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Tiffany Pollard aka “New York” is Plotting Her Return to Reality TV

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For anyone that watched Ms. Drama on The Gossip Game and her poor man’s imitation of Tiffany “New York” Pollard, you remembered that the former Flavor of Love star is one of the few reality personalities to  make a lasting impact. I used to see Tiffany and those mountains on her chest out and about in L.A., but I was wondering when she was coming back to the telly.

Apparently, sooner than we think. In an interview with Spoken Entertainment, Tiffany revealed that she recently shot a pilot with a production company. The former VH1 star also discussed her faith, her love life, and her mom.

On her reality tv comeback:



I’ve been long awaiting a hearty healthy return to reality television. And the concept would have to fit my life and where it is right now. Fortunately, three weeks ago…I shot a pilot with a brilliant production crew. The concept is bananas. When you guys see this. It’s like…we couldn’t have accepted her back in any other way. It’s true HBIC performance. It’s coming!



Will she be appearing on the “Bad Girls Club”:



No. It’s not that I’m against that…but they already got that going. Why would they need me over there?



On her love life:



Honey chile…I will say this. There is somebody in my life. And he is a big part of it. He influences me daily. I keep it real private…and that’s why it works. Sometimes when you moving in certain circles people try to infiltrate that love and test it.



On her faith:



I am a Christian. But I’m not a scary Christian. God inspires me. His whole gospel was to give back to people and to care about mankind. I do a lot of humanitarian work. Of course that does not get picked up, but when you do it from your heart….you’re not looking for recognition.



On seeing Lil’ Kim for Fashion Week:



That was amazing. I sat with her when she was getting her hair and makeup beat…and she was such a sweetheart. I can’t say anything except positive stuff about her and her team. If I was in New York a lot more…we’d be hanging out a lot.



On her Mom:



She’s doing great. I’m going to be with her this summer.



Peep the entire 15-minute interview here:




Halle Berry Shows Off Her Blooming Baby Bump On Day Trip With Her Daughter

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Out in Beverly Hills
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@ Disneyland a couple days ago
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'Smash': Exec Producer Josh Safran on the series finale and what season 3 would have been.

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After two seasons, the curtain has closed on NBC’s ambitious musical Smash. The series climaxed with Marilyn Monroe musical Bombshell winning big at the Tonys, including awards for Ivy (Megan Hilty) and composers Tom (Christian Borle) and Julia (Debra Messing). It also marked the end of an attempt to reboot the series under new executive producer Joshua Safran (Gossip Girl), who replaced series creator Theresa Rebeck. EW talked to Safran about the surprising finale, what season 3 would have looked like, and Rebeck’s criticism of his Smash.


ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When did you know this would be the series finale and not the season finale?
JOSHUA SAFRAN: It was like day two of episode 15 when the premiere aired. So 16 and 17 are the two-hour finale – 17 had already been broken and not broken as a series finale. Then after the ratings came through from the première, it was like maybe it would be, maybe it wouldn’t be. Then, as the next airing happened two weeks later, it was clear. The plot actually didn’t change — it was always the Tonys and the people who win and lose were the same people whether it was season finale or a series finale. We had to cut for time because the finale ended up being 15 minutes over, and those scenes will be on the DVD. But after Karen is at Table 46 at the end of the episode, before Jimmy comes to talk to her, an agent played by Nadja Dajani comes over to her and says, “I know you didn’t win tonight, but I want to tell you I think you’re incredible and I don’t just think you’re a stage star — I think you’re a movie star.” It would have paved the way for what the plan for season 3 was.

The plan for season 3 in my mind was a Hollywood movie musical. It would shoot in New York. I felt like after two seasons of watching two shows full trajectories, I didn’t want to repeat the story again so I thought I would take the season off and do a movie musical still using Broadway actors, still using Broadway stages, maybe it would have even been set in the world of Broadway. Who knows because we didn’t even get that far but it would have given audiences a season to [see] a different way of musicals being put together and then you could come back to Broadway in season 4. You see the seeds that are in the finale.

Like with Luke McFarlane’s character Patrick.
Yeah, and it was going to be maybe Derek was going to direct it or maybe he wouldn’t direct it or Tom would direct it? And they’d need a new composer so Jimmy would compose with Julia. It’s all there. So that’s the Smash that would have been.

So the long answer is we knew after it was broken [that it would be the final episode] but while I was writing it, I was reshaping it to be a series finale.

