Vulture

Week in Review: Hotshot Medicine Man Edition

Mark Graham — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:00:09 -0500

We don't know what you guys think, but one of our favorite things to read each day is the Gossipmonger roundup our well-coiffed siblings over at Daily Intel put together. After all, where else can you get so much great information packed into such a compact space? We love it so much that we decided to ape the style as best we could for this week's Roll Credits. Yes, that's right, we don't have to work tomorrow. As Trey Parker and Matt Stone would say, "America, fuck yeah!" Anyway, here goes ...

Michael Jackson saved the record industry (twice!) and bequeathed his kids (or are they?) to Diana Ross. AEG had trouble figuring out how to refund MJ ticketholders without bankrupting their company, but probably leaked footage of his last performance to CNN. Al Sharpton and Spike Lee boogied. Bubbles didn't get much love from either Michael or Quincy Jones.

Ben Silverman screened The Philanthropist for Bo, the White House dog. Katherine Heigl faked it. Hugh Jackman joined the Academy. The strangely unsexy Johnny Depp fought with Michael Mann. Michael Bay got even richer and then partnered with James Frey, and HarperCollins made sure they got a piece of the action. Simon Cowell got rich and didn't even have to partner with James Frey to do it. Paula Abdul sat on a Mexican. Jay-Z shut down Chris Brown. Matt Damon got fat. Lindsay Lohan took off her pants. Alice Hoffman and Alain de Botton didn't exactly endear themselves to critics, though both would later apologize, sort of. Some bands still hate each other. Julie White continued winning us over. Movie studios couldn't figure out how to market to hipsters. And the "Hell, Yes!" sign got saved!

See you on Monday!

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Filed Under: roll credits

Alain de Botton Is Sorry, Sort Of

Lane Brown — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:45:30 -0500

In an interview with Ed Champion, Alain de Botton — the author who inadvisably left angry comments on the personal blog of the New York Times Book Review critic who slammed his book last Sunday — says that if he could go back in time, he'd tell himself, "Put this message in an envelope, not on the Internet." [Ed Champion]

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Filed Under: alain de botton, authors gone wild, books

The Britney Spears Haiku Contest: We Have Ourselves a Winner!

Mark Graham — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:30:39 -0500

A hearty congratulations goes out this afternoon to Vulture commenter ktfania, whose well-composed Britney Spears haiku managed to win over your friendly Vulture editors as the best entry in our recent contest. Ktfania will receive two VIP tickets to see the one and only Britney Jean Spears when she swings through Madison Square Garden on August 24. Here's the winning entry:

A slave 4 scandal
Your Cheeto libido drives
This toxic joy ride

Thanks again to all of you who entered!

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Filed Under: britney spears, contests, haiku

Footage From Michael Jackson’s Final Rehearsal Leaks

Lane Brown — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:55:48 -0500

CNN just aired leaked video from Michael Jackson's last-ever rehearsal for his "This Is It" tour. The footage, shot at the Staples Center on June 24, two days before his death, shows a skinny-looking MJ doing "They Don't Care About Us," which was not one of his better-loved hits (it was that "Jew me, sue me" song that caused an uproar in 1996, back when song lyrics could still cause uproars). But, hey, maybe "Beat It" will leak soon too.

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Filed Under: michael jackson, music, video

James Frey/Michael Bay Partnership Coming Ever Closer to Fruition

Mark Graham — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:45:04 -0500

There was only one pesky thing getting in the way of the proposed partnership between Michael Bay and James Frey. And no, it wasn't a piece of legislation outlawing two of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse from working on a project together (although we hear there is growing support for just such a bill on the Hill). Rather, it was the fact that a publisher had yet to acquire the rights to the proposed series. Well, consider that hurdle, um, hurdled: The North American rights have been sold to HarperCollins Children's Books for an undisclosed sum. [NYT]

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Filed Under: books, harpercollins, harpercollins children's books, i am number four, james frey, michael bay

Today in Michael Jackson: Bubbles Retires to Florida, Funeral Confirmed, and More

Lane Brown — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:15:42 -0500

Things are a little quieter on the MJ front this afternoon, but here's everything important:

• Anderson Cooper has heroically managed to track down Bubbles, Michael Jackson's monkey who once nearly ate poor Rashida Jones. The chimpanzee is now 26 years old and living in an animal sanctuary in Florida. Bubbles has been there since 2005 and a worker says Jackson never once came to visit. This is the saddest thing we have ever heard. [Buzzfeed]

• Roger Friedman reported this earlier, but it's since been confirmed: Jackson's funeral will take place next Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Staples Center. You won't get in. [ET]

