| Beyonce’s latest “lighter skinned” album photo causes controversy Posted: 17 Jan 2012 09:24 AM PST 
This is a just-released image from the photo shoot for Beyonce's 4 album artwork. And what an art project it is, eh? This one image has already scored yet another round of "Beyonce systematically lightens her skin in post-production" complaints. One of the first times this happened was back in 2008, and was probably not even Bey's fault – it was an ad for L'Oreal, so the company probably decided to lighten Beyonce's skin color. But since then, Bey has been criticized several more times. I noted back when he discussed the original art work for 4 and the first video from the album – Beyonce's weave was especially blonde, and her skin looked really, really pale in those photos. She faced controversy back in 2008 when her skin appeared shades lighter in an advertisement. But it appears Beyoncé – or her producers – have not learned their lesson. A promotional picture has emerged of the pop princess looking much paler than her usual colour. The new photo, taken before the 30-year-old fell pregnant with her newborn daughter, are being used to re-advertise her fourth album, 4, which was released last year. In the seductive pose, Beyoncé dons a blonde wig and lies on a leopard-print couch, wearing a skimpy black crochet monokini. She also wears suspenders and a lashing of dark red lipstick. Experts told The Sun the appearance may have been down to lighting used in the studio. However this is not the first time the wife of rapper Jay-Z has accused of appearing to ‘lighten’ her skin.’ It has been alleged that in the early days of award-winning band Destiny’s Child her father Mathew Knowles had persuaded her to use skin treatments to remain the lightest-complexioned member of the successful girl group. And some commentators have expressed fears, that these images of the superstar singer – who is famous for her honey-toned hair and complexion, could have the effect of making darker-skinned black girls ashamed of how they look. In August 2008, cosmetics giant L'Oreal was accused of 'whitewashing' the star in an advert by digitally lightening her skin. And last February, a very blonde Beyonce stepped out, wearing a black minidress which revealed unusually pale skin on the star. At the time writer Yasmin Alibhai-Brown accused the singer of ‘betraying all Black and Asian women.’ She wrote in The Daily Mail: ‘Too many black and Asian children grow up understanding the sad truth that to have dark skin is to be somehow inferior. Of course, black and Asian parents work hard to give their children a positive self-image and confidence in their appearance, despite the cultural forces stacked against them. But when black celebrities appear to deny their heritage by trying to make themselves look white, I despair for the youngsters who see those images.’ At the time, the cosmetics house denied that the pictures had been altered in such a way but The New York Post newspaper called the advert 'shocking' and accused it of making the singer look like a 'weird, nearly white version of herself'. She has not commented on the photos.
[From The Mail] Yes, the whole "lighter is better" complex is felt in the Asian communities too – Freida Pinto spoke about the fixation with lighter skin amongst Indian women last year too. My thought? If it was an odd advertisement where Bey may or may not have had control over, I would think the controversy should not fall at Beyonce's feet. But this has been happening with Beyonce for YEARS. In promotional images, in magazine photo shoots, in advertising, her skin is almost always lighter than it is in "candid" photos. Sometimes, there really is a conspiracy. And I don't understand why Beyonce is still so obsessed with putting herself out there like a blonde white woman. For why? 
Photos courtesy of WENN, Beyonce Online.
