Week of « Prev | Next »
1-20 of 33 articles « Prev | Next »
Brittany Murphy's Husband Simon Monjack Speaks: "My World Was Destroyed"
4 hours ago
"Access Hollywood" landed an exclusive with Brittany Murphy's husband on Monday, the day after her mysterious and untimely death at just 32. He told the syndicated show, "My world was destroyed yesterday." Monjack, who wed the actress in 2007, also told his version of the morning events. "[Her mother] Sharon went into the bathroom because she had been in there a long time. Her mom screamed for me and I ran. Then called 911," he said. He also said she's seemed a little sick. "She had laryngitis," he said. "She had been tired at the end of the year. She had made a couple movies." But he said she had seen a doctor for her symptoms. The autopsy was conducted Monday but toxicology reports could take weeks. …
- Katherine Thomson
Survivor: Samoa Finale: A Confederacy of Douches.
5 hours ago
Eleanor of Aquitaine: "You're good. You're first class, Geoff. You'd sell John out to me, or me to John, or - you can tell me; have you found some way of selling everyone to everybody?" Geoffrey Plantagenet: "Not yet, Mummy, but I'm working on it." - James Goldman, The Lion in Winter. This was a three-hour telecast, so we have a lot of ground to cover, which means a long column, so let's dive right in The first half-hour of the Survivor finale was heartbreaking in the extreme. My beautiful Jaison, so gorgeous, so smart, so ethical, so poorly motivated. Ah well. It's all right, my darling, we can live on love, and vodka, and my movie millions, and more vodka. The broadcast opened with a lengthy clip package that was interesting to watch mainly to see Psycho Russell's chest hair grow in. He began, …
- Tallulah Morehead
Brittany Murphy Death Cause: Autopsy Update Adds Confusion
7 hours ago
An official Brittany Murphy death cause may not be released for some time. Original reports said Murphy apparently died of natural causes, specifically cardiac arrest. But tonight, it was announced that an official cause of death has not been declared, and may not be for perhaps five or six weeks. Radar Online states the delay is due to additional toxicology and neurological tests being done. Rumors are swirling that a Brittany Murphy anorexia connection may have something to do with how she died. Los Angeles police are not ruling out the possibility of a drug overdose, according to reports. Reports have also surfaced that Murphy was sick just days before her death from flu-like symptoms. This is a developing story. Updates will be added later. …
- Craig Kanalley
Simon Monjack, Brittany Murphy's Husband, Had Checkered Past (Photos, Info, More)
7 hours ago
There is no evidence of foul play in Brittany Murphy's untimely death, but as her life comes under scrutiny so does the man she quietly married two years ago, whose grieving will be complicated by public interest in his troubled past. Murphy's husband, Simon Monjack, is the one who called 911 at 8 a.m. Sunday after her mother found her stricken in their home. Monjack, understandably, appeared "dazed" as rescue workers tried to revive his wife. He did not want an autopsy to be done, but the La coroner began the procedure Monday against his wishes. Monjack is a British screenwriter with two film credits: the 2006 Edie Sedgwick biopic 'Factory Girl' featuring Sienna Miller and 'Two Days, Nine Lives,' a 2002 British indie drama. His online presence repeatedly suggests he wished to be known first as Brittany Murphy's husband. He …
- Huffington Post
Brittany Murphy's Weight: Eating Disorder Denials Despite Changing Shape (Photos)
7 hours ago
Brittany Murphy spent years denying eating disorder allegations but even she worried about her scarily low weight in the weeks leading up to her death. "I am a bit thinner now than what I would like to be," Murphy, 32, admitted to Fox News' Pop Tarts at an event December 3. Then: "I was a ballerina for a long time. I still take ballet lessons now - what it does to your body is incredible." Murphy's big break came in 1995 when she starred in 'Clueless' as Tai and looked, refreshingly, like someone who didn't fit the Hollywood mold into which she'd later shove herself. As her career took off her weight plummeted while her chest was bigger than ever, she dyed her hair blonde, capped her teeth and appeared to have had plastic surgery although she repeatedly denied having been …
- Katy Hall
Four Must-See Christmas Movies of the 1940s
7 hours ago
At this late date, one must prioritize one's Christmas movies. And when one prioritizes one's movies, Christmas or otherwise, it's advisable to stick with a battle-tested decade of film-making: the 1940s. In my not-so-humble opinion, these are the best the 1940s had to offer in the way of Christmas movies. I've triaged them, so read top to bottom, but keep in mind this list assumes you've already seen It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and Miracle on 34th Street (1947), which would probably be ranked at two and four-ish. It seems that those two movies are on television in a continuous loop every year, so if you've missed them, Santa-hats off to you. But go turn on your TV right now, because you're depriving yourself. (Also missing from this list is Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), which I adore, but …
- Kathryn McGarr
Hollywood + Silicon Valley = Frenemies?
