moss, like, practically invented wellies! (That would be galoshes to we American folk.) [BBC]
What? Dick Cheney tried to strong-arm and then do away with people who wouldn't do what he wanted in regards to some classified information? File under: totally blowing our mind right now! [CNN]
Tee hee: Perez gets sued. [ABC News]
The Smashing Pumpkins are back! [E!]
Pres. Bush's advisers think (crazy, we know!) that maybe the prison at Guantanomo should be shut down sooner than later. Yet we sorta have a hunch (crazy, we know!) that Bush is going to continue to disagree. [NYT]
What's more awkward and contrived than Paris and Nicole's break-up? Why Paris and NBC's break-up, of course! The Peacock Network swears it was never a done deal with Paris and that they totally never offered her money. And Paris has only had sex with two guys! [TMZ]
4 U.S. casulaties identified. [DoD]
About seven people informed us that the New York Post had picked up on our ingenious handwriting sample idea. [New York Post]