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| Jay-Z isn’t going to use the word “bitch” now that has a daughter Posted: 17 Jan 2012 08:47 AM PST 
Personally, I like the word "bitch." I think most women feel the word has been reclaimed from "something derogatory men would say about women" to "something women say about themselves, a word that denotes fierceness and awesomeness." I'm a bitch. And you probably are too, especially since you're on a site called Celebitchy. Now, just because "bitch" has been "reclaimed" doesn't mean that the old, derogatory "bitch" name-calling still doesn’t happen. Frequently. For example, rap lyrics are full of misogyny (and homophobia, and racism, and everything else). But from here on out, Jay-Z wants us to know that we are no longer bitches to him. Now that he has a daughter, he will never use the word "bitch." He wrote a poem about it. For real. Jay-Z has vowed to drop the word “bitch” from his lyrics after the birth of his daughter Blue Ivy Carter. The rapper, who celebrated the birth of his first child with wife Beyonce earlier this month, has released a poem dedicated to his daughter in which he promises never to drop the word “bitch” again. In the poem, the rapper writes: “Before I got in the game, made a change, and got rich/I didn't think hard about using the word bitch/I rapped, I flipped it, I sold it, I lived it/Now with my daughter in this world I curse those that give it”. He also goes on to swear he will protect her and that the “degradation has passed”. He writes: “No man will degrade her, or call her name. I’m so focused on your future, the degradation has passed. I wish you wealth, health and insight. Forever young you may pass. Blue Ivy Carter, my angel”. Blue Ivy Carter became the youngest person ever to be credited on the US Billboard chart last week. Jay-Z released a new track earlier this week which is titled ‘Glory’ and is dedicated to his daughter. The track features her coos and cries, for which she is officially credited and entered the Billboard Chart at Number 74, the highest new entry on the chart this week.
[From NME] It's interesting that it took the birth of his daughter to change Jay's bitch-calling ways and not his marriage to Beyonce. Married to Bey? Women are still bitches. Fathering a daughter? NO MORE BITCHES. Whatever, I don't really care. I'm too old to be prickled by insensitive rap lyrics, so it doesn't make any difference to me. Of course, I'm currently on a mission to reclaim the C-bomb. I'm totally a C-bomb too. 
Photos courtesy of Fame.
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| Megan Fox is also up for the Liz Taylor role that Lindsay Lohan wants Posted: 17 Jan 2012 08:28 AM PST 
Last week, the horrible news broke that Lindsay Lohan is in ongoing talks to play the iconic Elizabeth Taylor in a Lifetime movie. Indeed, it’s a dreadful proposition to think that a (relatively, in Hollywood terms) classy woman like Liz could possibly be portrayed by a desperate ex-actress who still crashes Globe parties like a crackhead loser. Well, the casting equation has become even further muddled, for now it seems that Lohan has some interesting new competition in the form of Megan Fox. Yes, you read that correctly: It appears Lindsay Lohan isn’t the only starlet in talks to play Elizabeth Taylor. Although the Mean Girls star confirmed she is still up for the role in the buzz-worthy biopic to E! News Sunday night at the Weinstein Company Golden Globes after party, we’ve learned Lohan has some competition by way of Megan Fox. “I’ve been talking to Lindsay Lohan directly, and with her reps, and have been in conversations with other actresses, including Megan Fox,” Larry Thompson, the executive producer of Lifetime’s Liz and Dick, told E! News exclusively. Thompson declined to elaborate further on specifics of the negotiations, but added that being in talks with more than one actress is not meant as an affront to the talent involved, but rather is simply de rigueur for projects of this nature. “It’s a very serious selection,” Thompson continued. “It’s like casting for Hollywood royalty.” And speaking of serious, a source tells E! News that while Lohan is still one of the frontrunners for the role, her probation status is “a complication.” Lohan, who is on probation until the end of March, is due back in court Tuesday morning to face the judge in a probation status update hearing. So, when will we know which star nabbed the role? Rather soon, since the filmmaker plans to start shooting the movie in Canada as soon as this spring.
[From E! Online] Say what you want about Megan Fox. Although I’ve grown to like her as a person, it’s rather obvious that, as a leading lady, she’s an exquisitely beautiful yet extremely unaware actress. If you think I’m being too hard on her, well, then you must not have seen Passion Play (which by the way, is available on Netflix Instant Watch if you’re curious). Still, Megan is working hard to get back into Hollywood’s good graces with a turn on Broadway plus supporting roles in both The Dictator and Friends With Kids. At least we know that Megan would show up on set every day and show some semblance of professionalism. She lives a quiet domestic life with her husband and therefore wouldn’t be clubbing until 3am like someone else. Also unlike Lindsay, Megan’s completely over the Marilyn Monroe obsession. That’s gotta count for something, right? 