Is it hard to have to continue to work on something when you know it’s ending?
The problem is we didn’t even know we were moving to Saturdays until after we wrapped. So I think there was still a hope that maybe the audience would return. So we didn’t even know it was a series finale until well after we wrapped. I started reading the tea leaves so I started constructing it that way. But I still left enough open – like not everyone gets their fully happy ending.

There were certain choices I made. The neon sign was initially going to say “Big Finish” for their song and I decided you know what, it’s the end. A little Meta moment.

We all were getting the sense but no one wanted it to end. I think the thing I will be saddest about is this crew and cast was so incredible and so invested. They still are. That team will never come together again — it just doesn’t work that way. No one stopped giving their all or checked out, from the writers to the editors to the crew and the cast. The only thing that happened was budgetarily the Tonys weren’t to the level that previous episodes like opening night of Bombshell. But I still think we made it work. The stage was our stage in Greenpoint and the house was the Marquis.

The opening scene of the last hour where the whole cast sings “Under Pressure” feels a little like a curtain call. Was that the only time they’ve ever all been together?
That was the only time they’ve ever had a song together. They were all together at Table 46 in episode 15. But yeah, “Under Pressure” was an interesting moment because I thought singing “This is our last dance” is pretty cool.

The final number, “Big Finish,” with Karen and Ivy, reminded me of the finale of Chicago with Velma and Roxie.
That’s exactly what Marc and Scott and all of us were going for. It was actually going to be a much more bittersweet song. The initial plot which was shot but cut out of the episode is that Tom and Julia are not writing their speech, the song that’s going to be performed at the Tonys is what they were writing and they couldn’t figure out what to write about. Jimmy was going to come in and give them the idea to write “Big Finish” and that was going to show you the seeds of Julia and Jimmy and Tom working together. But we cut that storyline out because we needed the time and the relevant story for Jimmy is moving on from his past and the same for Julia. So initially, the writing of the song was going to be a little bit more bittersweet and summing up the year. It was going to be more of a valedictory song where now it’s more of a Chicago-y song. It’s great and it was so great to end on the girls together.

I’m still surprised that Ivy came out the winner in all of this because season one she was basically the villain. I know you put her through major character rehab.

We always knew that the real love stories of the season were Derek and Ivy, Jimmy and Karen, and Julia and Tom. In the very beginning of the year when the writers all got together and we had to make the big pitch to the network and the producers, that was always in it. But who was going to win was a closely guarded secret. Only I knew who was going to win the Tonys for a really long time. Then at a certain point I told the writers. We always knew that Bombshell was going to win.The question of whether it was Ivy or Karen, I actually made the decision very early on that Karen wouldn’t win. The question was going to be whether neither of them won or whether Ivy won. For a while, it was going to be maybe Ivy wins supporting and neither of them would win actress, so we went back and forth on it. About halfway through the season, because Ivy had gone through so much in season one and season two, was all about the phoenix from the ashes for her and for everybody. We just knew halfway through it has to be Ivy. She’s just been through too much and that role is so iconic and you’ve seen her deliver it so well.

The only thing that was a last-minute addition was that Derek wasn’t going to win choreography — he was going to win nothing. Then we all talked about it and we all realized it was more realistic that he would win and that people wouldn’t necessarily embrace that but the work would still be respected. Derek’s private demons are what he really needs to deal with, not being snubbed. So that was pretty much the last change that was made before we shot the finale.

I’m still shocked that Julia ended up with Michael Swift.
That was a seed for season 3. That was a season 3 Easter egg. Our goal was to bring him back and do image rehab for his character. That actually wasn’t a series finale decision. She was always going to see Michael Swift and we were going to wonder whether she was going to be with him next year. But the way in which that happened changed. Initially she was going to bump into him at the Tonys and they were going to have an interaction in which she was very happy to see him and he wasn’t happy to see her. So it was going to be a reversal of season one and for season 3 she was going to find out that she had to work with him but he didn’t want anything to do with her and she was still in love with him. But in the end, when we knew it was most likely a series finale, we just kept it to the scene at the door.

So was Patrick (Luke MacFarlane) also going to be in season 3?
Yes. I mean, we obviously didn’t get that far to make a deal with Luke, but our goal was to create a relationship for Tom that was real and lasting and not filled with the baggage of all he had gone through with Sam.

So was Patrick really gay?!

