Brandy's in the studio with Drake

January 16, 2012, 10:06 am

≪ Previous: Vogue's Best Dressed at the Golden Globes

Brandy recently announced that she would be teaming back up with Monica on her upcoming untitled album, but it seems she's also looking to collaborate with Drake.

In a recent interview with TrueExclusives.com Brandy revealed that she was a big fan of the Young Money rapper.

"I love Drake. I think Drake is just so phenomenal. I love his music. I'm always wishing that I can just sing one of Drake's melodies. Actually I might be doing a song that Drake wrote for the album this upcoming week."

Brandy has also been in the studio with Frank Ocean, Bangladesh and Chris Brown on her upcoming album, due out in May.

DJvlad

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Excuse her, um, beauty

January 16, 2012, 10:07 am

≫ Next: A queen's success sparks more dialogue

≪ Previous: Brandy's in the studio with Drake

Kelly Osbourne at The Art of Elysium's 5th Annual Heaven Gala

TYFYT

Source

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A queen's success sparks more dialogue

January 16, 2012, 10:07 am

≫ Next: Michelle Obama On 'iCarly': Miranda Cosgrove, Nathan Kress Share First Lady Stories

≪ Previous: Excuse her, um, beauty

Next week, barring any stunning surprises, Adele’s “21” will celebrate its 16th non-consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. That statistic gives the album the most weeks at No. 1 since the “Titanic” soundtrack in 1997-1998.

How can there by anything bad about that? Well, plenty. Especially when you think about what her success says about the state of the music industry and today’s music makers.

Let’s make something clear: This is not meant to take anything away from Adele, and her U.S. label, Columbia, which set up the album beautifully and have paced the singles perfectly. This is more a look at what's wrong with everything else. Here’s the bad news:

*If you subtract “21’s” success from the 2011 numbers, sales for 2011 were down from 2010; her album sales alone can wipe away the 1.4% increase experienced over the previous year. Since “21” first debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart dated March 12 2011, 23 other albums have hit No. 1, but “21” always bounced back to the top, never spending more than 10 weeks out of No. 1. Plus, it has never dropped out of the Top 10 since its release.

*Other than “21,” the only other album to spend more than two weeks at No. 1 since “21’s” release is Michael Buble’s “Christmas.” A holiday album. An album that does not rely on radio play and has an extraordinarily short shelf life (although it is a perennial) and does nothing to build an artist’s career.

*To drive the nail further in the coffin, the gap between “21’s” sales and sales of “Christmas,” the second-best selling album in 2011, was around 3 million copies . Do you want us to repeat that? “21” sold 5.8 million copies; “Christmas” sold 2.45 million. There are 310 million people in the U.S.

*Nearly a year after “21’s” release, Columbia is only on the third single, “Set Fire To The Rain.” How many pop records, especially urban leanings ones, are on their third single by the time the album comes out? Granted, a “Rolling in the Deep” only comes along once in, apparently, every 25 years, but there’s something to be learned from sticking with a single and not rushing things. It’s called patience and development.

*Acts need to make albums that capture people’s interest for more than a second. Coldplay’s “Mylo Xyloto?” Lady Antebellum’s “Own the Night?” Drake’s “Take Care?” All highly anticipated albums that got one and were done: one week at No. 1 and then started to drop. All the emphasis is on opening week, there’s no building or sustaining a story.

*Artists need to make better albums. Yes, we are transitioning to a digital download world, but note that Adele had the biggest selling single of the year, as well as album. That says that people wanted to buy the album because they wanted to hear more after purchasing “Rolling In the Deep,” and they had faith that the tracks they had not heard would be just as good as the ones that they had. How many other albums can you say that about recently?

*Is it really as simple as Dave Grohl makes it sound? He told Billboard earlier this week: “Someone asked me recently, ‘What do you think the problem with the music industry is?’ I said, take the Adele record, for example. It's an amazing record and everybody's so shocked that it's such a phenomenon. I'm not. You know why that record's huge? Because it's fucking good and it's real. When you have an artist singing about something real and she's incredibly talented, it deserves all the rewards it gets, it's a great record. Now imagine if all records were that good. Do you think only one of them would sell? Fuck no! All of them would...A lot of people are promoting records that are just throw-it-against-the-wall-see-if-it-sticks meaningless bullshit. Everybody has the responsibility to do the right thing and promote artists that mean something."

No, of course it’s not that simple. The Foo Fighters’ “Wasting Light” has sold around 670,000 copies. Does that mean it’s only 1/9 as good as “21?” Of course not, but Grohl’s broader point is well taken about the industry's continued mentality that settles for merely good enough. And that's too bad.

Source

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Michelle Obama On 'iCarly': Miranda Cosgrove, Nathan Kress Share First Lady Stories

January 16, 2012, 10:07 am

≫ Next: ONTD Roundup

≪ Previous: A queen's success sparks more dialogue

It was a curious request to make of the cast and crew of a wholesome kids' television show, and it came without explanation. Everyone who worked on the set of "iCarly" was instructed to disclose their Social Security numbers and submit to a federal background check; a surprise, they were promised, would come in a few weeks' time.

"At that point, we had no idea that we were going to have a special guest star or anything, but that was kind of our hint that something important was happening," Nathan Kress, one of the show's popular teenage stars, remembered.

It was a good guess. This Saturday sees the long-awaited premiere of the "iCarly" episode guest starring Michelle Obama, who will be appearing on the hit Nickelodeon comedy to promote her message of support for the children of military families. As memorable as the televised event will be for viewers, the experience of making the episode was one the young cast will never forget.

Tension was high on set as the Secret Service swept the studio, but "fortunately [Obama] is super nice and incredibly personable, so as soon as she got on set and we were hanging out with her it was completely comfortable," Kress said.

"It was weird because we were nervous at the beginning, but after a while, to know that she's a normal person, it was kind of funny," Miranda Cosgrove, who plays Carly, the show's precocious teen lead, laughed. "We sort of stopped thinking about the fact that she was the First Lady and just had a really good time."

Obama plays a version of herself, one who happens to have been moved by an episode of the web show within a show -- think NBC's "30 Rock" for tweens -- put on by Carly, Freddie (Kress) and their friends Gibby (Noah Munck) and Sam (Jennette McCurdy).

The guest part is more than a mere cameo; the First Lady's TV-self visits Carly after learning that the webcasting teen's father, an Air Force pilot, has had his return home delayed by another redeployment. To her credit, the cast said, Obama took on the challenge of learning a substantial amount of dialogue despite frequent travel and an always-packed schedule.

