Tag Archive | "Hollywood"

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Vanessa Minnillo & Her Breasts Do Stuff

Posted on 20 June 2008 by JoyCeleb

Television personality Vanessa Minnillo is seen at the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach on March 12, 2008 in Miami Beach, Florida.

Don’t ask me why, but every time I see Vanessa Minnillo my blood starts to boil. She is by far one of the most irritating female celebs in Hollywood. Yes, more than Paris Hilton.

Her fake bubbly personality makes me want to creampie all over her stupid face. That’s right, creampie. That’s how much I dislike her. She’s like a coked-up Jenny McCarthy during her “Singled Out” days, except without a grain of sincerity.

What am I saying, some of you are probably too young to even know what “Singled Out” is. In any case, the message that I’m trying to convey is that I hate Vanessa Minnillo and her obnoxious grin, but deep down inside I’d still totally do her. At least so I could share some creampie love with the girl.

Here’s TV personality Vanessa Minnillo and her rack doing stuff at the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach yesterday.

Television personality Vanessa Minnillo is seen at the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach on March 12, 2008 in Miami Beach, Florida.  XXIXTelevision personality Vanessa Minnillo is seen at the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach on March 12, 2008 in Miami Beach, Florida.  XXITelevision personality Vanessa Minnillo is seen at the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach on March 12, 2008 in Miami Beach, Florida.  XXIIITelevision personality Vanessa Minnillo is seen at the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach on March 12, 2008 in Miami Beach, Florida.  XXV

Television personality Vanessa Minnillo is seen at the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach on March 12, 2008 in Miami Beach, Florida.  ITelevision personality Vanessa Minnillo is seen at the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach on March 12, 2008 in Miami Beach, Florida.  VIIITelevision personality Vanessa Minnillo is seen at the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach on March 12, 2008 in Miami Beach, Florida.  IITelevision personality Vanessa Minnillo is seen at the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach on March 12, 2008 in Miami Beach, Florida.  VII

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Brody Jenner’s “Bromance”

Posted on 13 June 2008 by JoyCeleb

Do you want to be part of a Hollywood entourage? Do you want to be on a bizarre reality TV show? And most importantly, do you have a bit of a man-crush on Brody Jenner?

If you said “Yes!” to all of the above, then it’s your lucky day, boys; because Mr. Jenner is looking for a new wingman in the show “Bromance”!

Ever since losing a member of his crew (:cough: Spencer Pratt :cough:), Jenner has been feeling like something is missing–and to fill the gap, he will have his own reality TV show to find his man!

Brody Jenner like girls, but wants a Bromance

The guys in the show will be competing similarly to “Rock of Love” or “Tila Tequila” style. The guys will take part in competitions, like skydiving, as well as try to win alone time with Brody. There is even a “hot tub elimination ceremony” each week when one of the potential bros get kicked out.

…Wait…does anyone else think this sounds kind of…gay?

The show is produced for MTV by Ryan Seacrest’s production companies. Ryan himself has said,

I can speak from experience — girls can come and go, but a ‘bromance’ can last forever.

This seems to be kind of an odd thing for Seacrest to say, especially since he has repeatedly tried to deny gay rumors. So despite having hot tub eliminations, man on man alone time, and being called “Bromance”, the show is supposed to appear (almost) completely heterosexual. It’s all in the name of fun–and I guess it’s just guy-love!

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When Bollywood Meets Hollywood

Posted on 12 June 2008 by JoyCeleb

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, an internationally renowned Indian actress who is often acclaimed as the most beautiful woman in the world, is finally setting foot in Hollywood.

The actress has been sounded out on a story which will co-star Hollywood legend Meryl Streep. Titled Chaos, the film is an American production of Colin Serreau’s 2002 French movie.

Says a source,

“They ran the concept with Meryl and Ash and they were game. They need to Americanize the theme because Chaos was a very French movie. But, yes, in principle Ash is on for this film.”

Ash says she’s asked for the final draft of the script.