Yes. That makes me nervous because that was my big fear. In the script he said “I’m not gay” and then they kissed. But the actors very much loved the [other way]. But I worry that it reads for the audience that Tom takes advantage of Patrick. No, Patrick is really gay.

I didn’t think he took advantage of him. I just thought maybe that was a cliffhanger for a season 3 story.
We were interested in a season 3 idea of Tom working with this man who he was in love with and [who] was in love with him but who wasn’t out. So he finally found the relationship that worked but there was this huge stumbling block.

What would Eileen’s storyline have been for season 3?

We realized that Ivy would have still been in Bombshell so she would not have been able to do the movie and she would have been pregnant. The idea would have been to still have been following Broadway with Eileen, sort of like a B-story while following the movie on the A-side and watching how Eileen made the jump like some theatrical producers have done into film. But Eileen was going to be our way to still stay in the theater. One of the things we talked about was creating a powerful film producer who was going to be her love interest, sort of a Harvey Weinstein.

Was there any thought that Jennifer Hudson’s Ronnie would come back?
Jennifer’s always doing so many things. The Daisy story would have been Ronnie without the sexual harassment angle. We always knew that Derek’s demons would come back to haunt him but before we broke that story, we talked somewhere around episode 6 or 8 about Ronnie being the one that took over for Anna and won the Tony. If we had done that then we would have made the Diva in lead opposite Karen and Ivy. It would have been Karen and Ivy sort of having this person that they respected and they were close to being the person that was their biggest rival. But we couldn’t get Jennifer back because of scheduling.

And it was always the plan for Kyle to die?
Yes from the pitch that got me the job.

What was the last scene you shot for the finale?

Our last two days of production were in the Marquis for the house of the Tonys. So one by one everybody had their last scenes of either winning their awards or their reaction from the audience. So Anjelica’s last scene was her scene with Karen outside. I think Kat was the last one who wrapped, so I’m pretty sure the last thing we shot was when Jack comes down and gets Kat and Krysta out of their seats to go get Daisy. Megan’s last scene was at the back of the house right before that when Derek goes to get Anna and Karen.

Was it emotional?

Oh yeah. As I said, these people loved this show and loved working on it so much. The whole two days was a cavalcade of tears and hugs and crew pictures and applause every time someone wrapped. Megan even came back after she wrapped for Kat’s wrap.

One of my favorite days of the whole year was the night of “Under Pressure” because we shot in [an] empty Times Square from 9pm to 5am. Everybody was in that sequence. We were just hanging out in the lobby of the Marquis. It was also one of the coldest nights of the year. We had recently cut together the production numbers for 15 so I remember showing the cast “Grin and Bare It,” “I’m Not Sorry,” and “The Right Regrets.” It was just lovely. It was like a party that lasted well into the night.

There were so many songs we wanted to do and the DVD will have some numbers. There was a number that was actually cut from the first hour [of the finale], which will be online that night on NBC.com, a cut number of Eileen actually singing an Edith Piaf song in French. Another full version of “I’m Not Sorry” will be on the DVD with Anna and Karen from the downtown production. It was cut from episode 11 for time.

Did you get to tell the Smash vision that you wanted? Are you happy with this?
Yes. I really am. I’m really proud of it. It is very close to the pitch that I came in with. Of course it was a very steep learning curve. I was learning up until the last day, as was everybody. There’s definitely stuff that we would have worked through in season 3 but I’m very proud of the show and I always will be and I’m glad it exists so I got to be a part of it.

Theresa Rebeck was critical of the season. I’m not sure if you read what she wrote.
I did. I saw it. The emails on Buzzfeed? I have the utmost respect for Theresa. She created an incredible world and incredible characters and I’m so honored that I got to play in her sandbox for this whole season. Obviously, any viewer is allowed their opinion and if that’s her opinion. She’s allowed to have it. I disagree with it because I’m very proud of the show, but I’m not gonna say that she can’t have her opinion and I hope one day she and I get together and have a cocktail and a couple laughs.

So what’s next for you?
I’m gonna develop. Gossip Girl was 5 years of my life and we didn’t really get a hiatus because it was so many episodes a year. And Smash was so high-octane, high-energy, and high-stress. So I’m developing. I’m writing a couple features. The remake I wrote of Endless Love for Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage [is] shooting now. My goal is to just keep going. I love TV and I love movies.

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Random person calls Amanda Bynes mentally ill. Gets wig snatched.