"We definitely made sure to give her a lot of room to do what she needed to do," Kress said, saying they carved out extra time with the assumption that she'd make a lot of bloopers.

"She really didn't [make mistakes], and she had a massive chunk of lines and she got it down just about perfect almost every time. So she did incredibly well with the very small amount of time she was given." He singled out her ability to crack up on command at a very unfunny joke, saying, "It's tough to come up with a convincing laugh, and she did that almost every time. That's when I knew she'd be good."

To make sure they could fully capture all her scenes in the limited time she had available for the shoot, the director filmed all the shots in which Obama would be featured first, then later shot the footage of the rest of the cast that did not require her presence. In what is sure to be the most memorable clip from the episode, the First Lady shuffles, claps and lets loose in one of the show's patented Random Dances. For that scene, she had a little advance help.

"She was talking about how her daughters had shown her some moves so she wouldn't be embarrassing on camera," Kress recalled, to which Cosgrove added, "I dont know why, I kind of expected her to be a little shy about it, but she wasn't at all -- she got really into it, she had a lot of good moves."

Munck, who plays a younger, perhaps less-intelligent character, was even more effusive. "She has moves. She can kick my butt in a dance competition, definitely," he said.

During breaks, the cast got some more face time with the First Lady. A fashionista with her own clothing line, Cosgrove took the chance to chat up Obama about her vaunted style. "She dresses really cute," she laughed, "and Jennette and I are both really into clothes and fashion. We thought her outfit that she wore on the show was really cute."

For Munck, the one-on-one time was a bit more serious.

"My dad's an ex-Marine, so I come from a military family, too," he said. "It's cool to see that she's promoting [her message] through our show ... she was just really supportive of that."

The celebrity worship did not flow entirely in one direction. The FIrst Daughters, Malia and Sasha, are huge fans of the show, and the cast signed photos for them while they spent time with The First Lady in the green room. It's amazing, the stars all agreed, to think that their show plays in the White House, though Cosgrove is a bit more used to the idea of appearing on an Obama household television. Having previously met the First Family at an event in Washington, she remembered the President telling her that he had seen "School of Rock," the 2003 Jack Black film in which Cosgrove co-starred.

"That," she marveled, "was crazy."

Kress, for his part, doesn't just want the President to see his work; he's got a plan to get the leader of the free world as the next special guest on "iCarly."

"What would be cool would be if it was a cameo, and they shot it completely separately, and we were doing a web show and then it cut away to them just sitting in the Oval Office with a laptop, watching the show," Kress laughed. It was a half-serious suggestion, and not a crazy one; after starring alongside the First Lady, he's got every reason to dream big.

the videos...

7:30p.m. ET/PT iCarly “iMeet the First Lady” from Jessica Wilson on Vimeo.

iSource

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ONTD Roundup

January 16, 2012, 10:08 am

≫ Next: Michelle Williams Golden Globe Mega Post!

≪ Previous: Michelle Obama On 'iCarly': Miranda Cosgrove, Nathan Kress Share First Lady Stories

For Sunday, January 15, 2011:

It's Martin Luther King day! I know it's fun to have a day off of work or school, but if you're interested in learning more about what this man and his work did for civil rights in our country, please check out this excellent post from

ontd_political!

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Michelle Williams Golden Globe Mega Post!

January 16, 2012, 10:32 am

≫ Next: Maya Angelou: Misquote on MLK Jr. Memorial Makes Him Sound Like 'An Arrogant Twit.'

≪ Previous: ONTD Roundup

To many of us, Michelle Williams is still Jen Lindley, the girl from New York who showed up in the Creek and rocked Dawson's world. In fact, seeing her sitting next to former Creek co-star and friend Busy Phillips at the 69th annual Golden Globe Awards tonight only served to reinforce that memory. But then, the ingenue-turned-acclaimed performer won Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) for My Week With Marilyn, beating the likes of Kate Winslet and Charlize Theron. Aaaand ... we're catapulted back to 2012! Williams is very much playing in a whole different league now.

Nonetheless, she's just as down-to-earth and real as a dear old friend ... at least judging from her beautiful acceptance speech that should go down in Globes history as one of the most heartwarming ever. Turns out, as honored as Michelle was to portray Marilyn Monroe, the role Michelle most cherishes is that of a mom.

As you might recall, Michelle's mom to 6-year-old Matilda Ledger, her daughter with late ex, Heath Ledger. When she took the stage, Michelle explained us just what her little girl means to her ...

"I consider myself a mother first and an actress second, and so the person I most want to thank is my daughter, my little girl, whose bravery and exuberance is the example that I take with me in my work and in my life. I want to say thank you for sending me off to this job every day with a hug and a kiss. I couldn't have done it any other way. It made me so excited to come home at night. And for suffering for six months of bedtime stories, where all the princesses were read aloud in a Marilyn Monroe-sounding voice."

So so sweet. Sure, you hear celebs thank their family, partners, and yes, occasionally, their children -- it seems like a common theme to tell them to go to bed if they're up late watching Mommy or Daddy on an awards show -- but I can't remember the last time I heard an actress or actor give their kiddo credit like this! And yet, it seemed to come so naturally for Michelle. It's obvious that she and Matilda are a close mother-daughter duo, and that motherhood means so much to her.

Michelle accomplished more than just giving an acceptance speech when she expressed her appreciation for and adoration of her daughter. She also sent an awesome message -- to her Hollywood peers and the rest of America: That movies may be groundbreaking, heartbreaking, important. They may make lots of money and win awards, but they'll still come in second to who you play and the people you love off-screen.

Redcarpet

Michelle winning a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical

I noticed that shade Seth. Michelle should have did you like Megan.

E! interview

Backstage Portraits

Backstage Pressroom

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,

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Maya Angelou: Misquote on MLK Jr. Memorial Makes Him Sound Like 'An Arrogant Twit.'

January 16, 2012, 10:33 am

≫ Next: Kate Major's Insane Police Report

≪ Previous: Michelle Williams Golden Globe Mega Post!

WASHINGTON — A quote carved in stone on the new Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Washington will be changed after the inscription was criticized for not accurately reflecting the civil rights leader's words.

The inscription currently reads: "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness." The phrase is chiseled into one side of a massive block of granite that includes King's likeness emerging from the stone. It became a point of controversy after the memorial opened in August.

A spokesman for the U.S Department of the Interior said Friday that Secretary Ken Salazar decided to have the quote changed. The Washington Post first reported on Friday the decision to change the inscription.