And at least Megan looks the part in a more physical sense. 
Whereas Lindsay just looks like a crackhead wearing a Liz Taylor wig. 
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet, WENN, and Interview mag         |
| Rihanna smokes blunts during her Hawaiian vacation: awesome or bad news? Posted: 17 Jan 2012 08:17 AM PST 
I don't really like to get into just how much pot I used to smoke back in the day because my mother occasionally reads this site. But let's just say this – in my late teens, I had a regular dealer, and I considered him a personal friend. Let's just say that I was working through some things for a few years. Let's just say that gravity bongs are either incredibly awesome, of a tool of the devil. With that in mind, here's 23-year-old Rihanna getting high as a motherf—er in Hawaii over the past few days. She's been photographed on two separate occasions smoking sizeable blunts. She's been tweeting about getting high too – go here to read her Twitter, which is full of some musings that I don't feel comfortable repeating. On one hand, I do feel like "Leave Rihanna Alooooone!" She's obviously on vacation, and she's never lied about her love of getting hammered and/or high. I don't think she parties any harder than liquor and weed, and I think many 23-year-olds have these kinds of private parties. On the other hand… Rihanna is a role model to young girls, for better or for worse. It doesn't matter if she puts herself out there as a role model, she influences young women regardless. What does it say to those younger people when Rihanna is smoking a blunt on a (public?) beach in Hawaii? Moms out there – does this offend you? For me – I just think it looks like a really amazing vacation. I wish I was smoking a blunt on a beautiful Hawaiian beach right now. 
Photos courtesy of Fame.
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| Elton John & David Furnish are really pissed off at Madonna’s Golden Globe win Posted: 17 Jan 2012 08:12 AM PST 
Alright, as I'm sure you've already heard, Elton John and Madonna are back to bitch-fighting. I think they hated each other for several years, and then made up, but Madonna's win at the Golden Globes just heated everything up all over again, and Elton's husband David Furnish has even gotten into the mix. So… I'm going to do this in chronological order. *Madonna, Elton John and Mary J. Blige were up against each other for "Best Song" at the Globes. When asked about Madonna's chances on the Globes red carpet, Elton said Madge had "no f–king chance of winning." *Madonna wins Best Song. I'm just including video of the whole mess below – note the camera pan to Elton's bitchface during Madge's speech. Note Madge's weird accent. Note how many times she uses “me, I, or my.” *Elton was so obviously unhappy with the turn of events that Madonna had to take questions about Elton backstage, when she talked to the press. (Incidentally, Mary J. Blige was shooting eye-daggers at Madge too, but no one is discussing that). When asked about Elton, she said, “I hope he speaks to me for the next couple of years. He’s been known to get mad at me so I don’t know. He’s brilliant and I adore him so he’ll win another award. I don’t feel bad!” *Chronologically, David then went to the Globes after-parties with Elton, and David was telling every reporter he could find about his Madonna-hatred. He told Page Six, "I think it was a fluke . . . When this happens you have to question the integrity of the awards. Did Madonna get the Golden Globe because she attended the awards and agreed be a presenter? Can you sing Madonna's song? Can you hum it? It's a song nobody has heard, from a film few have seen. The award should have gone to Mary J. Blige or Elton. I like Madonna's music, but not her movies. She should stick to what she is good at." A source close to Madonna tells Page Six, "W.E. has not officially opened . . . so [it is] accurate that many people haven't seen it yet. There was no deal made about an award for her attending." *David then went into a Facebook rant after the Globes. He wrote: "Madonna. Best song???? F**k off!!! Madonna winning Best Original Song truly shows how these awards have nothing to do with merit. Her acceptance speech was embarrassing in its narcissism… And her criticism of Gaga shows how desperate she really is.” David was referring to Madge's 20/20 interview, where she said Gaga was "reductive." So… that's the bitch-fight. It seems like David is the one who is really pissed off, but you know Elton is the bitchy puppet-master. As for the legitimacy of Madonna's win – look, it's the Golden Globes. I just don't believe any of the awards are really that scientific. And I have to say… even though Madonna's victory and acceptance speech was really depressing, she's the one acting like a professional. Elton and David are acting like gigantic babies. 