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Amanda's response
"@chrissyteigen Ur not a pretty model compared to me. I signed to Ford models @ age 13. I don't look up to u beauty wise. I'm far prettier than u! I'm offended that you're saying I have a mental illness when I show no sign of it, but thankfully not one man that wants me wants you and you are an old ugly model compared to me! You look 45! You're not pretty so I'm not intimidated by you! I think you're jealous that you're just an ugly model whos career is uninspiring! I don't respect you! You're no beauty queen! I'm a beauty queen!"

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The Voice: Country Edition Results!!!

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Going Home


Judith Hill


and


Sarah Simmons



So 4 of the top 6 acts are boring country acts yay

Source: My tv

Latoya Jackson 'Surprised' by new abuse allegations + Wade threatens to sue Joe Jackson

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LaToya Jackson discusses Wade Robson's molestation allegations against Michael Jackson. She reveals he was close to the family and even dated two of her nieces: "I'm very surprised."


JULIE CHEN:

Can we talk for a minute about Wade Robson. He is the choreographer that came out and made allegations that Michael molested him when he was younger. What do you think about those allegations?

LA TOYA:

My mother and I discussed it and its just sad. It’s very, very sad. I don’t want to go into detail with it, but Wade was very close with several members of the family. I’m very surprised. Very surprised.”

JULIE CHEN:

Didn’t he date some of your nieces?

LA TOYA:

Yes, he did. Two of them.

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Latoya sis:
@ :29





Wade Robson Demands Joe Jackson Shut His Trap ... Or Else



Wade Robson is going after another Jackson family member -- this time threatening legal action against Joe Jackson if he continues to spread vicious lies ... this according to legal docs.



Wade's lawyers fired off a cease and desist letter to Papa Jackson on May 25, accusing him of slander and warning JJ to stop dragging Wade's name through the mud.

The letter cites a video TMZ posted​ ... in which Joe tells our photog Wade is being PAID to lie about the whole "Michael Jackson molested me" thing ... as part of some giant conspiracy.

Wade's lawyers unload on Joe for the accusation, writing, "Your statement is particularly reprehensible in light of the fact that [Wade] has only recently been able to come forward which is so typically characteristic and tragic for so many survivors of sexual abuse."

It continues, "Any trier of fact would conclude your statement was malicious, intended to further injure our client."

Then come the threats ... Wade's lawyers say they will not hesitate to "take any and all appropriate legal measures to vehemently protect the truth and commence legal action."

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Avril Nylon "sneak peek"

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Avril Lavigne has been featured on NYLON's cover not once, not twice, but now--with this year's annual Music Issue--three times. But there's still plenty to talk about with our June/July star; not only does she have a new guy, a new record label, and a new(ish) clothing line Abbey Dawn, but also a new album. Though we have to wait until this fall to hear her fifth album, writer Liz Armstrong caught up with the Canadian singer-songwriter to get a preview. "This time it's not just all songs about relationships and dudes," explained Lavigne.

Before the issue officially hits newsstands on May 29 (my-tigtogiba34's birthday how appropriate ♥ ), check out our sneak peek below along with exclusive outtakes from the shoot!

On her music industry origins:
"I wasn't the girl baring her midriff with backup dancers and a headset microphone. I came out and had a lot to say with my lyrics, and I played the guitar. I had a completely different getup, stage presence, everything."

On her new direction with this album:
"I just wanted to write songs and make something that was a little more artistic. I wanted to go down that road, avrilnylona

On not holding back lyrically:
"Lyrically I pushed myself to talk about different subjects I haven't talked about before. I didn't want to be so simple. I tried to really express myself and go deeper."

On her fiance Chad Kroeger:
"He does what I do--he's a rocker, he plays guitar, he's onstage every night, he writes songs[....]We were having a really good time. We hit it off as writing partners, then friends, and we started dating last summer."
avrilnylonc
On always being totally honest:
"I'm so transparent. If I'm not being myself, I won't do well, and that goes for writing songs, work, relationships, everything. And if I'm not happy, people are going to know that."

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PREMIERE: Ke$ha - "Crazy Kids" (Music Video)

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Video won't embed yet, so click HERE!!!





not as bad as I expected THANK GOD. could've been better but the worst part is still will.i.am tbh. plus she look so good in all gold <3 $$$$
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Living Legend during Memorial Day weekend

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Flawless and down to earth as always. Mi Reina!!

Future Oscar Winner Tila Tequila is Starring in a New Movie. Here's the Trailer.