The phrase is modified from a sermon known as the "Drum Major Instinct," in which the 39-year-old King explained to his Atlanta congregation how he would like to be remembered at his funeral. He made the February 1968 speech just two months before he was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn.

In the speech, King's words seem more modest than the paraphrased inscription: "Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter."

Poet Maya Angelou previously said the truncated version made King sound like "an arrogant twit" because it was out of context.

Salazar gave the National Park Service, which the Interior Department oversees, a month to consult with the King Memorial Foundation, which led the effort to build the memorial, as well as family members and other interested parties. The committee is supposed to come up with a more accurate alternative to the quote.

Ed Jackson Jr., the executive architect of the $120 million project, previously said King's words were shortened for space reasons and that he stood by the paraphrased line.

He said in an emailed statement on Friday evening that the cost to make changes to the inscription will be assessed but none of the existing stone work will be removed.

"A few very carefully selected words will be added to the existing phrase; that will further amplify his statement about his role in America during the mid-20th century as a leader, a social advocate, a messenger, a voice of the people ... for freedom, justice, hope and peace," he said.

Harry Johnson, president of the King Memorial Foundation, said it wasn't yet clear what the alternatives might be. The group would look at all the ways a change could be made, he said.

Angelou was named among the memorial's Council of Historians tasked with selecting the inscriptions for the memorial. But she did not attend meetings about the inscriptions, Jackson said. Project planners also explained the shortened quote to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which ultimately approved the memorial's design.

At least one other recent memorial has undergone changes after being opened to the public. After the Franklin D. Roosevelt memorial opened in 1997, advocates for the disabled campaigned to have a statue added portraying Roosevelt in his wheelchair. Originally, only one statue in the memorial alluded to the fact Roosevelt lost the use of his legs after contracting polio as an adult. That statue portrayed him seated with small wheels on the back of his chair.

In 2001, a bronze sculpture depicting Roosevelt in his self-designed wheelchair was added to the entrance of the memorial. Disability groups raised $1.65 million for the addition.

Source

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Kate Major's Insane Police Report

January 16, 2012, 10:33 am

≫ Next: Azealia Banks - NEEDSUMLUV !!!

≪ Previous: Maya Angelou: Misquote on MLK Jr. Memorial Makes Him Sound Like 'An Arrogant Twit.'

Kate Major is a racist, boob-punching, foul-mouthed, cop-assaulting criminal ... if you believe the police report filed after her arrest in Boca Raton this weekend.

It's insane -- according to the report, obtained by TMZ, cops were called to an apartment parking lot around 9:45 PM on Saturday night ... after Michael Lohan's ex-GF was observed beating the crap out of a man and his wife.

Cops say ... when they arrived to the scene, Major was being restrained on the ground by several people who saw her attack Rosario Tapia and Juan Jimenez.

The officer who wrote the police report explained, 'I attempted to speak with Major, who was screaming and yelling obscenities at Tapia, calling her a 'fat f**k' and a 'b*tch'."

Jimenez told police ... he has NO IDEA why he and his wife were attacked ... but explained he and Tapia pulled into the parking lot and noticed someone had parked in their assigned space. So they were waiting for another spot to open ... when Major came bolting towards the car out of nowhere.

Jimenez claims Major opened the door and went crazy -- calling him and his wife "several racial names" before Major attacked his wife in the hands, breast and face.

When cops tried to arrest Major, police say she resisted arrest and tried to kick the officers.

Major was eventually arrested for battery and transported to a nearby jail -- where she was an EVEN BIGGER pain in the ass, according to the report.

Cops say she yelled at police -- and tried to make a break for it. At one point, cops say, she slapped the arresting officer and called him a "fat f**k."

She was later charged with resisting arrest with violence and battery on a police officer.

Major has since been released from custody ... but it sounds like this situation is far from over.

Source

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Azealia Banks - NEEDSUMLUV !!!

January 16, 2012, 10:33 am

≫ Next: This can't be life

≪ Previous: Kate Major's Insane Police Report

NEEDSUMLUV (SXLND) by Azealia Banks

the liquorice bitch
^__________^

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This can't be life

January 16, 2012, 10:38 am

≫ Next: Paul Weller names twin sons Bowie and John Paul

≪ Previous: Azealia Banks - NEEDSUMLUV !!!

Proudly displaying her bump for the first time, pregnant Peaches Geldof beams as she announces she is expecting a baby boy on her late mother’s birthday.

And as she cradled her stomach, the 22-year-old daughter of Sir Bob Geldof and Paula Yates said she felt it was her mother’s way of watching over her.

The model and sometime TV presenter admitted she kept her pregnancy a secret for nearly five months before breaking the news to her father on Boxing Day.

Miss Geldof revealed that her son would share her mother’s birthday, on April 24, adding: ‘It was amazing for me when they told me that, very emotional and touching and just really beautiful. I was so happy.

She was just 11 years old when writer and broadcaster Miss Yates died of a heroin overdose in September 2000, and said: ‘I feel like it’s a little wink from my mum; her way of sending a message to let me know that she’s watching over me and my baby.’

The blonde added that her father was ‘overwhelmed and emotional’ when she told him that she was pregnant with her musician fiance Thomas Cohen, who is just 20.

The pair, who became engaged last month after a year of dating, said they kept the pregnancy a secret as they had wanted time to ‘enjoy this sacred time as a couple’ before sharing the news with their families.

They had also wanted to be able to tell their families the sex of the baby, which coincided with Christmas – and will now bring their wedding forward.

Speaking about the Boomtown Rats star’s reaction, Miss Geldof said: ‘Oh my God, he was so happy, especially as I’m having a boy. The poor man’s been surrounded by women up till now.’

'I knew he would be happy but I didn’t realise how over the moon he would be. He’s always been very supportive of me but he was really overwhelmed and emotional.'

She also told how the proud grandfather-to-be gave his future son-in-law the seal of approval, saying: ‘He offered Tom a glass of champagne and told me he was glad it was Tom because, of all the boyfriends I’ve had, he’s the favourite.

‘He told us we must never break up; that we must make our child happy, get married and be together forever.’

Miss Geldof is no stranger to controversy and has, in the past few years, been caught up in ~~allegations of~~ drug taking, shoplifting and extreme dieting.

However, now, she claimed, her evenings are devoted to pouring over websites for babywear companies like Mamas and Papas and Mothercare.

She started dating Mr Cohen, the frontman for band S.C.U.M. in December 2010, but the couple had been friends for five years prior to that.