• According to former Sony Music CEO Tommy Mottola, the King of Pop left behind "dozens and dozens of songs that did not end up on his albums." We hope not too many are duets with Paul McCartney. [MTV]

• Though Jackson's will expressly stated that his children should go to his mother or Diana Ross, his ex-wife Debbie Rowe says she'll fight for custody, and even wants to submit to a DNA test to prove that she's the biological mother. [TMZ]

• On Sunday, the organist at the Trinity Wall Street church paid tribute to Jackson with a medley of his hits after mass (yes, there's video). [ArtsBeat]

• TMZ says that Jackson used to buy drugs under the names "Jack London" and "Omar Arnold." [TMZ]

• Even Hitler is sad that Jackson died. [High Definite]

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Filed Under: michael jackson, music

Couples Retreat Reignites the Seminal Nineties Bromance Between Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn

Mark Graham — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:45:43 -0500

Tagline: "Some couples have it all, some have lost it, and some will do anything to get it back."

Translation: Are the couples they're referring to of the male-male or male-female variety?

The Verdict: Although Judd Apatow generally receives most of the credit (blame?) for ushering in this new era of cinematic bromance, we would posit an argument that the seeds for this movement were planted in 1996's Swingers. Even though the movie soared to popularity based on the strength of its legendary catchphrases, the linchpin of Jon Favreau's screenplay was the bond between Mikey and Trent. We mention this because Favreau also wrote the script for Couples Retreat, which marks the first time that he has tread this ground since Apatow's romantically stunted man-children took over the cinema. This film, which stars Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, and Kristin Davis (among others), looks like it's trying to put a spotlight on the various stages that male/female relationships go through. That said, we have an ominous feeling sweeping over us that the moral of this particular story is gravitating closer to "bros before hos" than "true love conquers all."

Must Watch: Trailer for Peter Billingsley's Couples Retreat [First Showing]

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Filed Under: couples retreat, jason bateman, jon favreau, kristin bell, malin akerman, movies, trailer mix, vince vaughn

No Love Lost Between Quincy Jones and Bubbles

Emma Pearse — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:00:57 -0500

"Are you kidding me? He bit a hole in my daughter’s hand! Rashida’s hand. Rashida Jones — did you see I Love You, Man? That’s my daughter. She was a little girl. And Bubbles bit her hand. Michael used to bring [boa constrictor] Muscles and Bubbles by the house all the time, you know." —Quincy Jones on Michael Jackson's monkey [Details via Golden Fiddle/Tumblr]

"You're on a broom for a long time, like a few hours at a go. You're literally sitting on a broom and it gets a little bit sore down under a bit. It's been fun, but it's quite hard work." —Rupert Grint on the consequences of Quidditch [MTV]

"The tone of the piece is similar to Reservoir Dogs. Even though the violence is somewhat anarchic, it has a humor side to it. I find myself laughing at the same time as thinking, 'God, I shouldn't laugh, that's so sick and gross.'" —Julia Ormond on Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance [NYDN]

"I'm willing to clean the lawns, wash the cars, I have a decent salary. I'll even shut up and listen in a conversation and I don't watch sports!" —Chris Isaak is looking for love [Daily Express UK]

"Whenever I get to shoot an episode, it always feels like I'm going to visit family. They're such gentlemen, such good guys."—Emmanuelle Chriqui on Entourage [NYDN]

"I'd tell everyone to come in naked in full body paint."—Bat for Lashes's Natasha Khan on her ideal world [Guardian UK]

Youssou N’Dour on Politics, Music, and the Theater-Filling Documentary of His Life

Bilge Ebiri — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:30:16 -0500

While the Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour is certainly the most famous singer in Africa, in the U.S., he’s probably still best known for his duets with Peter Gabriel (“In Your Eyes,” “Shaking the Tree”) and Neneh Cherry (“Seven Seconds”) and his collaborations with the likes of Paul Simon and Bruce Springsteen. But given the runaway success of Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s new documentary Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love (currently playing at Village East Cinemas and opening in L.A. this week), the 49-year-old Grammy-winning activist, singer-songwriter, producer, and sometime actor, whose infectiously eclectic, pop-inspired music has long been a staple of many world-music compilations, may finally gain the greater exposure he deserves. N’Dour recently took time to answer Vulture’s questions.

In the West, musicians and celebrities are often ridiculed when they speak out or get involved in political causes. Have you ever come across this stigma?
It’s sort of the opposite in my country; people think that as a musician I should take an even stronger position in working for social causes or helping people. And we try to sing about the reality of life in our songs and in our art — we often treat subjects that are political in nature. For example, a few years ago, I wrote a song called “Toxique,” about toxic waste, and I think it actually influenced a number of people’s opinions.