“Now the time factor has to be worked out. The time they want is devoted to Mani (Ratnam) Sir’s project. New dates have to be worked out. There’re so many projects that I want to do but because of the dates or a delay I can’t. There are only that number of assignments I can take on. I’ve never done more work than I can do. I never can.”

Who is Aishwarya Rai:

Aishwarya Rai was born in Mangalore to Krishnaraj Rai, a marine biologist, and Vrinda Rai, a writer. Her family belongs to the Bunt community of Mangalore. She has one elder brother, Aditya Rai, who is an engineer in the merchant navy and also co-produced one of Rai’s movies, Dil Ka Rishta (2003).

After she was born, her parents moved to Mumbai where she attended the Arya Vidya Mandir high school in Santa Cruz. Rai then entered Jai Hind College at Churchgate for one year, and then moved to Ruparel College in Matunga to finish her “HSC” studies. She did well in school and planned to become an architect.

She can communicate in several languages, including Tulu, Hindi, English, Marathi and Tamil .While pursuing her studies in architecture, Rai began modeling on the side. In the 1994 Miss India contest, she won the second place (behind Sushmita Sen), and went on to win the Miss World title the same year, where she also won the Miss Photogenic award. She abandoned her studies after winning the pageant and spent one year reigning as Miss World in London. Rai then started working as a professional model and then moved on to her current profession as an actress.

Rai has previously dated Bollywood actors Salman Khan and . She is now married to Indian actor Abhishek Bachchan. The wedding took place on April 20, 2007.

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Pamela Anderson Big Tit Nipples See-Through

Posted on 12 June 2008 by JoyCeleb

Pamela Anderson presents her old nipples and huge tits at the Opera in Montreal party. This playboy icon is getting older and older, but who wouldn’t go and make another sex tape with this MILF? She still is one of the most fuckable mid 40’s bitches in Hollywood. Pamela has been an attention whore from her first days in the Showbiz and she still knows how to attract attention using her tits.

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Australian film organization creates Ledger scholarship

Posted on 11 June 2008 by JoyCeleb

Heath Ledger was known for giving aspiring Australian actors a hand in Hollywood. Now, an Australian film organization has established a scholarship fund in the late actor’s name to continue those efforts.

“There’s an entire tribe of Australians who have all benefited from his generosity,” said Susie Dobson, president of Australians in Film, or AiF. “This (scholarship) captures Heath’s spirit and serves our mission to help and celebrate Australian filmmakers.”

Ledger — who died at 28 of an accidental prescription drug overdose in January — had served as an ambassador for the film organization and its board wanted to honor him after his death, Dobson said.

Director Gregor Jordan announced the establishment of the Heath Ledger Scholarship Fund last week at AiF’s annual Breakthrough Awards, where he read a statement from Ledger’s father, Kim Ledger.

“Although reluctant to lend his name to anything commercial, we know Heath would be proud of his attachment to this scholarship,” Kim Ledger’s statement said. “This scholarship in part does what Heath has done personally during the last 10 years and supported financially or in kind many friends, Australian actors, singers, directors or writers seeking to ply their talents in the USA.”

Jordan also said that Michelle Williams, mother of Ledger’s daughter, “would be very proud and happy to be the first benefactor” of the scholarship fund.

The first recipient will be announced next year, Dobson said.

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Mission impossible: Celebs’ attempts to hide pregnancies

Posted on 10 June 2008 by JoyCeleb

That’s what musician Pete Wentz did in April when reports surfaced that fiancee Ashlee Simpson was carrying his child. In an angry missive to MTV.com, Wentz fumed: “There is a witch hunt for people to be pregnant whenever they get engaged in Hollywood. This is all news to me.”

Last week, Wentz, who married the 23-year-old singer (now Simpson-Wentz) last month at her parents’ Los Angeles-area home, happily confirmed the news on his blog, explaining that the couple “wanted to wait until after the first trimester” to make it official.