Miss Geldof divorced rock musician Max Drummey in 2009 after a six-month marriage. The pair had married in secret in a drive-in ceremony in Las Vegas after a 10-day romance.

But last year, she told how her relationship with Mr Cohen had calmed her down – and that she was keen to become a mother.

Speaking in July, Miss Geldof said: ‘Tom is so good for me. I’m so loved up. We’ll make beautiful babies – I’m so broody!

‘I’ve decided I want one by 25 but I would like to be married first, and Tom would make the perfect husband.

‘We’ve been together nine months and since I’ve moved back to London, life is like something out of a Richard Curtis film. He’s such a calming influence on me.’

The pair recently bought a house in Whitechapel, East London, and Miss Geldof said she had become obsessed with furniture.

She said: ‘I guess, when you get a mortgage, somehow you become obsessed with things like oven mitts and garden furniture and couches,” she says. “I never thought it would happen to me, but it’s like the high point of my life now, buying vintage sofas. I’ve been going insane on eBay.

‘I’ve bought, like, a million vintage sofas, I’m obsessed. I keep getting men from the West Country calling me up to deliver sofas, which are all piling up in our tiny one-bedroom rented flat in Stamford Hill.

‘I’ve become very much domesticated. I’m a fan of doilies: I’ve been collecting them, different ones, embroidered doilies, much to the chagrin of my long suffering fiancé.’

She added: ‘One thing I don’t like about Whitechapel is all the graffiti. I’d much rather have a Turner than a Banksy. I can’t stand all that hipster stuff, sadly. fuck off you pretentious wanker You’d think I was the epitome of it, but I’m, actually, really boring. Recently, I’ve been staying in with my fiancé every night of the week, watching films like Babe. The most exciting it got recently was a night out to see Arthur Christmas.’

Although they had planned to wait a couple of years before marrying, they have now decided to bring the wedding forward to ‘probably to late this year or early next’ because of the baby.

She said: ‘It will be quite a traditional wedding. We want our son to know that he has a mummy and daddy who will be together forever.’

Sir Bob made his pronouncement to his young daughter that she must stay married to Mr Cohen forever – even though his marriage to Paula Yates ended after 20 years together.

The couple wed after 10 years together in June 1986 in Las Vegas and the marriage ended when Miss Yates left the Live Aid activist for INXS heartthrob Michael Hutchence in 1995. Their divorce was made final in May 1996.

The couple had three daughters, Fifi, now 28, Peaches and Pixi, now 21.

Last year, the 60-year-old campaigner told how he almost killed himself over the breakdown of his marriage, admitting he battled ‘universes of grief’.

He said the pain was so intense that he considered suicide — and that he only decided against it for the sake of their daughters.

Sir Bob said: ‘I made a list of reasons to live. There was only one item on it: the children.’

The rocker later found some solace in music, he said, and went on to meet current partner, French actress Jeanne Marine, in Paris.

Meanwhile, tragic Miss Yates died in 2000 from an accidental heroin overdose aged 41 — three years after Hutchence hanged himself aged 37.

Following her death, Sir Bob won custody of Tiger Lily, the daughter of Miss Yates and Hutchence, who is now 16 and goes by the name Tiger Hutchence-Geldof.

SOURCE

me rn:

TYFYT ONTD

XOXO

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Paul Weller names twin sons Bowie and John Paul

January 16, 2012, 11:27 am

≫ Next: YA Authors Gone Cray-Cray

≪ Previous: This can't be life

Paul Weller has become a father to twin boys at the age of 53.

The singer and his 25-year-old wife Hannah Andrews welcomed sons Bowie and John Paul on Saturday.

The rocker now has seven children by four different women.

The former Jam frontman announced the news on his official website today.

A statement read: “Paul and his wife Hannah are happy to announce that their twins John Paul and Bowie were born on Saturday.

“Both boys are healthy and doing well following the birth and Paul and Hannah are thrilled and over the moon.

“Paul would like to thank his fans for all their well wishes over the last few months.

“Congratulations to Paul and Hannah!”

The name Bowie raised some eyebrows after Weller’s long-running feud with fellow singer David Bowie.

Paul and Hannah, who is two years older than Paul’s 23-year-old son Natt, wed on the Italian island of Capri in September 2010 after dating for two years.

Formatting looks ok from my end now, mods(?)

AS if he cares, I approve. NHF matchy-matchy twin names

source

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YA Authors Gone Cray-Cray

January 16, 2012, 11:57 am

≫ Next: OH LAWD HAVE MERCY MERCY MERCY!!!! Gackt @ Bunraku Screening Stylin On Errbody

≪ Previous: Paul Weller names twin sons Bowie and John Paul

YA novel readers clash with publishing establishment

A row over the status of the bloggers who fuelled the success of young adult novels has been raging across the net

A literary punch-up that had been brewing for a while finally erupted between a bunch of readers, authors and agents on Goodreads – the vast online site where millions of members discuss the world's books. In the same week that award-winning children's writer Anthony McGowan caused a stir with his "scorching" Guardian review of Blood Red Road by Costa winner Moira Young, the Goodreads flame war flared across Twitter, sparked by writers and agents who seemed to be stamping on negative reviews.

It all started with a "snarky" (or "honest", depending on who's side you're on) review of a much-hyped YA novel, Tempest by Julie Cross, just published in the UK by Macmillan Children's Books. A sarcastic response and put-downs of reader views on the Goodreads site by Cross's author friends, and comments by her agent, caused outrage. While Cross responded gracefully, other YA authors and agents took the fight to Twitter in a spectacularly misjudged bout of reader-bashing, "sneering at the people who make their ****ing books reach the NYT bestseller list",The Bookwurrm judged.

Things escalated further as authors and agents publicly discussed rigging the ratings on Goodreads and Amazon to push up the visibility of good reviews and "hide" bad ones.

It's left a lot of passionate young bloggers, reviewers and readers disillusioned and upset. "I've seen way more readers turned off books by author behaviour than by bad reviews," claims one of the Book Lantern bloggers, a group of young readers from all over the world, citing recent incidents of "authors and editors muscling in on reviews, being very aggressive or judgmental of bloggers".

Twilight and The Hunger Games showed young adult fiction to be a potential goldmine. Authors and publishers quickly latched onto the galaxy of online book sites, where a vast young readership roams, as the key to global success. But can you harness that energy? Should you even try? More and more bloggers are reluctant to host the author blog tours that now swamp book sites – only to find that publishers refuse them free advance review copies of the new books they want. Who wins there? With such precarious balances of power, a bust-up was always likely.