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Tila Tequila, everyone’s favorite bisexual Myspace star and current enemy of the illuminati forces, is starring in an extremely low budget crime thriller. The DVD is released today, but you can tell from just the trailer that Masterminds is a masterpiece.
~*~SoUrCe~*~

Deconstructing The Kardashian Family’s Latest Photoshop Disaster

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Thank you, digital editing, for making Bruce look like a woman, Lamar appear from thin air, and for making Rob thin again.

Keeping Up with the Kardashians is returning this summer, and as such, E! has released a new family portrait.


But they also released a video with some “behind the scenes” footage. It was, perhaps, more revealing than hey had expected.


For example:

Lamar isn’t even in attendance.

What a romantic couples portrait!


Bruce Jenner has been Photoshopped to look like the Kardashian family’s estranged aunt we haven’t met yet.


His face seems to have been Photoshopped to look thinner.


Let’s just be glad they didn’t try and pull this one over on us.


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#CandidlyNicole: Episode 5

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RuPaul educates Nicole on the drag mentality on this episode of #CandidlyNicole.  She learns how to take advantage of her "drag years" and reveals that her children will enjoy her new found drag queen status.  From outfits to poses and eyelashes to camel toe, RuPaul goes over all the basics.




No preview for the next one (I hope this isn't the last), so here's a throwback:

Well, That Didn't Last Long

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Image and video hosting by TinyPic
Anne Hathaway has gone back to the dark side. Just three weeks after debuting a striking blonde hue at the Met Gala, the Oscar-winning actress, 30, was spotted grabbing coffee in NYC on Tuesday, May 28 sporting her more typical brunette shade -- her pixie cut swept tomboy-style to the side.

The Les Miserables star visited the Hollywood salon of star stylist Marie Robinson May 23 for the dye job, and a source tells Us Weekly it's all for her next movie role in Song One. In the recently announced project, Hathaway's first since winning her Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in February, the star will play "a young woman who strikes up a relationship with her ailing brother’s favorite musician," according to a press release. It will be produced by her husband Adam Shulman, Jonathan Demme and Marc Platt alongside Worldview Entertainment.

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Calvin Klein And His Boy Toy Nick Gruber Have Reconciled!

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Former erotic model Gruber, 23, and Klein — who is 47 years his senior — split in January 2012 after two years, following Gruber’s infamous incident punching a political intern and being arrested for cocaine possession after a night of partying at his Greenwich Street apartment.

Gruber then headed to a rehab facility in Arizona, with rumors that the 70-year-old fashion mogul was footing the bill and had flown him there via private jet.

After the breakup, penniless Gruber announced he was working on a tell-all titled “Obsession: My Life With Calvin Klein,” and told Page Six Magazine he was the first man Klein ever fell for.

He also claimed Klein once made him take a lie-detector test after suspecting he’d cheated.

Gruber announced he was also working on a reality show about his relationship with Klein, having moved to LA and started dating John Luciano. But by February this year, Gruber and Luciano broke up, and Gruber had a change of heart and pulled the plug on his book.

A source now tells us, “Calvin feels very protective over him. Despite all that has happened, and everything he’s done, he still loves Nick.” We’re told Klein flew Gruber to Mexico and the two met up at an exclusive resort there. The source added, “Calvin wants to keep it low-key.”

Another source said, “Nick and Calvin had been texting and met up at the Chateau Marmont about a month ago. Nick and John broke up around February. John actually encouraged Nick to get back with Calvin. He thinks it would be helpful for him.”

A spokesperson for Klein said: “I can confirm they are friends and no more. There is no relationship whatsoever, but at the same time Calvin holds no grudges and has put whatever problems they had behind him.”

NYPost

K. Michelle Sounds Off on Down Low Men [and other LHHATL stuff]

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On tonight’s episode of Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta, K. Michelle found herself in a heated argument with Johnny (the best friend of Mimi’s now ex-boyfriend, Nikko) about his sexuality. K. Michelle reached out to B. Scott earlier this evening and explained exactly what was going on.

She explains:



I don’t have a problem with anybody being gay, but I have a major problem with someone being on the down low and misleading other people. I’ve been through my situation with a girl in the past and I was very honest and open about it. I don’t want people to think I was being insensitive to his sexuality, because that’s not the case. We’re in a society now where we’re open. If you know that you’re gay, then you need to be that and own it…that’s just my opinion. There’s nothing wrong with being gay.