Most expectant parents, concerned about the possibility of a miscarriage, wait until after the first three months of pregnancy to share the news with family and friends. But discretion is nearly impossible for those in the media spotlight.

“Every woman, no matter who they are or what they do for a living, has the right to wait until at least (three) months before sharing this very personal news,” Wentz, who turns 29 Thursday, told MTV.com last week. “We wanted to wait until after the first trimester and get a clean bill of health from our doctors before confirming anything, just like any other couple.”

“Being a boy I have no idea how to respond to such things and my first instinct was to protect her and the baby,” said Wentz, bassist for rock band Fall Out Boy. “It’s insane that you can’t let happy news brew in Hollywood. This wasn’t about press or anything. … I apologize to anyone who felt misinformed but the truth is, the person and growing baby is who I felt most loyal to protect and defend.”

Wentz isn’t the first celebrity to dispute pregnancy rumors. In late December, Nicole Kidman, who had a miscarriage during her marriage to Tom Cruise, denied that she is expecting a baby with husband Keith Urban — only to confirm it a week later. Jennifer Lopez, who welcomed twins with husband Marc Anthony in February, announced she was pregnant in November following denials by the couple.

Even so, attempts by celebrities to keep their pregnancies private doesn’t stop celebrity magazines and gossip Web sites from issuing reports to the contrary.

Jared Shapiro, executive editor of Life & Style Weekly, told The Associated Press the magazine began publishing stories that Simpson, the younger sister of Jessica Simpson, was pregnant after receiving information from various sources.

“The news of the pregnancy makes for great breaking news,” he said.

“Ninety-nine percent of these celebrities end up confirming, so they do talk about it — they just do it on their own terms,” said Shapiro. He said it’s the media’s job “to break news. Not wait for news.”

Pregnancy is a big game in the celeb news business, as indicated by the millions of dollars that People magazine has paid for exclusive photos of the children of Jennifer Lopez (reportedly $6 million), Angelina Jolie ($4 million for photos of baby Shiloh, now 2) and Christina Aguilera ($1.5 million).

Competition from Internet gossips raises the stakes even higher in getting the news first, Shapiro said.

“It’s hard for celebrities to keep a pregnancy secret but if you look at who they surround themselves with — they’ve got doctors, lawyers, agents, managers, publicists, assistants, friends, family,” he said. “Add that into the fact that you’ve got photographers following them, and just the entire American public on celebrity watch now — you can’t pull it off. Your every word is heard.”

Shapiro said stars are “getting creative in their choice of words, and that’s become a whole new game: dissecting what a (representative’s) comment actually means. Is it a denial? Is it a confirmation? Is a non-denial denial?”

Simpson-Wentz simply stayed mum while promoting her new album, “Bittersweet World.”

But when a star finds out she’s pregnant, how much talking should their representatives do?

Public Relations representative Ken Sunshine says “way too many” in his profession mishandle private matters (such as pregnancy) by not acting in their clients’ interest.

“Where I think the outrage comes is when they sell out their client, and either the clients are not aware or too stupid to realize what’s happening, and that is outrageous,” particularly when there’s a child involved, said Sunshine, whose clients include John Mayer and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Sunshine said there are lines to be drawn — especially in today’s celeb-crazed climate.

If somebody “wants to maintain some anonymity or some privacy of extremely personal things like this, they should be able to do it,” he said.

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More Girls, Little Ones, Try to Take Back the Multiplex

Posted on 10 June 2008 by JoyCeleb

“Kit Kittredge: An American Girl” has no sex and not much of a city.

But this G-rated movie adventure is shaping up as Hollywood’s next serious bid for female viewers, some of whom showed their power by pushing the R-rated comedy “Sex and the City” to surprisingly strong first-weekend ticket sales of more than $57 million two weeks ago.

At first glance, the films have little in common, apart from their skew toward the female.

“Sex” runs hot, while “Kit” — scheduled for wide release on July 2, the same day as “Hancock,” starring Will Smith — does not. Fans of the fictional Manhattan writer Carrie Bradshaw, the heroine of “Sex and the City,” are often over 40. Ms. Kittredge, an aspiring reporter based on Mattel’s incredibly popular American Girl doll of the same name, mostly appeals to girls between 7 and 12.