Whose book is it anyway? The hardest thing a writer has to learn is that once you publish a book, it's no longer truly yours – even though it's got your name on the front and it lives inside you. It belongs to the readers now. All you can do is steel yourself as you push it out into the world, stay gracious, and get busy with the next one.

And if you can't stand the heat of the blogosphere – don't Google yourself.

Source

Relevant link to the mess

First Five Days on Goodreads aka rundown of all the idiotic author behavior where they bash reviewers and/or try to mess up the review system to make sure only the positive reviews are showing.

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OH LAWD HAVE MERCY MERCY MERCY!!!! Gackt @ Bunraku Screening Stylin On Errbody

January 16, 2012, 12:03 pm

≫ Next: ONTD’s Oscar Post, week 12

≪ Previous: YA Authors Gone Cray-Cray

And some bonus images

With his bandmates Jon and Takumi

Video (dat voice melts butta)

Source 1 2 3 4 + special thanks to my fellow Dears

pyroyale

mun_chairudo

seigan_aurora

excused_early

tihojenebo

Stylin on the world one by one, the only man who can come close to his swag and fashion sense is Cam'ron tbh

scrillasteve would agree

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ONTD’s Oscar Post, week 12

January 16, 2012, 12:04 pm

≫ Next: Movies From an Alternate Universe

≪ Previous: OH LAWD HAVE MERCY MERCY MERCY!!!! Gackt @ Bunraku Screening Stylin On Errbody

The Golden Glow

On January 24th 2012, the nominations will be announced for the 84th Academy Awards. This year, we’ll try to do our own coverage of the changes from week to week, doing averages based on the opinions of Oscar bloggers around the web, looking into the gossip, rumors and smear campaigns that will start popping out soon enough, to come up with the names that are most likely to get the coveted nominations (last week’s post here).
This week we take a look at the aftershocks from the Globes and what they may have said about the state of the race.

Best Picture

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The polls closed Friday for the Oscar noms, and everything Globes related should be taken with a grain of salt. That said, a few things do seem clearer now – for example, the fact that the eventual final race in this category will probably come between The Artist and The Descendants. The longer list still has reserved spots for Hugo, Midnight in Paris and The Help (which could regain momentum after the SAGs, an award show where it should shine), but it’s hard to imagine any of them cracking the top spots. Meanwhile, War Horse and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo show up more and more as potential filler and nothing else, while The Tree of Life remains, sadly, largely ignored in the grand scheme of things.

CURRENT PREDICTIONS: The Artist, The Descendants, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, War Horse, Moneyball, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

ALMOST THERE:Tree of Life, Bridesmaids.

Best Director

While still not the most likely winner come Oscar night, Martin Scorsese’s chances and profile certainly benefitted from last night’s somewhat unexpected win. Him, Michel Hazanivicius, and Alexander Payne remain firmly as the frontrunners, with Woody Allen getting a late surge and Steven Spielberg in the run as a strong possibility.
Terrence Malick lost some ground after Tree of Life’s poor awards run, while love for The Help could end up improving the odds for helmer Tate Taylor, and Fincher shouldn’t be counted out, after a strong showing at the DGA’s.

CURRENT PREDICTIONS: Alexander Payne, The Descendants ; Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist; Martin Scorsese, Hugo; Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris; Steven Spielberg, War Horse.

ALMOST THERE: Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life; Tate Taylor; The Help.

Best Actress

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The Best Actress race still consists of the same six names. Rooney Mara's chances seem more likely now that Dragon Tattoo earned an unexpected DGA nod for Fincher (indicating that now that the film has been more widely seen, it may receive more industry support), however, it is unclear who she would push out then between Glenn Close and Tilda Swinton. Tilda has earned all the precursor nominations and made the BAFTA longlist top 5, but her film is still seen as difficult and unlikely Academy fodder. Meanwhile, although the reviews for Albert Nobbs have been tepid at best, Glenn Close still has the SAG and Golden Globe nomination, as well as the passion project narrative. However, the actual race will probably turn into one between Viola Davis and Meryl Streep, with Michelle Williams perhaps having an outside shot. Davis won Critics Choice (and gave an extremely moving acceptance speech that could work in her favor), while Streep took the Drama Golden Globe. The popularity of The Help will probably result in a SAG victory for Davis, but either Streep, Williams, or Swinton could take BAFTA. Nonetheless, Best Actress this year will probably prove to be more of a nailbiter than in years past.

CURRENT PREDICTIONS: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady (The Weinstein Company); Viola Davis, The Help (Disney); Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs (Roadside Attractions); Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn (The Weinstein Company); Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin (Oscilloscope).

ALMOST THERE: Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Charlize Theron, Young Adult.

Best Supporting Actress

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Meanwhile, after her victory at the Critics' Choice and Golden Globes, Octavia Spencer is now the early frontrunner for Best Supporting Actress. Chastain and Bejo are also locks for nominations, but now seem unlikely to actually win, unless love for the Artist proves to be even stronger than expected. The last two seem to be a contest among Janet McTeer, Melissa McCarthy, and Shailene Woodley. The former two received the crucial SAG nomination, and McCarthy was even in the BAFTA longlist top 5, but again, she has to overcome genre bias. Vanessa Redgrave still could have a very unlikely outside chance, although the fact that she couldn't even make the BAFTA longlist is puzzling.

CURRENT PREDICTIONS: Octavia Spencer, The Help (Disney); Jessica Chastain, The Help (Disney); Berenice Bejo, The Artist (The Weinstein Company); Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids (Universal); Shailene Woodley, The Descendants (Fox Searchlight).

ALMOST THERE:Janet Mcteer, Albert Nobbs; Vanessa Redgrave, Coriolanus.

Best Actor

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Best Actor remains quite possibly the most consistent category of them all, with Clooney, Dujardin and Pitt as the top three contenders. Last night Clooney followed up his Critics Choice win with the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama continuing to keep hold of the frontrunner status. Whilst Jean Dujardin won the Globe for Actor in a Comedy/Musical in a cakewalk, cementing his win with a refreshingly charming speech. SAG will be the most telling as to whether the race will stay pretty much the same with Clooney up in front, or whether Brad Pitt can gain back some momentum. It's worth noting that neither actor has ever won an individual SAG Award. Rounding out the top five is Fassbender and DiCaprio with British veteran Gary Oldman vying for a final spot.