When you perform in the U.S., what’s the composition of your audiences like?
The first group of people to come to my concerts are the Senegalese community here, who spread the word around about my music. I don’t really see them as the public at all — they’re actors, like me. They’re the people who really understand and get the music; at the concerts, they start dancing and everything, and suddenly everybody else gets in the mood. Sometimes someone even comes up to the stage in front of my microphone just to dance. They’re like promoters. They’re promoting my music right there.

So you’re one of the biggest and most popular musicians in the world. Are there any musicians out there who make you giddy?
There’s a lot of them. When I went to a Stevie Wonder concert, I was like a little boy. He had been such an idol for me. But I think you categorize music not by people but by periods, certain eras. The era of Prince, for example. What he did at that time really impressed me. [Editor's note: We interviewed N’Dour before the death of Michael Jackson.]

This film gets quite up close and personal to your family — we see your grandmother, we see your family home, etc. Were you worried about giving a camera crew so much access to your life?
Yes, of course. We had never had such intimate parts of our lives exposed before in public, so I was very worried about this beforehand. My first instinct was to be very protective. But after I saw how it was going I felt I could breathe a little easier. I think it’s a credit to the director that she was able to create a certain relationship with each member of the family. In a sense, she got permission from each of them, gaining their trust.

You gave a surprising and powerful performance in the 2006 film Amazing Grace, playing the eighteenth-century abolitionist Olaudah Equiano. Have you considered doing more film work?
Making movies takes an enormous amount of time, which is why I don’t go back to it. I don’t really have the time to give to it. What I know is the stage, the recording studio, the concert hall. That’s my world. But if somebody proposes a film to me that shares my vision or is about something I believe in strongly, then I might act again. That was why I accepted the role in Amazing Grace. My character was a slave who had purchased his freedom and was now an abolitionist. I felt it was important to show that there were many black people at the time who fought to abolish slavery. So, I was in the film because I was bringing a message. I don’t really see myself as an actor.

Optimus Prime Speakers Redefine ‘The Boomin’ System’

Mark Graham — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:15:10 -0500

Are you on the hunt for an audio system that sounds even tinnier than your iPod earbuds? If so, you might want to try out these Optimus Prime speakers, which will set you back a cool $50. If you're keeping track at home, every pair of these that sell will net Michael Bay $4. [Topless Robot]

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Filed Under: merchandising, michael bay, optimus prime, transformers

Song of the Summer: ‘Billie Jean’ Gets Some Love

Amos Barshad — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:00:35 -0500

The aftershocks of an unprecedented week on the pop charts have left their mark on the SoS Power Rankings. While the twin-headed Hydra that is the Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling” continues to rule, Michael Jackson’s posthumous assault on the charts and radio has introduced a song that was not released this summer — or this decade, for that matter: “Billie Jean,” the second single from 1982’s Thriller, is this week’s Biggest Gainer.

We’ve been hearing an impressive array of MJ tunes out of car stereos and apartments — Jacksons’ radio airplay did jump 1735% last week, after all — but it’s “Billie Jean” that has officially been the most played. When all is said and done it’ll surely be “Thriller” that is held up as Jackson’s crowning achievement, but considering that so much of that song’s legacy is tied to its video, it makes sense that a shorter, harder song like “Billie Jean” would break away from the pack in the immediate aftermath. Plus, everybody loves to do the lighted-up-tiles dance. Surely the ubiquity of “Billie Jean” and MJ material in general will fade in the coming weeks, but it’s nice to see the kind of impact it’s had so far.

1. Tie: Black Eyed Peas, “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling”: We’re aware of its impressive national chart performance, but based on (our admittedly statistically irrelevant) personal experience, we feel that “I Gotta Feeling” hasn’t quite caught on in New York the way it has elsewhere. Also, will that whole bizarre Perez Hilton situation have any impact? Thoughts?

2. Michael Jackson, “Billie Jean”: Just for the record, we’ll take this over BEP everyday of the week and twice on Sunday.

3. Mariah Carey, “Obsessed”: The song isn’t at full steam, but people are talking, thanks to video shoot stills that seem to show Carey in Eminem-drag. (Apparently, Carey decided to play dress up after Andy Samberg dropped out when he realized who he was portraying.)

4. Drake, “Best I Ever Had”: He finally agreed to sign a record label contract, performed at the BET Awards despite a torn ACL, and and released this song's official video. The official album, Thank Me Later, is tentatively slated for this year. Can the young buck keep the momentum going?