Yet the films have a certain kinship. Each was made by a studio — “Kit” by Picturehouse, “Sex” by New Line Cinema — that was only weeks ago marked for elimination by the same corporate parent, Time Warner Inc.

And “Kit” has a shot at attracting an intense niche audience of the sort that boosted “Sex” at a time of year that has become better known for fantasies like the “Spider-Man” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, with their broad demographic appeal.

“I’m scared out of my mind,” said Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, a producer of “Kit Kittredge,” speaking by telephone last week. She was referring to an unconventional decision by Picturehouse executives to open this relatively small film in around 1,800 theaters, putting it in competition with potential blockbusters like “Hancock,” from Sony Pictures, and “Wall-E,” from the Walt Disney Company’s Pixar Animation Studios.

“Kit,” which cost about $10 million to produce, stars Abigail Breslin (“Little Miss Sunshine”) and features an ensemble that mingles unknown child actors with adult pros like Julia Ormond, Stanley Tucci, Chris O’Donnell and Joan Cusack. Set in 1934, it tells the story of a Cincinnati girl who is trying to get the local newspaper to take her seriously as a reporter, even as her family and just about everyone else struggles with the Great Depression.

(Julia Roberts, a client of Ms. Goldsmith-Thomas when she was a talent agent, is an executive producer of “Kit.” The two were among those with producing credits on earlier television movies based on three other American Girls: Molly, Felicity and Samantha.)

That quite so innocent an enterprise should be in a position to challenge much racier movies with much higher budgets has much to do with the promotional power of American Girl, which, like HBO’s long-running “Sex and the City” series, is helping to prime loyal fans for a first film based on the brand.

In the toy world, American Girl’s characters — “they never refer to them as ‘dolls,’ ” Bob Berney, the president of Picturehouse, said in an interview last week — are unusual in that they come with detailed story lines, from various eras, delivered in books that accompany each figure.

Kit Kittredge, spunky and a bit confused by the economic crunch around her, has been the central character in a half-dozen titles that have contributed to the sale of some 120 million books since the company was founded in 1986, said Ellen Brothers, American Girl’s president and a producer of the film.

“We approve all the marketing,” Ms. Brothers said, describing her company’s close involvement with the making and selling of the movie. And American Girl has been using its considerable reach to promote what it is calling “Kit’s Big-Screen Debut.”

The company’s mail-order catalog, a primary engine for sales, has a blurb promoting the movie on its May cover. Cities with American Girl retail outlets — New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and suburban Atlanta — will get to see the movie early, beginning on June 20. That first round is being helped along on the Web with Kit’s movie blog and, at the Grove shopping mall in Los Angeles, with the giveaway of “Kit’s Home on Abbott Place,” an elaborate playhouse built by Pardee Homes as part of a benefit for the homeless.

Last Saturday mothers and daughters trooped through the siding- and stone-veneered structure to admire it, and to donate $5 for “opportunity tickets” — never say “raffle” — that buy a shot at taking it home. “ ‘Win Me?’ ” one mother gasped, reading a sign outside, “Oh, my God!”

Other plans include movie-night dinners at the in-store American Girl cafes, which begin to sound, at least a little, like the viewing parties that pushed “Sex and the City” over the top during its May 30 opening weekend.

Allie Mayer, a publicist for movietickets.com, said the service had seen “steady activity” since it began selling tickets for the early engagement last month.

Mr. Berney said a box-office success would be “a little bittersweet”: His company will remain intact only long enough to release its existing films, including “Kit,” “Mongol” and “The Women” (scheduled for fall). To date, the studio’s biggest box-office hit has been “Pan’s Labyrinth,” which took in $37.6 million at the domestic box office in 2006.

If “Kit” works, its success would owe something not just to the promotions, but also to the straight-shooting approach of a director, Patricia Rozema, whose earlier work includes “Mansfield Park” (1999) for Miramax.