CURRENT PREDICTIONS: George Clooney, The Descendants (Fox Searchlight); Brad Pitt, Moneyball (Columbia Pictures); Jean Dujardin, The Artist (The Weinstein Company); Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar (Warner Bros. Pictures); Michael Fassbender, Shame (Fox Searchlight).

ALMOST THERE: Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; Woody Harrelson, Rampart.

Best Supporting Actor

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Again, no changes from last week as Christopher Plummer remains the favourite to win; with the only spoiler at this rate being Albert Brooks. Looking to follow their leading partners to the Kodak is Kenneth Branagh, going three-for-three in terms of precursor nominations and Jonah Hill for his first break into the drama genre with Moneyball. A non-start for Stephen Daldry's Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and a luke-warm response to Young Adult suggest that Max von Sydow and Patton Oswalt are unlikely. It appears that our final line-up could be this, with Hugo's Ben Kingsley and Viggo Mortensen as possible spoilers.

CURRENT PREDICTIONS: Christopher Plummer, Beginners (Olympus Pictures/Focus Features); Albert Brooks, Drive (FilmDistrict); Kenneth Branagh, My week with Marilyn (The Weinstein Company); Nick Nolte, Warrior (Summit); Jonah Hill, Moneyball (Paramount Pictures).

ALMOST THERE: Max Von Sydow, Extremely loud and incredibly close; Ben Kingsley (Hugo).

Best Original Screenplay

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In the words of Nicole Kidman: "Come and get it, Woody." Woody Allen remains the frontrunner for Best Original Screenplay, and if he were to win it would be his third win out of a staggering fifteen nominations. The line-up remains virtually the same, the only change being Diablo Cody's acerbic Young Adult script dropping out of the top five, making way for Asghar Farhadi's highly praised screenplay for A Separation, the Foreign Language film frontrunner.

CURRENT PREDICTIONS: Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen), The Artist (Michael Hazanavicius), Bridesmaids (Kristen Wiig & Annie Mumulo), Beginners (Mike Mills), A Separation (Asghar Farhadi).

ALMOST THERE: 50/50, Young Adult.

Best Adapted Screenplay

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Oscar winner Steven Zaillian has a strong hold on this category with two scripts in Consideration: Moneyball (also written by Aaron Sorkin) and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, giving the category a darker edge. Out is Tim Roth's screenplay for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, the film having received no guild nominations, nor high profile mentions outside of the BFCA. Widespread love for Hugo and The Help keep them in the conversation, despite issues some critics have with the screenplays. On the fringes is War Horse, whose status has been on a steady decline since its release and the meticulous script for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy.

CURRENT PREDICTIONS: The Descendants (Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash), Moneyball (Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin), The Help (Tate Taylor & Kathryn Stockett), Hugo (John Logan), The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Steve Zaillian).

ALMOST THERE: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, War Horse.

Foreign Film

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In the Foreign Language Film category, A Separation would appear to be the runaway winner, but again, the Oscar Foreign Language category is notoriously difficult to predict, as evidenced by No Man's Land victory over Amelie in 2001 and The Secret in their Eyes' victory over both The White Ribbon AND A Prophet in 2009 (a total travesty IMO). There have also been whispers that the film might even need to executive committee to step in, in order to actually make the longlist. Aki Kaurismaki's Le Havre and Mexico's Miss Bala have also been well-received. Lebanon's Where Do We Go Now? won the Audience award at TIFF is also a strong possibility, although the buzz since then seems to have died.

CURRENT PREDICTIONS: A Separation (Iran), Le Havre (Finland), Where Do We Go Now? (Lebanon), In Darkness (Poland), Footnote (Israel)

ALMOST THERE:War Is Declared (France), Miss Bala (Mexico), Monsieur Lazhar (Canada).

Best Documentary Feature

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The documentary nominations, much like the foreign language film nominations, are often noted for which films don't actually end up making the longlist. This year is no different, as Senna, Interrupters, and the Werner Herzog double feature of Cave of Forgotten Dreams and Into the Abyss, all are missing from it. Now, of those which are on the longlist, Project Nim seems like a frontrunner. The documentary, about a series of experiments with a chimpanzee, has been very well-received and director James Marsh had previously won for Man on Wire. Pina, Bill Cunningham: New York, and Buck have also all received very positive reviews and are likely nominees.

CURRENT PREDICTIONS: Project Nim, Paradise Lost 3, Pina, Bill Cunningham New York, Buck.

ALMOST THERE: We Were Here, Undefeated.

Best Animated Feature

Even though it walked away as a winner on Sunday night, it’s unlikely that The Adventures of Tintin, which employs the controversial motion capture technology (source of never ending debate and scorn among animation experts and professionals), will take the big prize come Oscar night. Meanwhile, a couple of so far overlooked titles might surprise: both Winnie the Pooh and Kung Fu Panda 2 have had stronger critical success so far than some of the movies that are apparently ahead in the race (like Rio, for example).

CURRENT PREDICTIONS: The Adventures of Tintin (Amblin Studios), Rango (Blind Wink productions), Puss in Boots (Dreamworks), Rio (Blue Sky), Arthur Christmas (Sony Pictures Animation).

ALMOST THERE: Cars 2 , Winnie the Pooh, Kung Fu Panda 2.

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Oscar News Round-Up

The memorable quick links for the week in Awards coverage.

• Golden Globes Coverage: Golden Globes Weekend Party Circuit: AFI Lunch, Paramount, LA Film Critics, Film Independent, BAFTA, Arrivals, Ontd’s coverage part 1 ,part 2 & the Vogue Best Dressed.

• An analysis of the NBR Awards

• Also, a Behind the scenes look at the Critics Choice Awards.

• The ACE Eddie awards nominations are out.

• After the crowded December release of Oscar bait, we have the usual extreme dip in the dumping ground that is January. Here, a look at the worst recent january releases.

• For our consideration: The Snickering curse surrounding Shame.

• Time out talks to Spielberg about War Horse.

• The charming Dujardin tries to impress Robert DeNiro, with mixed results.

• Ebert weighs in the Oscar Race.

• Mark Harris handicaps the Screenplay race, and his previous analysis of "Known Unknowns".

• Meanwhile, /Film takes a look at the Costume Design and Makeup possibilities.

Sources: Us, 1, 2, 3

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Movies From an Alternate Universe

January 16, 2012, 12:17 pm

≫ Next: Amber Heard Looking Stunning at the Art of Elysium Gala

≪ Previous: ONTD’s Oscar Post, week 12

Awhile back a friend of mine forwarded me a site where an artist had made posters of films that, title wise, we were familiar with, but there was a slight difference; they were remade as if they belonged to a different era or a different genre, the name of the movie was there, but the actors were different, the style was different, and I loved the concept. So I went forward with this theme; what if movies we were all familiar with were made a different slice of time? Who would be in it? Who would direct it? So here we are...