5. Jeremih, “Birthday Sex”: Has been treading water for a few weeks now, although we gotta say, "Birthday Sex" has been a distinct and welcome part of our diegetic summer music experience.

6. Keri Hilson feat. Kanye West and Ne-Yo, “Knock You Down”: We don’t know whether to blame her or the last minute shift towards honoring MJ, but that BET performance was very, very awkward, and did’t do the song any favors.

7. Young Money, “Every Girl” : Their BET performance wasn’t much better than Hilson's, but it at least showed that the heavily edited version — they just want to love every girl in the world — works pretty well.

8. Pitbull, “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)”: Shaky theory of the day: could all this summer rain affect the decidedly Miami-esque “I Know You Want Me,” with popular opinion shifting towards a slightly grittier SoS?

9. Harlem Shakes, “Strictly Game”: A clever new video, in which the band poses for a fake YouTube fan tribute, has drawn deserved attention to this chugging little banger (off this March's Technicolor Health). “This will be a better year”? A better summer, at the very least.

10. Major Lazer, “Keep It Goin’ Louder”: Diplo and Switch have the indie circles talking, but with Nina Sky on board — the sister duo behind the 2004 smash “Move Ya Body” — could this be a for-real radio anthem?

Studios Just Not That Into Indie Movies

Lane Brown — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:30:12 -0500

If you thought medium-expensive star vehicles were the only things the broke studios were nixing from their budgets these days, well then you were completely wrong, you idiot. Variety remarks this morning on the dearth of niche movie pickups this year by specialty divisions, with only Sony Pictures Classics, IFC Films, and Magnolia really buying anything, while the typically reliable Fox Searchlight has acquired only one movie (Adam) since The Wrestler last fall. Semi-surprisingly, Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is still without American distribution, even though it stars Heath Ledger, whose last movie won him an Oscar and made a billion dollars. So it's fairly safe to say that by this time next year, the only movies playing in your local multiplex will be in 3-D and star Paul Blart fighting transformers.

Studios ignore niche pics [Variety]

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Filed Under: heath ledger, longtailpocalypse, movies, the imaginarium of doctor parnassus

Amusing, Newly Unearthed Responses to Lynda Benglis and Her Infamous Dildo

Rachel Wolff — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:45:22 -0500

Benglis, without her little friend.

In 1974, artist Lynda Benglis found a way around Artforum’s strict policy against purchasing editorial space and bought a centerfold to accompany a story about her work. The left page had the artist’s name and that of her gallery, Paula Cooper, against a black background; the right showed Benglis naked, hair slicked back, body oiled and orange, and inserting a giant two-headed dildo into her vagina. Feminists spoke out both for and against the artist, Artforum subscriptions were canceled, and five of the magazine’s associate editors quit in outrage. Chelsea’s Susan Inglett gallery is currently showing an exhibition, curated by Specific Object/David Platzker, of some choice relics from the controversy (and one involving an equally notorious S&M-themed poster featuring artist Robert Morris), including one of the cast-metal dildos Benglis made to represent each editor who quit because of her. But most amusing by far are the absurd letters to the editor that never made it into the magazine. Here follow excerpts from five of our favorites.

The oeuvre of Lynda Benglis is fascinating, her mammary glands are exquisite, and her gluteai maxima delightful, but her cock is too big. — Professor Martin Ries, Long Island University

I object to the ad for its flabby opportunism, its ready acceptance of the vernacular of apathy, and also on account of its gratuitous insult to those who think that art is more than the person who made it. — Jeremy Gilbert-Rolfe

To the outside Lynda Benglis’s self portrait (Nov. 74 issue) is hardly offensive. She looks good, and I suspect many readers are likely to hang her sexy, yes vulgar photo, on their bathroom walls. — Elaine Tolner, New York

Dear Mr. Artforum,
Many thanks for finally printing something outside of your normal drivel … if this is a new policy of the publication please consider this letter a request for subscription, if not forget it. — Larry Bell; artist; Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico

He, ha, ha, ha, ha. Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho. Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee. Heh, heh. Ahem. — Norman Solomon; Berkeley, California

Movie Marketers Perplexed As to How to Solve ‘The Williamsburg Conundrum’

Mark Graham — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:30:35 -0500

When the trailers for 500 Days of Summer and Where the Wild Things Are hit the Internet earlier this year, hipsters everywhere experienced a collective indiegasm of Peter Northian proportions. This reaction was not altogether unexpected, as the former featured Boner Party muse Zooey Deschanel crooning along to the achy emo anthem "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out," and the latter was triumphantly scored with Arcade Fire's "Wake Up." However, as marketers at Fox Searchlight and Warner Bros. are figuring out, it's much easier to get disaffected hipsters to blog about their trailers than it is to get them to spend $11 to purchase a movie ticket. Call it the Williamsburg Conundrum.