Photos courtesy of Fame.
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| LeAnn Rimes gets a “dainty” foot tattoo: Eddie is “the only one that matters” Posted: 17 Jan 2012 07:28 AM PST 
For the life of me, I will never understand the compulsive famewhore. I understand the selective famewhore – the celebrity, however A-list or however D-list, who tries to suck all of the attention they can get at certain times, usually for some kind of added benefit besides the sheer fact of "getting attention." But I don't understand the compulsive ones, like Lindsay Lohan or Kim Kardashian or LeAnn Rimes. Those three women will actively try to steal the spotlight with their budget-ness and busted-ness, even when it's perfectly obvious that they aren't wanted. Here's an example: all of the big A-listers were in LA this weekend for the Golden Globes and all of the pre- and post-Globes parties. There's no reason for Kim Kardashian to show up anywhere – she's not needed. Same with Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton. And yet they arrived, acting like they were just as relevant as legit film and television stars. So, with that in mind, what did LeAnn Rimes do while no one was paying attention to her during the Globes-centric weekend? She got a new tattoo and she tweeted about it endlessly. Sigh… He is the love of her life who barely leaves her side. But if ever LeAnn Rimes is ever apart from her husband Eddie Cibrian, she will only have to look to her foot to be reminded of him. The 29-year-old singer got the words ‘The only one that matters’ daintily tattooed on her foot yesterday. The Country Music star explained that the phrase came out of a conversation she had had with her husband of just under one year. LeAnn visited celebrity favoured tattoo parlour Shamrock Social Club for the permanent etching. The inking was done by the shop’s owner Mark Mahoney, who counts David Beckham and Lindsay Lohan as his clients. Of course the Country Music star posted a picture of the finished product on her Twitter account for all of her fans to see. She wrote: ‘Ok….here it is! It’s dainty. All of my tattoos are very feminine.’ Following the post, she received a barrage of questions from fans asking her what it meant, and LeAnn was quick to answer them. At the time of the tattoo, she took a picture of Mahoney getting to work on her foot. ‘Mark Mahoney ROCKS!’ she tweeted, posting a picture of the legendary Hollywood tattoo artist. LeAnn, who already has two other tattoos, explained to her followers that this time around she had no pain. ‘@tobrienz it’s visible in flip flops and yes very meaningful. It’s something Eddie said to me,’ she told one fan. ‘@cmo77 it came out of a conversation Eddie and I were having but yes, it could mean so much,’ she explained further to another. LeAnn had the etching done on Sunday before going home to watch the Golden Globes.
The singer, who already has two other tattoos, explained to her followers that this time around she had no pain. ‘@Christina4jc I was surprised that it was not painful at all,’ she wrote to one fan.
[From The Mail] So "the only one that matters" came out of a conversation with Eddie… meaning it was something she said to him or something he said to her. It's probably an allusion to how LeAnn is "bullied" and how Eddie's opinion is the "only one that matters." Blah. Whatever. Here you go, LeAnn. We're giving you some attention. There, there. And you know what? I don't even think the tattoo is "dainty". That scroll is much too large. 
Photos courtesy of Fame, LeAnn's Twitter.