“I don’t think you talk down to children when you make a movie for them,” Ms. Rozema said. She spoke in a telephone interview about Kit’s rather intricate on-screen problem, which include doubts about a father, played by Mr. O’Donnell, who leaves home in search of work, and no small difficulties with a newspaper editor played by Wallace Shawn.

Still, Kit preserves her G-rated innocence, something Ms. Rozema said had become too rare, even in films aimed at the young. (“Bratz: The Movie,” which was based on a doll line and took in about $10 million for Lionsgate last summer, was rated PG.)

“They don’t need to be rattled,” she said. “They’re rattled enough.”

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Behind the scenes of ‘The Colbert Report’

Posted on 09 June 2008 by JoyCeleb

The walls of “The Colbert Report” studio are plastered with letters and artwork of the show’s fearless leader submitted by loyal fans. In one painted portrait, Stephen Colbert, astride a horse, is substituted for George Washington.

Outside Colbert’s office sits a brand new GPS system, which he had pleaded for on the show just days earlier. A publicist shrugs, “Ask and you shall receive.”

Inside, Colbert’s desk is surrounded by leftover props and gifts from guests — a veritable record of the absurdity he’s created from this place Jon Stewart calls “bizarro world.”

This is where Colbert and his staff hatch plans for where they might next fling their bloviating, perpetually suit-clad creation. Like a malfunctioning heat-seeking missile, he might go anywhere.

Colbert may inject his character into politics and media, just as he might wind up in the Smithsonian or Canadian junior league hockey. He’s created a kind of satire in action, teetering between his self-made universe and an often equally absurd real world. It’s a constant balancing act that last year nearly had him on the road to the White House.

“The Report” recently aired its 400th episode. On June 16, he will stroll into the Waldorf-Astoria and accept the prestigious Peabody Award for his show. Colbert says he also expects to play the role of “kingmaker” in this year’s election. The race has already been swayed by “Saturday Night Live” (whose debate parody altered how the press covered Barack Obama), but the comedy of Colbert has a different effect.

In his hall of mirrors, reflections may be distorted, but never unflattering. A study has even shown that his self-declared “Colbert bump,” an upswing in popularity for a politician after appearing on the show, is largely factual.

The presidential candidates have already had to reconcile themselves to dealing with Colbert, and the presumptive nominees — Obama and John McCain — would be wise to play along.

That’s because Colbert doesn’t demand a particular agenda of anyone, only the tacit, wink-wink acknowledgment that most any agenda — and all the image-conscious apparatus behind it — is a bit absurd, don’t you think?

His particular talent is in blurring reality while at the same time illuminating it. In a world where kids on MySpace trumpet a cult of personality just as politicians do on the stump, his act has larger reverberations.

We all have a truthiness.

___

Hastily finishing a sandwich at his desk, Colbert is busy. Lining the wall to his right are index cards of segments that may or may not make the week’s shows.

“Mostly I know what I’m doing today and tomorrow and have an idea about the day after that,” he says. “And tomorrow might change and I’m not sure about tonight.”

On this day, Colbert has already conferred with his executive producer Alison Silverman and co-executive producer Rich Dahm and discussed the current news with head writer Tom Purcell. They’ll soon have what Colbert calls “a bake-off” to decide what makes the show.

“The Colbert Report” has been working this way, more or less, since it debuted on Oct. 17, 2005. The show began with what might still be its biggest success — the coining of the term “truthiness.” The term, which means a truth one feels in the gut rather than learns in books, was a home run in the first at bat that Colbert calls the “thesis statement” to everything that’s followed.

“The Report” was then seen (and largely still is) as a parody of Bill O’Reilly’s “The O’Reilly Factor” on Fox. While that was indeed the inspiration — a satire of conservative political punditry — anyone who’s watched the show consistently knows that its tentacles of farce reach far beyond any simple spoof.