The evolution of this new genre of films can be traced back — some say blamed — on Zach Braff, whose 2004 hit Garden State raked in some $27 million at the box office and turned the Shins into one of the most zeitgeist-y bands of that era. However, the challenge for the studios that produce these sorts of movies is best summed up by Fox Searchlight president Nancy Utley, who states that "We need to take the vague buzz and turn it into a specific buzz." We're not entirely sure what that means, but in the case of 500 Days Of Summer, it means working the traditional PR circuit (late-night TV shows, TV advertising) with less traditional marketing approaches (blog outreach, extensive pre-release screenings at festivals and college campuses). But along the way, studios are ever conscious of oversaturating their marketing messages to a group of consumers who pride themselves on their resistance to advertising.

What say you, VultureWatchers?

Hipster factor poses challenges for movie marketers [Reuters]

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Filed Under: 500 days of summer, joseph gordon-levitt, marketing, movies, the williamsburg conundrum, where the wild things are, zooey deschanel

Julie White on Robot Racism in Transformers 2 and How Michael Bay Would’ve Staged Twelfth Night

Jada Yuan — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:30:16 -0500

Julie White is seemingly everywhere right now, appearing in Twelfth Night, this summer's Shakespeare in the Park production, as well as in last weekend's surprise art-house hit Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. As fans of White's Tony-winning theatrical work, in addition to her acting on the criminally underappreciated, ahead-of-its time sitcom Cavemen, we'd leap at any chance to talk to her — and we did when we ran into her following a performance of Night last week. White spoke to Vulture about her Transformers co-stars and how Michael Bay would improve on Shakespeare.

We've heard that raccoons have been a factor during Twelfth Night performances....
There's literally probably twenty of them and there's a line of trash cans along the back, and on any given night there will be three or four of them on the trash cans. Tonight, there were babies that got stuck under the stairs that lead up to the stage and the mother got shooed away, so tonight the babies just cried in distress for a good fifteen minutes of the first act. And there was nothing you could do because every time you tried to help them, they got more scared. It was crazy.

We also heard a plane....
Did you hear that helicopter during Malvolio's scene? I thought it was Michael Bay trying to land on the stage! Somebody asked me the difference between Shakespeare and Transformers, and I said, "I think Shakespeare would have used CGI if he'd had it." He could have done Twelfth Night 2: Revenge of Malvolio. And then he should transform and just mow everybody down. That would be the Bay version.

It's still surprising to see you in a movie like Transformers.
Definitely; I didn't do it just for the love of making huge action movies. That's going to finance my theatrical endeavors.

Has it changed your life?
Shockingly not. Everyone seems to have glommed on to Megan Fox as the sex symbol of the movie. I can't imagine why. I'm not getting a lot more Sexiest Woman Alive offers in my polka-dot dress and bloomers. Maybe if I had a tattoo.

Or verbal diarrhea?
They do seem to say a lot of crazy shit, but you've got to understand that everybody is listening to them. If somebody recorded everything you said for nine hours, you would say some crazy, stupid shit sometime in that nine hours. Shia has no internal edit. But I think it makes him an interesting actor. I don't know if it's his inability to edit himself, or just his freedom, but he's a bold and daring young man. And he's not as crazy as he seems. He's smart and wonderful. I love that kid. I fucking love him! Sometimes I just wish he'd call me or his mom and we could sit in on those interviews and I could make, like, that "You're wrong!" buzzer noise when he starts to go into areas he shouldn't. [Makes loud buzzer noise]

What do you make of Transformers' robot-racism controversy?
I'm sure Michael wasn't trying to offend anyone. Kevin Dunn and I asked him about it and he said, "Well, it tested great with the kids." I mean, those movies are tested to within an inch of their lives. I don't know how that ... the intention certainly was not to be offensive. His intention was to be antic and amusing and, I think, like, street and cool. But those of us who are older were like, "What the hell is that!?" I don't know. But at least he didn't kill them off. In the last movie, the one black transformer seemed to be killed really early on, making black transformers seem like the crimson in the red shirts. So these guys, they survived and they're real heroes. I loved them in the script. And truthfully, in the movie, you can't really hear them. And the guy who did the voice was the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants. You couldn't know that was going to happen! I can't be the apologist for that big, damn movie. I had nothing to do with that.