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| Michelle Williams goes fragile, weepy and “sexy” for GQ, talks about Heath Ledger Posted: 17 Jan 2012 06:20 AM PST 
Isn't this surprising? Out of all of the younger actresses currently working today, Michelle Williams is the one I'd least expect to see in her panties on the cover of GQ. She just doesn't seem like that kind of actress, does she? Meaning, she seems to actively avoid putting herself out there as "sexy". Sure, she's selling My Week With Marilyn, in which she plays one of the most iconic sex symbols ever. But it just doesn't feel like Michelle, does it? Go and look at GQ's slideshow – it's very sexy and… it makes me uncomfortable. She always so fragile, it feels like this was done against her will? Unless that fragile thing is just an act, I guess. As for the interview – it's pretty in-depth, and this is one of the few times where an interviewer has really plowed right into the Heath Ledger questions, especially regarding the fact that they had been separated for nearly a year before his death. The interviewer also notes at the beginning of the piece that Michelle cried a lot – so she's still selling fragile. Fragile and "sexy". You can read the whole GQ piece here, and here are some highlights: It seemed crazy at first. Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe? We all knew the two-time Oscar nominee could act—but could she make us drool? America, we have our answer. And what Williams gives GQ in drop-dead gorgeous photos, she equals in insights regarding her incredibly emotional journey thus far. Correspondent Chris Heath meets with Williams in two different cities over three days, and the pair discuss everything from living on her own at age 15 to avoiding playing sexy characters ("I mean, sexuality has been a part of my work, obviously…but it's never been sexy, it hasn't been beautiful") to her imagining she would end up with Heath Ledger ("It's actually one of my favorite places to visit"). She's not drawn to the darkness: “Maybe when I was in my early twenties and my late teens, I was more prone to sitting in it or lacerating myself with it,” she says. “Now I want to move out of it. I have a daughter. I want a happy life.” On her education, and how she ended up being home-schooled (a better fit with her acting work):
Her last formal school was Santa Fe Christian in San Diego; later its principal would denounce Williams after she appeared in Brokeback Mountain. ("Michelle doesn't represent the values of this institution," he said. "She made the kinds of choices of which we wouldn't approve.") "It didn't really bother me," she says, when I allude to this. No twinge, I ask, when you suddenly found out that you'd been living a sinful, artistic career? "It wasn't any surprise to me," she says. "I knew. I remember my mother saying to me at one point, 'Just don't make anything your grandmother couldn't see.' And at that point I knew I was living a sinful artistic career, because I had done, and I knew I would do." Being legally emancipated at 15: When Williams legally emancipated herself from her parents at 15, she didn’t do so because of any family schism, but for the independence and the practical advantages—she says she no longer needed a tutor and could work adult hours. When I suggest that it was pretty ambitious and self-contained to think she could handle it, she agrees. “It was just stupid. I didn’t know what I was taking on,” she says. “I don’t think things through very often—I don’t project into the future about how a situation will turn out. Even the simplest things, I’m guilty of making really bad decisions a lot of the time. In my work it’s a capacity that’s served me well, but in my life it can be a problem.” On playing a bad girl on Dawson's Creek: "I wouldn't say that that would be one of my first qualities as a human being—being sexy," Williams reasons. "And I think because my character on Dawson's Creek was sexy…sexualized…sexual…I saw all the negative attention and connotations that can come along with that. And that those things can keep people from seeing you clearly." On Brokeback Mountain: “I didn’t know what to make of it,” she says. “Maybe when you see something different for the first time, you don’t know how to categorize it. It doesn’t really fit with anything else. Like the first time you listen to Björk. The first time you eat sashimi.” She hasn’t seen it since. But she does know what she thinks of it now. “I think it’s a great film. And…it’s probably obvious but…” She pauses for a long time, and when she picks up the thought her voice is quieter and higher: “…well, he’s really quite astounding in it. Heath.” How she and Heath Ledger were drawn to each