At the end of the day, I wasn’t trying to ruin Mimi’s love life. I was just trying to be a friend and let her know about some things I had heard out of concern for a friend. I would never call anybody gay for no reason and I’m not a judgmental person.


On the nature of Nikko and Johnny’s relationship:



Nikko popped up out of nowhere saying he’s rich and the guy that people think is gay (Johnny), they live together! And if you’re rich, you got a roommate in Atlanta and rent is only like $1,000. I don’t understand it! I feel like he’s lying about his sexuality and these are my feelings, you can’t take them away from me. I just wanted Mimi to know how I felt. We definitely spoke on and off camera about it.


On whether or not she thinks Rasheeda’s husband Kirk is gay:



No, I don’t think Kirk’s gay (laughs). I’ve said it before, I just said that he has four earrings. He’s very feminine and sensitive, but no I don’t think he’s gay. I think a lot of men act like bitches these days, so it’s not just him.


Now that you’ve heard what K. Michelle had to say, what are your thoughts? Leave your comments below and let us know how you feel!



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ONTD: what is your opinion on DOWN LOW MEN?

Josh & Diane at a Memorial Day's party + Shopping for asparagus

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Diane Kruger and Joshua Jackson are all smiles as they leave producer Joel Silver‘s Memorial Day Party on Monday (May 27) in Malibu, Calif.
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Joshua Jackson and Diane Kruger were seen shopping for groceries (May 26) in Park La Brea in LA Park La Brea is a community in LA with luxury apartments and a lot of shopping, dining, and entertainment in the neighboorhood.


























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OWN set to be profitable this year

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Discovery Communications expects OWN, the cable network joint venture with Oprah Winfrey's Harpo, to start throwing off a profit in the back-half of the year, CEO David Zaslav clarified at an investor conference Wednesday.

Discovery has previously mostly focused on predicting that the venture would reach cash flow breakeven in the second half of 2013 and then start making a profit. However, Zaslav last year also said that Discovery would start seeing such a profit from OWN in the back-half of the year.

Appearing at the Sanford C. Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference in New York in a session that was webcast, Zaslav lauded the "enormous success" and growing audience of the network. "We will be making money on OWN" later this year and are "ahead of where we thought we'd be," he said."Oprah is working really hard," and OWN even has strong ratings on Saturday nights without Winfrey on the air, he said.

For the second quarter to-date, the young cable network is up 12 percent in total viewers compared to last year.

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Oprah rising up and proving the haters wrong.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt talks DON JON, Feminism and Religion

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Don Jon is a movie that begs to be seen by everyone. Going in to this film, I had reservedly high expectations. I think Joseph Gordon-Levitt is an exceptionally talented, insightful and creative person. He is one of my very favorite people in entertainment today.

Gordon-Levitt’s HitRecord works to change the way we interact with one another and break down boundaries between unrecognized talent and the seemingly untouchable Hollywood crowd.  His ability to come across as an average Joe (pun not intended) while still wowing us with his talent is what makes Joseph Gordon-Levitt so popular.  Before screening the film at SXSW 2013, myself and a myriad of others received an email from the publicity company on behalf of Joseph Gordon-Levitt explaining that the name of his film, Don Jon’s Addiction would be changed to Don Jon and expounding on why he felt this was necessary.



“Hey everybody,

So, as you might’ve heard already, I wrote and directed a movie last year, and it’s coming out later this year. Which is absolutely crazy, and I still kinda can’t believe it. Anyway, I’m posting this today to let you all know that I’m changing its title. It’s now called… DON JON. I decided to change it, first of all, because DON JON is just so short and simple, and if you know me, you know I’m a fan of brevity. Second of all, it felt to me like the old title, “Don Jon’s Addiction” was throwing some people off a bit from the point of the movie. People were assuming it was a film about porn addiction and sex addiction, which really isn’t true. That’d be sort of like saying “The Maltese Falcon” is a movie about a statue of a falcon. DON JON is a comedy about how men and women treat each other, and how the media we consume can create unrealistic expectations that we put on one another. That’s why the story centers around a relationship between a young man (played by me) who watches too much pornography and a young woman (played by Scarlett) who watches too many romantic Hollywood movies. It’s a topic I personally find fascinating and hilarious…

thanks again.. J”





Sharing this in Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s own words seems more appropriate than my attempting to summarize for you, and of course, this statement and the mention of The Maltese Falcon endeared him to me more than ever.  I didn’t understand the need for the change even after reading this, though I didn’t see any reason not to change the name either.  Then I saw Don Jon….and I got it.  This isn’t a film just about one guy’s porn addiction, it is about so much more and to keep the name such that it was would not only be polarizing but very misleading.