“People say, ‘Aren’t you going to be sad when Bush goes?’” says Colbert. “No. The show is not about that. The show is not about O’Reilly. The show is not about the shout fest. The show is about what is behind those things, which is: What I say is reality. And that never ends. Every politician is going to want to enforce that, or every person in Hollywood — every person.”

The 43-year-old Colbert grew up in Charleston, S.C., the youngest of 11 children in a Catholic family. In 1974, his father and two of his brothers were killed in an airline crash. His mother, Lorna, recently said of her son on South Carolina public television network ETV, “I can never nail him down as to exactly what he is” — which makes you wonder what hope the rest of us have.

The young Colbert’s fondness of science fiction and fantasy — “Dungeons & Dragons,” “Lord of the Rings” — is easily apparent on “The Report,” where the serialized sci-fi story of his intergalactic alter-ego Tek Jansen plays out. One of Colbert’s prized possessions — which he gleefully brandishes — is Anduril, the sword from “The Lord of the Rings” films, theatrically bestowed to him by Viggo Mortensen on the show.

After studying acting at Northwestern University, Colbert joined Chicago’s revered improv troupe, Second City. Comedian Robert Smigel was blown away by Colbert on a night when he was just an understudy, and hired him for his first TV gig on “The Dana Carvey Show.”

“I didn’t really think it was possible to be honest with you,” says Smigel of Colbert’s one-man show. “He’s a force of nature. I don’t know who works harder than that guy.”

Colbert voices Ace in Smigel’s famed “Ambiguously Gay Duo” animated sketch, and Smigel’s comment on the role is symbolic: “He was born to play a cartoon super hero, not a real one.”

With collaborators Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello, he moved to New York to make the short-lived Comedy Central sketch show “Exit 57,” and later, the series (and movie) “Strangers with Candy.”

In his nearly decade-long tenure, Colbert became a standout correspondent on “The Daily Show,” and “The Report” was spun-off by Stewart’s company, Busboy Productions.

“Stephen has such encyclopedic knowledge and I figured using himself as the foundation of a character like that, there was no question he could do this every day,” says Stewart. “He was just ready. He wears that character so perfectly.”

Colbert, who is more at ease in a sweatshirt, agrees: “I just look like a suit, which is the best part. The best part is, boy, do I look the part.”

___

So far, Obama has appeared on “The Report” via satellite and Clinton has made a quick cameo, but McCain hasn’t yet stopped by. His preferred Comedy Central visit is “The Daily Show,” where he’s guested 10 times.

A politician’s appearance to “The Report” certainly comes with risks. In a sit-down interview, Colbert memorably — and in a keen journalistic fashion — asked Georgia Congressman Lynn Westmoreland, who had lobbied for the Ten Commandments to be displayed in government buildings, to name them. Westmoreland managed only two and got one wrong, while Colbert sat patiently counting.

Another sly comment came during the writers strike, when Comedy Central’s parent company, Viacom Inc., pushed “The Daily Show” and “The Report” back into production without writers. Colbert, desperate for material, rebroadcast an interview with CNN pundit Lou Dobbs, renown for his tough stance on immigration.

Dobbs’ segment aired exactly as it had months earlier, but Colbert’s side was redone with him dressed as “Estaban Colberto,” a Spanish-speaking, mustachioed alter-ego (yes, alter-egos can have their own alter-egos). Estaban arrived at the interview by creeping under a chicken-wire fence.

Still, few lose when they enter Colbert World. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee’s unlikely rise late in the Republican primaries could be partly attributed appearances on “The Report.” Though viewership for the program is relatively small (it draws around 1.2 million nightly on average), Huckabee showed himself to have a better sense of humor than his competitors.

A study conducted by political scientist James Fowler of the University of California found that politicians often receive a slight uptick in donations following guest appearances on the show.

Former New York governor Eliot Spitzer appeared on the show several times, including one visit that records show came just minutes before he telephoned to schedule a meeting with a prostitute. Colbert later joked that his “whore-dar” wasn’t functioning properly.