8 hours ago
When it comes to Hollywood and Silicon Valley, it's all turf wars and cattiness, the trash talk only put on hold for the occasional air kiss and photo op. Sound familiar? Maybe like Paris and Nicole? Lauren and Heidi? That's right -- I'm saying Hollywood and Silicon Valley (and by that, I mean tech in general) are frenemies, and always have been. A few half-hearted overtures of friendship here and there when it suits them, but otherwise they just peer warily at one another from across the club (Think Motion Picture Association of America v. BitTorrent, or MPAA v. RealNetworks). But that has to change -- and fast. If Hollywood and Silicon Valley don't ditch the defensiveness and start truly playing nice, the credits threaten to roll on movie revenues as we know them -- and both sides …
- Daren Tsui
Los Abrazos Rotos: Pedro Almodavar's New Movie
8 hours ago
I once sat in a pintxo bar in San Sebastian with Joseba Elizando, Miguel 'the Handsomest Man in the World' Miranda, and Wayne Kruer, an American ex-pat professional basketball player. Wayne was drafted by the Celtics, cut in training camp and had played in the Spanish pro leagues for a few seasons. He chained smoked Ducados and spat out Spanish and English in a voice only a million cigarettes could create. 'Michael,' he rasped, 'tell the waitress that you love her when she comes back and you want to take her to America.' Why would I want to do that, I asked. 'Because she is beautiful, she's over twenty and not married, and when you don't take her with you tomorrow I will console her.' Joseba, well known at the bar, part gypsy, began to clap his hands and sing a …
- Michael Jones
Survivor Finalist Russell Really Is an Ass: Whereas 4th Place Brett Showed Class Will Tell
9 hours ago
I watch a bit of Reality TV and I'm a big fan of seven-time Emmy Recipient The Amazing Race -- the best of the breed. Better than American Idol and all the rest on NBC, Fox, ABC or the CW. I'd love to participate with my pal, charismatic German TV Star Andreas Stenschke (take a look and you'll agree) -- not just for the million dollars. It's fun and challenging, and the winner wins because the team has achieved victory, as opposed to contests decided upon by scheming and jealous cohabitants of a house or remote island. But the point here is to cast light on the devil incarnate of the most recent Survivor, which concluded Sunday night on CBS. Machiavellian is too tame to describe the overconfident and somewhat deluded Russell Hantz, who was earlier voted …
- Michael Russnow
Eli Wallach: A Good Seducer
9 hours ago
At 94, the irrepressible Eli Wallach tells a good story. Of the film clips shown in the "Tennessee Williams on Screen and Stage" evening at the Times Center, part of the Museum of the Moving Image Series, the one of Baby Doll was the most provocative. A young sly Eli Wallach seduces a naive Carroll Baker. As Eli tells it, the Catholic Church banned the film saying anyone who sees it may be excommunicated, and it was sold out for the first 3 weeks. Just before, his wife Ann Jackson, sounding a bit like a Tennessee heroine, had taken the podium to tell her story of first meeting Tennessee, but then forgetting: "Sorry, we are unprepared." In fact, this special night was to honor the iconic playwright, newly inducted into the Poet's Corner and feted throughout this his centennial year. With …
- Regina Weinreich
Avatar: Moviemaking Will Never Be the Same
10 hours ago
Avatar (20th Century Fox) Moviemaking Will Never Be the Same The initial introduction to Avatar was not good. The trailer left something to be desired. Plus it is in 3-D which to some people is a hindrance rather than a help. Also the running time of the film is close to three hours and that is too long for a large segment of the population. So by the time you actually go to the film you have had your expectations lowered. Then you actually sit down in the theater to watch the movie. You get your 3-D glasses in place and whammy! The movie takes off and it is a rip-roaring treat of a film from beginning to end. This is moviemaking unlike anything you have ever seen in this lifetime. James Cameron is absolutely the "King of the World." The story of Avatar …
- Jackie K. Cooper
In the Spirit of the Season, Please Don't Be a Jerk at the Movies
11 hours ago