After the film we were fortunate enough to take part in an audience Q&A with producer Ram Bergman of Looper fame, actress Brie Larson, actor and quintessential tough guy Tony Danza and writer, director and star Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The Q&A revealed what was behind the creation of Don Jon and even how Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s mom influenced him to proclaim himself a feminist.

“I was struck by the gender politics and I was wondering if you were attuned to that in your own life? Feminism is kind of a dirty word, do you consider yourself a feminist?”






JGL:“Absolutely. I think it’s important to think about gender roles for women and for men. It’s irrefutable that historically women have gotten the raw end of the deal and have been oppressed since the beginning of history. But I also think it’s true that both men and women, today especially, are sort of corralled into roles based on their gender that are not necessarily healthy. That’s not to say I don’t believe in the difference between a man and a woman, there is an obvious biological difference. I think I have “womb envy”. Doesn’t that sound amazing to have a baby inside of you? Sorry, I’m weird.

Look, my mom and my dad were very active in all sorts of movements in the sixties and the seventies and feminism was certainly right there at the front. My mom definitely brought me up, for example, whenever we were watching the Lakers together as a family, to this day, every time the Laker Girls come on my mom goes, “So that’s what women can do, huh? These guys are these great athletes and the women are just like, ‘oh, look at our body’”. Every time; she was saying it when I was six and she said it again just last week. Maybe she’s right, maybe one day we won’t have cheerleaders at basketball games.

So, yes it is definitely something that I think about, especially when it comes to movies. Let’s be honest, sometimes Hollywood sometimes really sucks for women and there is a lot of generals that are reinforced in a lot of Hollywood movies that I think are problematic.”

Brie:“There is something in this film, the idea that a beautiful woman becomes public property and that because she is beautiful anybody gets the opportunity to look at her because she’s “flaunting it. This film brings up some interesting questions about that.”

Tony:“It does go both ways. I think there are women that are trying to live up to what they think they are supposed to look like. That’s what’s so great about this movie, it makes you laugh, but it makes you talk about this as well.”





“Of all the characters you’ve played, is this the one you related to the most?”





JGL:“(Laughing) No, but I really love playing characters that are very different from myself. Ram produced Looper, that was a character first of all that had a different face than my face, a different voice than my voice, he walked differently, he killed people for a living he was completely different than me and that fascinates me; putting myself in someone else’s shoes.

The most time I ever spent in Austin I was shooting a movie called Stop Loss, this was in 2006. I was playing a U.S. soldier and as I said, I was brought up by a peace activist so the last thing I was ever going to be was a soldier, but I loved putting myself in that point of view and getting know soldiers and not judging them; not just saying ‘oh no, they’re perpetrating an evil war’, but I loved growing some empathy for these guys that were so different from me.

Jon Martello [main character in Don Jon] is a very different guy from me and was brought up with very different values than I was brought up to have. I really enjoyed putting myself in those shoes and not trying to judge him, not trying to call him a bad guy, which he is at the beginning of the movie; he’s a douchebag.”




“Why was Don Jon so connected to his church? Why was religion such a huge factor?”





JGL:“I wanted to paint a picture of a guy who objectifies everything in life. Women certainly, but his own body is an object, his apartment, his car, the way he treats his family, the way he treats his friend and his church. He’s just going through the motions and doing what he thinks he’s supposed to do. It’s not so much that I want to criticize the Catholic Church in particular, certainly a lot of people have very fulfilling relationships with organized religion. I think a lot of people also just go through the motions and I thought that was applicable to this story.”




“I am actually a pastor and I found it very fascinating the process of your character going for confession. It seemed like there was progression that there was transformation for him (Don Jon) but that relationship also felt very one-sided, that he was becoming move vulnerable and in the last scene (with the priest) it felt like the character was disappointed (by the lack of response) and I wonder what you might have to say about that.”





JGL:“What you said was ‘it was a one way relationship’ and that is really right at the crux of what I was trying to get at with everything in this movie. That’s why a central symbol of this movie is a guy watching pornography because it’s purely one way. There is no interaction between the guy and the woman on the screen. But it’s the same way with the family dinner scenes, these are people who are kind of talking at each other but aren’t listening to each other. Yeah, you’re right at the last scene after he’s beginning to open his mind up after having conversations with Esther (Julianne Moore), which are unlike any conversations he’s maybe ever had in his life, then he tries to connect with the priest and the priest doesn’t really reciprocate that. But again, I am not trying to make a blanket statement about organized religion.”