other: "There's an answer that I know," she says, "but I don't want to say." She talks around this not-saying for a while, then says, "Our initial meeting, the circumstances of how we first met, were cosmic or something." They were together through the shoot, and soon she was pregnant. "Yeah, a lot of things happened at once," she says. "It's a bit like: We had a lot of things to do, because we didn't have a lot of time, or something." Dating after Heath's death: She explains that a year or two ago, she was putting herself under a lot of pressure to find someone new to spend her life with, for a particular reason. “Because I really wanted, and I really expected or imagined, that Matilda would have siblings that were close to her age. I wanted that for her. But I couldn’t make that happen. And now that she’s 6 that isn’t even a possibility anymore. So something that was making me feel impatient, that’s been removed. For whatever reason, that’s not our luck, or our path.” A further thought. “You know, as hard as certain things have been for me, it’s been harder thinking about how things will be for her. I have a lot of things that she doesn’t, and some of what I have I can give to her—the memories that I have, the objects that I have, the physical reminders that I have, the stories. But she won’t really have any that are solely…” And that is where that sentence ends. Was there a part of her that imagined she and Ledger would have somehow ended up together? "That would make me way too sad to answer," she says quickly, and I hurriedly begin another question, about something completely different, hoping that if I say it fast enough these new words will chase the old words away from where they are hanging in the air between us, and maybe she will let me pretend that it was something I never said. "No, no," she says, and I can see the tears forming, and I think she means that she doesn't want to answer any more questions about anything. I mutter some kind of apology under my breath. But, even now, I'm wrong about everything. Mostly she is just trying to stop my new question. She has something to tell me. "No," she says. "I said it would make me too sad to answer but it's also…"—and she nods even as her voice breaks once more with tears—"…one of my favorite things to imagine." And through the tears, a beaming, almost beatific smile stretches room-wide across her face. "It's actually one of my favorite places to visit."
[From GQ] There's a lot of other stuff in the article in which Michelle's hipster passport is stamped repeatedly but I found that stuff boring. But, several things struck me about the way Michelle deftly handled the questions about Heath: first, she's re-imagined him, and she's still in love with the memory she's conjured of him, which may or may not be the reality of who he really was. Secondly, she doesn't want to discuss the idea that both of them had moved on to other partners (in Heath's case, multiple partners) after their split in 2007. She's claimed ownership of Heath's last years that way, for better or for worse. 
Photos courtesy of Michael Thompson/GQ, GQ's slideshow.
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| Taylor Swift covers Vogue: “I can’t deal with someone who’s obsessed with privacy” Posted: 17 Jan 2012 06:00 AM PST 
Taylor Swift covers the February issue of Vogue, after many, many rumors that Adele would take the cover. Weird, right? Maybe Anna Wintour is putting Adele on the cover of the March issue (the power issue) or the April issue (the body issue, I believe). As for Swifty's editorial… it's cute. I like the 1970s-rocker-chick vibe, and it suits Swifty with her long hair and willowy body. She's reminiscent of Carly Simon here, if that's not too offensive of a comparison. As for the interview… do you mind if I don't read the whole thing? On a good day, I like Swifty but find her supremely boring. I'm just going to skim and try to pull a few highlights: Swifty is awkward: Clearly, her school days remain all-too-vivid. Swift, who grew up on a Christmas-tree farm in rural Pennsylvania, tells me that when she was in fourth grade her family moved to Wyomissing, an affluent suburb of Reading. "So . . . middle school? Awkward," she says, launching into the first of many comic riffs. "Having a hobby that's different from everyone else's? Awkward. Singing the national anthem on weekends instead of going to sleepovers? More awkward. Braces? Awkward. Gain a lot of weight before you hit the growth spurt? Awkward. Frizzy hair, don't embrace the curls yet? Awkward. Try to straighten it? Awkward!" She starts to laugh. "So many phases!" She's always felt like an outsider: As hard as it is to imagine now, Swift always felt like an outsider. "I