When a friend of mine jokingly insinuated I that I might consider enrolling in an anger management course so that "we don't get shot" the next time we go to the movies -- which she is 100 percent convinced almost happened during our last trip -- I thought maybe, just maybe, she was right. Which of course meant that maybe, just maybe, I had been wrong when I loudly reprimanded a group of rude moviegoers during our last popcorn adventure, moviegoers who then ominously threatened to go "get someone." Then I came across the following posting (more like diatribe, and I mean that as a compliment) on the media blog Gawker. Based on the post, but more specifically the comments it generated, clearly I am not the only one for whom movie going has become as fraught as navigating …
- Keli Goff
Brittany Murphy and the Hollywood Fishbowl
11 hours ago
Yet another young starlet felled far too young: whether by heart disease, diabetes, Vicodin or an ominous British husband has yet to be determined. What Brittany Murphy's death stirs up, though, is an odd disquiet, a sense of unease, sadness, suspicion: the same kind of feelings we had when we heard that River Phoenix had gone, Heath Ledger, DJ Am. If Brittany's autopsy does reveal that her death was due to substance abuse, she joins an increasing line of the beautiful and the young who died unintentionally at their own hands, while us rabid culture-consumers separated from their lives merely by a glossy weekly shake our heads and tut in disgust. These people had everything, and they threw it all away because of their dependence on illegal drugs or legally prescribed pharmaceuticals. It seems incomprehensible to most of us that …
- Ruth Fowler
Celebrity Baby Names: The Best of 2009
11 hours ago
This year was notable by a swell of great celebrity baby names, far outweighing the quirky, strange, and downright bad. What were the very best? According to a Nameberry poll of nearly 700 people, the winners are: Seraphina Rose Elizabeth, name of the second daughter of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, for girls. And for boys, Jasper Warren, second son of Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Brad Paisley. Here's how the Nameberry voters ranked the best celebrity baby names. Seraphina Rose Elizabeth was chosen as the Best Celebrity Girls' Name by 45 percent of the voters. The angelic name was a surprise choice after more than a week of waiting for the high-profile couple to announce the name. Jennifer and Ben set a trend with their first daughter's name, Violet, and Seraphina seems poised to follow suit. Helena Grace, name of the newborn …
- Pamela Redmond Satran
Fairy Tales, Child Development, And Unconscious Learning
11 hours ago
I just read a review of what sounds like a fascinating new book by film historian David Thomson, called The Moment of Psycho: How Alfred Hitchcock Taught America to Love Murder. Thomson explores the far-reaching cinematic influence of this seminal film, a legacy that he argues lingers on today in the increasingly cool depiction of violence in movies and the growing disconnect between filmic images of gore and its actual emotional content. The famous, much-studied shower scene with its gouts of crimson (shot in black-and-white, no less) broke new ground in the way it aestheticized violence. Today, we routinely watch buckets of fake blood merrily exploding every which way in movies, on TV and the internet, all in the name of a quick adrenaline burst, a dark laugh, a gruesome visual. What's missing is the emotional, psychological and even cultural …
- Susan Kim
This Show Doesn't Suck
11 hours ago
As a writer, the first thing you learn from your peers is how to blame other people. In television, we've not only convinced ourselves that nothing is our fault, but we've managed to convince everyone else that TV executives are crass idiots who ruin our genius with their stupid notes. We've gotten so good at it that even network executives brag about how they don't like interfering too much with the writing. If that wasn't great enough, we also get paid - on top of the salaries we get for writing for a show - for every episode we actually write. I still can't believe we went on strike. But most shows suck not because some stupid executive forced the writer to cut out the edgy stuff or add a cute redheaded kid, but because making something good is …
- Joel Stein
Sherlock Holmes - Don't Ask, Don't Tell?