“Brie, you really only spoke once in this movie, but you had so many memorable moments, can you speak about that?”





Brie:“My favorite part of acting is listening and I fell like I had the most incredible opportunity to go to work every day and to do nothing but just watch these amazing actors. I got to see everything and so much that I wish you guys could have seen and even more. It was an amazing experience. Joe was so great about working with me. I got to learn so much about the power of a glance; it’s amazing how a blink or a blank stare can say so much.”

JGL:“That’s like in Buster Keaton movies. While some of it is so big, a lot of my favorite Buster Keaton moments are tiny, tiny little facial things and I see a lot of that in her (Brie’s) performance.”




“As the film serves up as a sed up of the Jersey Shore culture, is this the best way to combat that douchebaggery?”





JGL:“To tell you the honest truth, I had never seen The Jersey Shorebefore, but I did watch it after I started giving people the script to read. I couldn’t make it through more that one episode. I should say, I don’t think it’s the fault of the people on the TV show. The truth about reality TV is that it’s no more real than this (the movie), it’s completely scripted, it’s just done so with a different method. So, I wouldn’t really blame any of the actors.”





“There’s a lot of themes of addiction in the film, addiction to technology, addiction to sex, addiction to controlling people, like with the character Barb. Will she ever change?”




JGL:“It is a tough part to play, but I’d like a round of applause for Scarlett Johansson. She nailed this part and she brought so much to this character. As far as whether or not the character of Barbara will change, in my life experience, big, deep, fundamental changes like that happen usually as a result of some kind of trauma that sort of throws you off and makes you start reexamining yourself and things you thought were true. That sort of happens to Jon, he gets dumped and that’s never happened before and because his self esteem is so low he is more receptive to the conversations that he has with Esther that lead to him beginning to break out his shell.

I think the Barbara Sugarman character is actually a really smart person and has a lot of admirable qualities to her, she’s just trapped in a very narrow point of view that she maybe gets from her upbringing. The ideas of femininity that are thrust on girls at an early age and she loves these Hollywood movies that give unrealistic expectations of what love and a woman are supposed to be. “



I felt very fortunate to be part of the audience for this screening of the film, but even more so that I got to be present for the Q&A afterward.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt is just as talented a writer and director as he is an actor and I cannot wait to see what he does next in any and all arenas.

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Guardians of the Galaxy: Glenn Close to Play Nova Corps Head

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Marvel fans! Guardians of the Galaxy just gained a new cast member and she’s definitely going to class up the joint. According to Deadline, the amazing Glenn Close will play the head of Nova Corps, the intergalactic space patrol.

Close will join Michael Rooker who will play Yondu, Chris Pratt who will play Star Lord, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer and possibly Zoe Saldana who is in talks to play Gamora and Lee Pace, who is in talks to play the villain and possibly John C. Reilly, who may play Rhomann Dey. The film will be directed by James Gunn. Guardians of the Galaxy will hit theaters on August 1, 2014.

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Andrew Keegan Banned From Bar For Drunkenly Attacking Two Bouncers ... Says Lawsuit!

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Pretty boy Andrew Keegan has been BANNED FOR LIFE from a fancy L.A. bar/restaurant after drunkenly attacking a bouncer outside, then ramming the guy with his motorized skateboard.

The bouncers are now telling a much different story, seeking to countersue Keegan for assault and battery. The bouncers claim Keegan was visibly drunk/high and could barely stand -- and when they told him to buzz off, he flipped out, pushing and battering the bouncers, then ramming one bouncer in the shins with his motorized skateboard.

Keegan allegedly continued his assault until the cops arrived and then took off on his board only to return minutes later. The bouncers claim they had to call cops a SECOND time to get rid of Keegan for good. The bouncers are suing for unspecified damages.

Andrew is best known for playing Joey in the 1999 hit film 10 Things I Hate About You. Including appearing as Wilson on 23 episodes of 7th Heaven. He has had roles on Boy Meets World and Party of Five, and he was in a 2012 episode of CSI.

Andrew is also known for having dated LeAnn Rimes for several years, from 1998 to 2001.

never forget

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