think who you are in school really sticks with you," she says. "I don't ever feel like the cool kid at the party, ever. It's like, Smile and be nice to everybody, because you were not invited to be here." She's not going to end up crackie: "Ever since I was sixteen, the question that I get in every single interview is 'So, all the pop stars right now who are stumbling out of clubs and going crazy—are you going to do that?' When I was younger, I had to be more insistent with people because they would say, 'Yeah, they all say that when they're sixteen, honey. Just wait till you're nineteen or 20. That's when it all goes off the tracks!' But you know, as time has gone by, I've gotten that question less and less. I think, for me, the bigger pitfall is losing your self-awareness. Even though I am at a place where my dresses are really pretty and the red carpets have a lot of bright lights and I get to play to thousands of people . . . you have to take that with a grain of salt. The stakes are really high if you mess up, if you slack off and don't make a good record, if you make mistakes based on the idea that you are larger than life and you can just coast." She pauses. "If you start thinking you've got it down, that's when you run into trouble—either by getting complacent or becoming mouthy." She laughs. "And nobody likes that." Swift's homes: Swift splits her rare days off between her condo in Nashville ("very Alice in Wonderland imaginarium") and a little cottage she recently bought in Beverly Hills ("cozy, Anthropologie, grandma chic"). She's been spending time in L.A. because she's quietly looking for the right role in the right movie. On working out: "I don't ever want to be that person whose self-image overtakes who they are. I am not a fan of working out that much. There's no regimen. There's no personal trainer. I love to go hiking because it's an experience. If I need to gain stamina for a tour, I will run every single night on the treadmill, but I don't necessarily like being at the gym." Swifty on Jake Gyllenhaal and boys in general: She seems to bring both worldviews to her romantic life. As she puts it, "I think I am smart unless I am really, really in love, and then I am ridiculously stupid." Swift has famously dated some famous boys—Joe Jonas, Taylor Lautner, John Mayer, Jake Gyllenhaal. When she was eighteen, Jonas notoriously broke up with her over the phone—in a call that lasted 27 seconds—an experience that fueled her songwriting. She wrote a damning song about Mayer called "Dear John." She dated Gyllenhaal through the fall of 2010 (he broke up with her around the Christmas holidays). When I ask her if she is seeing anyone, she says, "I got nothing going on! I just don't really feel like dating. I really have this great life right now, and I'm not sad and I'm not crying this Christmas, so I am really stoked about that." Were you crying last Christmas? "I am not gonna go into it! It's a sad story!"
[From Vogue] The stuff about boys is very interesting, isn't it? Oh, but there's more! Swifty lists the "red flags" she has about dating now, and some of them are super-interesting. 1. "If someone doesn't seem to want to get to know me as a person but instead seems to have kind of bought into the whole idea of me and he approves of my Wikipedia page? And falls in love based on zero hours spent with me? That's maybe something to be aware of. That will fade fast. You can't be in love with a Google search." 2. "If a dude is threatened by the fact that I need security, if they make me feel like I am some sort of princessy diva—that's a bad sign. I don't have security to make myself look cool, or like I have an entourage. I have security because there's a file of stalkers who want to take me home and chain me to a pipe in their basement." 3. "If you need to put me down a lot in order to level the playing field or something? If you are threatened by some part of what I do and want to cut me down to size in order to make it even? That won't work either." 4. "Also, I can't deal with someone who's obsessed with privacy. People kind of care if there are two famous people dating. But no one cares that much. If you care about privacy to the point where we need to dig a tunnel under this restaurant so that we can leave? I can't do that."
[From Vogue] #4 is obviously Jake Gyllenhaal, correct? It was rumored that he didn't like how public his cuddlefesting relationship was with Swifty. I think #3 is John Mayer – he seems like that kind of dude. #1 must be some non-famous person, I guess. All in all, I ended up reading more than I intended too! That's Swifty for you – she sucks you in. Like a death trap baited with vanilla. 
Photos courtesy of Mario Testino/Vogue.