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mods i thought this was awesome/don't think its been posted but if you're not into it i understand lol

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Amber Heard Looking Stunning at the Art of Elysium Gala

January 16, 2012, 12:29 pm

≫ Next: Madonna on Graham Norton is a Ratings Success Plus a New W.E Clip

≪ Previous: Movies From an Alternate Universe

Actress Amber Heard arrives at The Art Of Elysium's 5th Annual Heaven Gala on January 14, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.

Source

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Madonna on Graham Norton is a Ratings Success Plus a New W.E Clip

January 16, 2012, 12:42 pm

≫ Next: Ezra Miller talking more pretentious bs, but he's hot, so it's all good

≪ Previous: Amber Heard Looking Stunning at the Art of Elysium Gala

Graham Norton’s dream guest, Madonna, helped pull him in an extra million viewers for his BBC1 chat show.

An impressive 4.2 million people tuned in to watch the superstar talk about her new film W.E. on Friday night.

The show usually bags just over 3million viewers.

Graham couldn’t stop raving about the singer afterwards. He said: “Still high on Madonna love.”

Source 1, 2

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Ezra Miller talking more pretentious bs, but he's hot, so it's all good

January 16, 2012, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: Nina Dobrev's 23rd birthday party: Details and pics from the event!

≪ Previous: Madonna on Graham Norton is a Ratings Success Plus a New W.E Clip

Vogue: Breaking Out – Ezra Miller, We Need to Talk About Kevin

The role that will be labeled as nineteen-year-old Ezra Miller’s break out is not a forlorn adolescent love interest, a precocious child who sees ghosts, or a strapping young swashbuckler in a costume drama—but a callous teenage serial killer. Opposite John C. Reilly and Tilda Swinton (whose portrayal of the movie’s protagonist, Eva, has earned her a Golden Globe nomination), Miller plays Kevin in We Need to Talk About Kevin, directed by Lynne Ramsay and based on Lionel Shriver’s chilling novel in which a mother reconstructs the events and parenting choices that preceded her son’s high school killing spree. Miller grew up in northern New Jersey, decided—after performing in Robert Wilson and Phillip Glass’s opera White Raven at age eight—that he wanted to be an actor, and just released a second album with his band, Sons of an Illustrious Father. His taking on a troubled character is not unprecedented—he played a rabble-rousing school reporter in Beware the Gonzo, a young boy grappling with his sexuality in Every Day, and a tenth grader addicted to disturbing images on the Internet in Afterschool.

As Kevin, Miller sears and grates. A seeming sociopath from birth (as a baby, Kevin’s shrill cry torments his mother; as a child he is cruel, ruinous, and manipulative; as a teenager, Eva suspects him of attacking his younger sister with bleach—an accident that leads to the loss of her eye), Kevin is eerie, terrifying, and exacting in a way that is almost incomprehensible given his age. From his apartment in Chelsea, Miller spoke to Vogue about taking on the dark character.

This is a complicated role. What attracted you to it?
When I read the script, the role seemed true. [Kevin] was written in such a way that, even though he’s remote from myself and a lot of sensible, empathetic human beings, he made sense to me. I really felt that I could understand the true motivation within Kevin, and the false justification that he brandishes in order to commit the deeds he does.

Was it more arduous than playing a sympathetic character? Was it difficult to play a sociopath for months?
[Shooting] lasted for about a month, but I entrenched myself in Kevin’s head awhile before we started. I’d been thinking about it since two years prior when I first read the script, because I felt such a strong compulsion to get this role. Even when the prospect was nowhere close at hand, I was sort of brewing Kevin. And that was certainly a long haul, and a strenuous one. I definitely had a good deal of my dreams become nightmares. And it can be difficult to keep yourself in a place where you’re continually shutting down the mechanisms of your own human empathy. I couldn’t actually talk to my mother, really, at all.

Really?
No I couldn’t, at all. It’s such an opposing happy reality with my mother that I didn’t want the goodness of my relationship with my mother in subtle ways tarnishing the tension and horror of Kevin’s relationship with Eva, and vice versa—even more so. I didn’t want to impose any Kevin on my actual mother. But there’s something to be said for having perspective—I find myself to be an empathetic person. I found there to be something useful about coming from an opposing place and bearing perspective because if I truly was an apathetic, manipulative, conniving person who hated his mother, how would I not be blind to the realities of that character?

How are people reacting to you, after seeing you convincingly play such an evil character?
I do get a certain kind of validation and gratification from the way people will sort of approach me tentatively, with a little bit of fear [after they see the film]. It echoes to me that in some way or another I did my job. I had a close friend see it, and we went out to some party afterwards. We were hanging out, and I thought we were having a fine time and my friend was like, “Listen man, I gotta go. It’s nothing personal, I love you but I’m just having a really hard time being around you.”

Your next film is Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which comes out this year. It looks like a great cast (Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Nina Dobrav); was it fun to shoot?
It was the funnest cast imaginable. It was like we were all collectively destined for that movie and for one another. It’s how I could only imagine a John Hughes cast being or how something like that would have felt because we were making this movie where our characters all had a strong connection within this group of friends—in a way that echoed the reality of our lives. We’d shoot all day or all night, and we’d spend the next ten hours playing music in one of our hotel rooms and being mischievious kids. For three months, we were constantly having a ball.

Now that it’s awards season, are there any movies that you’re excited about?
Martha Marcy May Marlene. My good friends who I made my first film with—Borderline Films—made that movie, and I’d been wanting to see it for a really long time, expecting nothing but greatness from them. I think Miss Elizabeth Olsen deserves the highest form of praise. And John Hawkes. All the performances in that movie blew me away.

-->What role does fashion have in your life?<--
I shop only at thrift stores and vintage stores. In New York, I like a place called Star Struck, and a place called The Family Jewels. And then up in Massachusetts, there was once a store called Skiddoo. My mother and I are friendly with Paige, the woman who ran it, and she still has this warehouse filled with clothes from the Prohibition era and all sorts of amazing stuff. LOL.

NYPost: We need to talk about Ezra

When you invite your friends and family to see the movie in which you play a Columbine-style teen mass murderer, you’ve got to be prepared for some awkwardness afterward.