Spitzer had been a guest for one of the show’s most memorable episodes: a surreal guitar “shred-off” complete with a cameo from Henry Kissinger. How Colbert views having who many consider a war criminal on the show is reflective of his politics: humor trumps all else.

After Kissinger’s appearance on the show, Colbert wrote him, thanking him for being such a good sport. He wrote, “Thank you for lending us your dignity because it was the source of our comedy.”

Colbert explains: “We do the same thing for the candidates. They’re all invited and they all understand — I hope they understand — we really are a comedy show. There’s opportunity for everyone to have a good time here.”

___

What’s separated “The Report” from other political (or not) comedy, is how Colbert uses reality as mere fodder for his absurdist humor. There’s no question that he’s best when right in the mix: on the campaign trail in Philadelphia, at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, causing havoc in South Carolina.

The presidential run was the comedian’s ultimate attempt to inject himself into the news, and many pundits and politicians resented the mockery — especially since Colbert was polling ahead of half the Democratic field. Eventually, party officials voted to keep him off the ballot, claiming he was a distraction.

“When a fictional person declares something news, is it responsible for you to agree? Isn’t that interesting?” wonders Colbert. “But so many real people declare fictional news and the press agrees. For instance, the surge is a success, don’t you think?”

Does it scare Colbert that a fake person can be taken so seriously?

“It does not scare me at all because I don’t take myself seriously,” he says. “My character wants to do these things. We’re making jokes. We never stop making jokes.”

On camera, his devotion to staying in character is total, but off-camera he’s himself: intelligent, relaxed and quick to laugh. Before taping episodes, he asks the studio audience if anyone has any questions “to humanize me before I say horrible things.” He begins every interview by telling his guest that his character is “an idiot” and to “disabuse me of my ignorance.”

“The Report” may exist in relation to “The Daily Show,” but the difference between the programs is huge. “The Daily Show” has a clear ideological point of view, commenting from the outside, whereas Colbert is a mock-insider. It’s no coincidence that when the two do a split-screen hand-off at the end of “The Daily Show,” Stewart is always the straight man.

Jon Stewart can say he doesn’t influence all he wants, but you know what? I’ll take up that mantle. I’ll pick up that sword,” Colbert says archly. “That’s the big difference between my character and Jon’s persona. Jon would demur that responsibility, but my character gets right at the head of the lynch mob and he goes like, ‘Let’s go get the monster in the tower!’”

Many of the show’s greatest hits have been entirely apolitical, like the “meta-free-phor-all” with Sean Penn, or singing “Go Down Moses” with civil rights activist and politician Andrew Young, author Malcolm Gladwell and the Harlem Gospel Choir.

After such shows, Colbert likes to sarcastically announce to his staff: “Remember, it’s just like O’Reilly!”

Since falling while running around his “C”-shaped desk and breaking his wrist, he’s advocated “wrist awareness” by selling “WristStrong” bracelets. All proceeds go to the Yellow Ribbon Fund to assist injured service members and their families.

When asked how long he plans to keep wearing the band and stick with the joke, Colbert turned more serious than at any other point in our conversation. He replied firmly, “Not until the war is over.”

That’s about as close as Colbert comes to any kind of political statement. His interests are in people and in comedy.

“It is a sketch comedy show,” he says. “So far, it’s a 2 1/2-year sketch. I think of the entire show as a single scene. I’m just working on an 84-hour comedy project, and that’s how we think of it.”

___

In such a comedy project, Colbert compares himself to a “wind-up toy.” Unable to plan ahead, he must always react to the news, to the initiations of his devoted audience and to his reflection in the media.

“I am not a passive verb,” he says. “This is first person, present tense, at all times. I am a verb. As Buckminster Fuller said, ‘I seem to be a verb.’ The show is present tense, present active. We’re not passive, we don’t observe. We set the news agenda. We create the news. We throw the pebble of the show into reality and we report on our own ripples.”