12 hours ago
Don't Ask. Don't Tell. That's the policy studio Warner Brothers was hoping for as it rolls out its massive media campaign leading up to the Christmas day opening of Sherlock Holmes. The only problem -- they forgot to tell Robert Downey Jr., the film's flamboyant star. "Robert can't stop talking about the world's most famous Bromance. It's making studio publicists very nervous. It's almost like Downey is messing with them," a movie insider giggled about Downey's repeated hinting that Holmes' and Bff Dr. Watson's interest in each other might go further than just solving crimes. "Two men who happen to be roommates, wrestle a lot and share a bed," Downey has said. Exactly the sort of thing the studio wishes he hadn't. You little tease! However, I'm told what really got the big wigs at Warner Brothers knickers in a …
- Rob Shuter
'Complicated' Doesn't Equate With 'Funny'
13 hours ago
There is little doubt in anyone's mind that Meryl Streep can do anything. She can learn perfect German, be a middle-aged Italian, a mysterious English woman in another century, or Julia Child, letter and recipe perfect. But she cannot make a silk comedy out of a sow's screenplay. In the allegedly delightful scenario that is to come to us on Christmas Day, It's Complicated gives us Meryl as the ex-wife of a philanderingly attractive Alec Baldwin, married to the hot young woman he dumped her for. The two ex-es are drawn into a steamy affair, to the consternation of their adult children, who are finally getting used to the idea of their parents being divorced. Not a bad premise, but to care for people in a comedy, …
- Gwen Davis
Kids from the 'Hood: Wendy Williams, Barack Obama and The Prep School Negroes
13 hours ago
In recent interviews with both People and the New York Times, talk-show hostess Wendy Williams speaks openly about her unlikely upbringing in the leafy environs of suburban New Jersey. Indeed, rather than being the "girl from the 'hood" her potty-mouthed persona might suggest, Williams actually summered on Martha's Vineyard, went to charm school and attended private university in Boston. Big-boned and big-mouthed, Williams was a perpetual "only-one" -- that rare Black girl in mostly-White environments. And Williams was not alone. From Damon Dash to Denzel Washington, Sean "P-Diddy" Combs to President Barack Obama, many of popular-culture's most prominent African-Americans are not just Negroes -- they're Prep-School Negroes (Psn). As graduates of elite "prep" (or "independent") school systems, this minority-within-a-minority is bucking the myth of Black kids as over-urban and under-educated. Along the way, PSNs have become a dominant force in business, …
- David Kaufman
Hollywood Politics: Up in the Air
14 hours ago
I feel so ambivalent about the way Hollywood packages progressive messages -- messages I agree with, in substance. But the way they do it, it's a symptom of a basic problem. The obvious cases are movies about the war in Iraq, from In the Valley of Elah to The Hurt Locker. Opposition to the war saturates the atmosphere of these films, but it's not explicit. The focus is on the personal price that's paid -- as if the war were a condition of nature, like earthquakes. The reason for this is obvious. Makers of those movies don't want to violate the number one lesson learned from the Vietnam war: support the troops this time around, no matter how stupid the war itself may be. But other cases are subtler. Take Up in the Air, for example. …
- Thomas de Zengotita
1-20 of 33 articles « Prev | Next »