“One friend told me very politely that he couldn’t spend time around me for, like, a few hours. He said, ‘I love you, but your face is terrifying me right now,’?” Ezra Miller says. The 19-year-old actor plays the title role in “We Need To Talk About Kevin,” the indie horror movie based on Lionel Shriver’s novel about a mother (Tilda Swinton) living in the aftermath of her son’s horrendous crime.

While Miller’s face might more accurately be described as striking, there’s a certain intensity to his look that does seem to lend itself to complicated roles. In 2008’s “Afterschool” he was a prep-school student who captures two fellow students’ deaths on video, and in last year’s “Another Happy Day” he played a teen drug-rehab veteran.

But in real life, the young actor — who freely admits to being arrested this summer for pot possession — seems to have his stuff pretty well together. The hyper-articulate New Jersey native, son of a dancer (his mom) and a publisher (his dad), started acting at 8 in an uber-New York intellectual way: with a part in a Philip Glass opera at Lincoln Center.

“I was really fascinated by opera from the age of 6,” Miller says. His unconventional childhood continued into his teen years, when he dropped out of the Hudson private school in Hoboken.

Like a true child of Montessori, Miller is a big proponent of life being the ultimate teacher. “I got a lot of my education from my own investigation, my own reading,” he says. “I started in a school that taught me that I should learn for myself.”

He also plays the drums and sings in a band called Sons of an Illustrious Father. “Every member of the band has various other things happening in their lives,” says Miller, who currently lives in Chelsea, “so we’ll get together for a month or two at a time, and then we’ll go our separate ways.”

The band just played a gig at the Bait and Tackle bar in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and will perform at the Delancey on Wednesday.

He also just finished another teen movie, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” adapted from Stephen Chbosky’s cult novel about Charlie, an introverted high school freshman.

“It was very interesting to get that script four years after reading the book,” says the actor, who was a fan when he read it as a freshman. His older character, Patrick, is a mentor to Charlie. He’s also involved with a member of the football team.

Miller says playing a gay character seems, to him, “very commonplace, to the degree that it’s almost sort of nothing to write home about. But I think it can vary for a lot of different actors. For the actor who plays my boyfriend, it was challenging. There were barriers he had to cross in the making of the film.”

One of his other “Wallflower” co-stars, Emma Watson, is best known as the heroine of the movie versions of the Harry Potter books — which Miller adored growing up, but, he says, “the films were never the Harry Potter experience for me; it was the books and the the audio recordings.

“That proved fortunate, because Emma wasn’t, in my mind, Hermione Granger. Which would have perhaps been,” he jokes, “confusing to me.”

Being a bookworm, and having a dad in publishing, does he ever think about writing? Miller seems a bit wary about wearing several professional hats at once (note to James Franco). NO, please don't be the next James Franco.

“I do,” he says, “but realistically I think that might happen later in life, when my mind and my actions are a little less frantic and fast-moving. I have some work to do on, like, settling my conscious experience before I can sit down and write.”

More from that latest photoshoot

Source 1
Source 2
Source 3

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Nina Dobrev's 23rd birthday party: Details and pics from the event!

January 16, 2012, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: Dominique Young Unique's nu vid for She's Unique is critically acclaimed!

≪ Previous: Ezra Miller talking more pretentious bs, but he's hot, so it's all good

"The Vampire Diaries" star Nina Dobrev turned 23 on Monday, January 9, but she was so busy working and flying to Los Angeles to collect her Best TV Drama Actress People's Choice Award, she didn't get to really celebrate until Saturday night.

While some celebs might want to be waited on hand and foot on their birthdays, Nina opted for a different approach: she cooked up a storm! Nina and her guests, including castmates Ian Somerhalder, Steven R. McQueen, Candice Accola, Zach Roerig, and Joseph Morgan, went to Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta, where chefs taught them to prepare their own yummy food.

The "TVD" cast and friends learned to whip up Thai chicken satay kebabs, mussels steamed in coconut milk and lemongrass, a seared salmon and tuna salad... and, of course, warm chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream. Le Cordon Bleu also gave Nina a stunning cake, made to look like Elena's diary from the show.

Happy birthday Nina! (And congratulations on being the first-ever write in People's Choice Award winner. "Vampire Diaries" fans are fierce.)

source.

+ Damon's flashback hair

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Dominique Young Unique's nu vid for She's Unique is critically acclaimed!

January 16, 2012, 1:01 pm

≫ Next: Wikipedia blackout coming Jan. 18, says co-founder Jimmy Wales

≪ Previous: Nina Dobrev's 23rd birthday party: Details and pics from the event!

Dominique Young Unique has just released the third video from her ‘Stupid Pretty’ mixtape – ‘She’s Unique’ is a bouncing, synth laden club banger backed by a fierce 808 kick – just as we’ve come to expect from Dominique.

Within a year of releasing her first mixtape ‘Domination’ DYU has gone from rapping in the basketball courts of the Robes Park projects to performing live in front of thousands alongside the likes of N.E.R.D, Big Boi, Die Antwoord and Gucci Mane.

Look out for DYU in 2012, 3 ever evolving mixtapes in, she is showing no signs of slowly down and is hell bent on bringing her long time collaborator David Alexander’s twisted dirty neo electro beats to the masses.

- Faux Magazine

Tampa’s finest Dominique Young Unique is back with 'She's Unique' from her latest 'Stupid Pretty' mixtape.

“Stupid Pretty” follows Dominique’s previous mixtapes “Domination” and “Glamorous Touch“ which have been downloaded over 90,000 times and gained over 300,000 Youtube views. Produced by her long time collaborator David Alexander, and recorded in Tampa and London, “Stupid Pretty” is a transatlantic mashup of Dominique’s now signature spitfire, youthful raw songwriting and delivery and Alexander's twisted dirty neo electro beats.

This latest mixtape continues to take fans on the DYU journey. Dominique says “I’m 19 now, and the “Stupid Pretty” mixtape shows I’ve grown as a person and an artist. It’s where I am at now. My sound has developed. I'm stronger."

- Altsounds.com

The new video for “She’s Unique” by Dominique Young Unique (directed by Johannes Schaff) gives us a lil summer as she spits her rapid-fire flow over David Alexander’s production.

Dominique Young Unique says, “The song is mainly about you doing your own thing. When people try to get in the way when you’re trying to succeed in life, you don’t pay them no mind — you crush them like mash potatoes.”

- Female Rappers NET

LUV this nu version of the song, the vid is cute as always ^___^

DON'T forget to dl her mixtapes HERE!

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