It’s a clearly frantic, near-insane job (”I’m tired all the time,” he admits) and one can’t help but wonder how much longer Colbert — who lives with his wife and three kids in Montclair, N.J. — can keep it up.

When asked this, he puts his head down and is silent for a full 20 seconds. He finally breaks the quiet, “The short answer is, I don’t know. The facile answer but maybe the true answer is, as long as it’s fun.”

For now, the circus goes on. Backstage at the Philadelphia shows, the surrealism was in full force.

Ralph Archbold, a Ben Franklin impersonator (and therefore a man simpatico with Colbert in leading a dual life), was blown away that Colbert knew the Star Spangled Banner was written after the War of 1812. “How many people in showbiz know that?” he wonders.

Watching from the wings, R&B singer John Legend — who had just sang the Star Spangled Banner with Colbert — marveled at the comedian. Like Archbold, he gives him credit for his skill in a craft not his own: “He can sing. He really can sing.”

It becomes apparent how welcoming and joyful Colbert’s act is. Grammy-winner, historical impersonator; Democrat, Republican. Colbert will make a mockery of you, but you’ll love every minute of it.

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Kung Fu Panda Premiere Best and Worst Dressed

Posted on 26 May 2008 by JoyCeleb

The stars were shining all night as the widely anticipated premiere of Kung Fu Panda took center stage at Cannes. It was an evening of fun and beauty as Hollywood’s most beloved came out to celebrate and kick some fashion butt. Yet, while some celebs took it as an opportunity to show how beauty doesn’t have a weight limit, others used it as an excuse to air out their Halloween costumes and fashion line rejects.
Here’s the list of the top six Best and Worst Dressed Celebrities:

Beads and sequins definitely have a place in fashion, but not in the train-wreck Madonna’s donning. I compliment her courage but maybe she should stop trying to be fashion avant garde and just be fashion-able. Aishwarya Rai could give her some tips–the stunning woman knows both beauty and fashion.

Star Jones should know there’s a difference between chic and ugly. Angelina Jolie looks like a Greek goddess, compared to Star’s broken tie-dye machine catastrophe. Star needs to learn to be eye catching, not blinding.

Worst gold

Some one needs to tell Model Linda Evangelista that this isn’t 1970. No longer does the most sequins denote the most glamorous. Take a page from Goldie Hawn’s book. She defines Hollywood glamor in this outfit, complete with starlet sunglasses. She looks like she was born from Hollywood while Linda’s gold monstrosity looks like a cheap forever 21 knock-off.

Over the top doesn’t mean ugly. Before I ask what she was thinking I have to ask who the heck she is! Phoebe Price really needs to never step out of the house until she consults Eva Longoria. Eva looks like she’s ready for the ball, a true fashionista who isn’t afraid to go bold. Extravagant yes. But gorgeous, hell yes! I think the reality show reject Phoebe, just wanted to get as much press as she could because her 15 minutes of fame are counting down fast.

Less isn’t always more. I think former supermodel Eva Herzidova left part of her dress at home. Did the designer run out of cloth? It’s sad because this dress has such possibility, but now it just looks unfinished. If she wanted elegance, maybe she should have called Penelope Cruise. Her dress looks like she was made for Hollywood.

Birds of a feather do not flock together. Why did Julianne Moore feel that her dress needed feathers? It looks like she got cold, so she killed a bird and threw it over her shoulders. Take a note out of Cate Blanchett’s book: simple and beautiful.

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There She Is, Miss America

Posted on 25 May 2008 by JoyCeleb

Accompanied by Daddy Spears, Hollywood hopeful Britney Spears made an appearance at Ed Hardy designer Christian Audigier’s 50th birthday party in Los Angeles Friday.

An alcohol-free Brit is said to have smoked cigarettes while hanging out with girlfriends in a roped-off VIP area for an hour before heading home with Daddy Spears in tow.

Amazing…  A beachside retreat to Cabos San Lucas, daily trips to Bally Fitness, Adnan nowhere in sight and the girl still looks like a bloated Daytona Beach stripper working the Tuesday brunch shift.  t

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