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| Stacy Keibler is an “actress” now, she’s just signed with a powerful agency Posted: 17 Jan 2012 05:39 AM PST 
I hate to admit it, but it seems like Stacy Keibler might be sticking around for longer than I originally anticipated. It seems like Keibler might be good for Clooney, right? Meaning that people are happy to see Clooney with an American girl, and that Stacy is a good schmoozer, and she's growing into her role as Oscar-Date Barbie, right? He's even letting her speak on the red carpet! And Stacy is the girlfriend of record for Clooney's winning streak this year. So if Clooney loses the Oscar, will Stacy no longer be such an advantage? Unknown. But here's what I do know: Stacy is ambitious. She preparing her nest egg for the eventuality that she too will unceremoniously dumped. She's already upped her "appearance fee" – she's up to $25,000 a gig (up from $10K), and she's rolling in offers now that she's "George Clooney's girlfriend." So now Stacy wants a bit more – so she's just signed with the WME (William Morris Endeavor), one of the most powerful agencies in LA. Actress Stacy Keibler has signed with WME. Keibler’s television credits include NBC’s Chuck, USA’s Psych and CBS’ How I Met Your Mother. Her film credits include The Comebacks (2007), Bubble Boy (2001) and the forthcoming Dysfunctional Friends. Keibler also competed in the second season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars and is known for appearing on World Wrestling Entertainment and World Championship Wrestling in the early- and mid-2000s. The actress also is dating George Clooney (repped by CAA) and attended Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards with him. Keibler is also represented by Untitled Entertainment.
[From The Hollywood Reporter] In retrospect, Stacy's schmoozing at all of the awards shows makes more sense, doesn't it? She wasn't just glad-handing on behalf of Clooney – she was looking to improve her career, make contacts, and she's trying to line up more work. Like, does Stacy think that Viola Davis and Meryl Streep are just dying to do a movie with her? Or is Stacy smarter than that? Is keeping her expectations low? Because they should be low. Elisabetta Canalis low. 
Photos courtesy of Fame.
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| Angelina Jolie to Brad Pitt, post-Golden Globes: “You’re prettier than me” Posted: 17 Jan 2012 04:42 AM PST 
NOTE: Why is Brad's crotch glowing? Deep thoughts. This is just a funny little story about Brangelina and their post-Golden Globes night. Did you know that Angelina and Brad actually went out to some industry parties after the Globes? Isn't that surprising? They usually never party after the show. According to Page Six, Angelina and Brad made their way to the CAA party, and while Angelina sat down and relaxed, "Brad Pitt ditched his cane and caught up with George Clooney, who was with gal pal Stacey Kiebler, and Leonardo DiCaprio and supermodel girlfriend Erin Heatherton." Brad wants this as much as George Clooney, make no mistake. Brad was there to glad-hand and be seen. And I never though Leo and Brad were tight, so that's interesting. Anyway, Us Weekly had a funny story about what happened when Brad and Angelina were walking into the CAA party: Angelina Jolie doesn’t take her handsome hunk Brad Pitt for granted! Both Jolie, 36, and love of nearly seven years Pitt, 48, left Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards empty handed — Jolie’s In the Land of Blood and Honey didn’t nab the Best Foreign Language Film globe, and Moneyball star Pitt lost to pal George Clooney in the Best Actor, Drama category. But Jolie (looking spectacular in satin one-shoulder Atelier Versace gown, bright red lipstick and a dramatic updo hairstyle) had quite the consolation prize: Pitt! “You’re prettier than me,” Jolie gushed to her man as they arrived quietly at the CAA afterparty at unset Tower. Pitt looked dashing as always in a Salvatore Ferragamo three-piece tuxedo. Added Jolie: “My shoes are going to kill me!” “It’s nice when everything comes together,” Pitt told E!’s Ryan Seacrest of their double nominations. “It’s a golden night for us!” Indeed, Jolie naughtily told the Associated Press what she was most looking forward to that evening: “Getting into bed with Brad!”
[From Us Weekly] So Brad and Angelina didn't go home immediately for their special bed-time date… instead, they went out partying, and Angelina made sure that Brad knew he was the prettiest one there. Is that really their dynamic?!? My mind is boggled. 
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
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