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1. Mr. Belding in Vegas: The gossip Web site TMZ’s pics of 57-year-old “Saved by the Bell” alum Dennis Haskins partying down with a bevy of tanorexic table-dancer types is the most troubling collection of drunken photos we’ve seen in many months. 2. The new Facebook: As if you’re not spending enough time on the social networking site already, a beta version of its new look means you have to figure out how to use it all over again. 3. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog: We can’t get enough of this online musical created by “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” guru Joss Whedon, starring Neil Patrick Harris (pictured) as a not terribly menacing supervillain. 4. Outer space snapshots: Since we can’t really see stars ITP, try browsing NASA’s brand-new space archive to get your interstellar fix. www.nasaimages.org. Photo: Hulu.com ( Full article and comments) Ubiquitous homemaking magnate turned jailhouse decorator Martha Stewart is 67 on Aug. 3. Illinois’ own Sen. Barack Obama is 47 on Aug. 4. How about sending him a nice “Obama Fo Yo Mama” T-shirt? “The Happening” director M. Night Shyamalan is 38 on Aug. 6, but he definitely peaked several years before that. “Happening,” he ain’t. Spice Girl Geri Halliwell is 36 on Aug. 6. Make it last forever, Ginger Spice: Friendship never ends. Hey, David Duchovny (pictured)! The “X-Files” movie totally tanked at the box office. But the good news is, you turn 48 on Aug. 7. See? Life ain’t all bad. Broken-hearted banshee Whitney Houston is 45 on Aug. 9. Don’t be frightened: She just wants to feel the heat with somebody—somebody not named Bobby Brown. Hey, pouty “X-Files” star Gillian Anderson! “I want to believe” that you turn 40 on Aug. 9. But it seems like another crazy conspiracy theory to me.
Photo: Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images ( Full article and comments) - Paris Hilton Tosses Dwarf on the Street
- Attack of the Zombie Negroes: Dick Cheney
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RuPaul: Mark Mainz/Getty Images
Ron Paul: Eric Thayer/Getty Images ( Full article and comments) Oh, it’s on. Another hip-hop feud involving an Atlanta rapper has set the Internet aflame —and thankfully, this one has nothing to do with 18-year-old “Crank That” performer Soulja Boy. A spokesman for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign issued a stinging rebuke to A-town heavy hitter Ludacris last week, in response to “Politics (Obama is Here),” a mixtape track by Luda and DJ Drama. In the song, Ludacris notes that Obama has named him as one of his favorite rappers. Apparently not content with his lot in life as a restaurateur, Grammy-winning rapper and respected actor (“Fred Claus” notwithstanding), Luda throws his hat into the ring for consideration as a running mate, drawling “put me in office/make me your vice president.”
He then leaps into attack-dog mode against President Bush and Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain, with such lines as “Hillary hated on you so that bitch is irrelevant” and “McCain don’t belong in any chair unless he’s paralyzed.” (Our favorite, in response to Jesse Jackson: “If you said it then you meant it/Where you want it, head or gut?”—a clear reference to the immortal 1991 Bruce Willis/Damon Wayans action vehicle “The Last Boy Scout.”) Obama spokesperson Ben Burton was quoted as saying that “while Ludacris is a talented individual, he should be ashamed of these lyrics.” At the time of this posting, Ludacris had not responded to the statement, and rumors that Sen. McCain was composing his own diss track with Luda’s “Battleground Earth” co-star Tommy Lee were unconfirmed.
But the news wasn’t all bad for Ludacris last week: On July 28 it was announced that Chris Bridges himself is slated for induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame next month, along with Athens jam-rockers Widespread Panic, songwriter Keith Sweat, guitar makers Fred and Dinah Gretsch, deejay Hamp Swain and the late singer and songwriter Dottie Rambo. The Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards will take place Saturday, Sept. 20 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Tickets are $75-$1,000 (for a table of 10). For more information, please call 770-491-9494, ext. 15, or visit www.georgiamusic.org. ( Full article and comments) New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez is 33 on July 27. What to get a rich baseball player? Since he’s allegedly dating Madonna, how about a tetanus shot? We’re just sayin’ … Atlanta hip-hop performer Soulja Boy hits the big 1-8 on July 28. And we’re sure he’ll celebrate the big day like the mature young gentleman he is. Academy Award-winning “90210” alum Hilary Swank is 34 on July 30. She and Mr. Ed—separated at birth? Discuss. Bodybuilder, politician and bad actor Arnold Schwarzenegger is 61 on July 30. Could he be the first robot president of the United States? “Harry Potter” creator J.K. Rowling is 43 on July 31. For her birthday, she plans to buy all of England—just because she can. “Blade,” “Blade II,” “Blade: Trinity”—make it stop! Actor and tax evader Wesley Snipes is 46 on July 31. Rapper Coolio (pictured) is known for “Gangster’s Paradise” … and that’s about it, really. He turns 45 on Aug. 1. Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images ( Full article and comments) 1. Blayne from “Project Runway”: for his adamant over-usage of his own invented buzzword, “girlicious.” Just when you thought there were already enough tired catchphrases on Bravo … 2. Jason Connery: While creating an entire existence based around his father’s fame, Sean Connery’s D-list actor son was allegedly cut from Dad’s will after threatening to change his last name to something “not Connery.” Well played, Jason. 3. Brooke Hogan (pictured): When asked who she would vote for in the upcoming presidential election, Hulk Hogan’s bleach-blonde intellectual superpower of a daughter insisted that she isn’t voting because “It’s kinda crazy that a woman is running, because they have PMS and menopause and stuff.” 4. Andy Dick: In an attempt to salvage his fledgling career, Dick decided to get wasted at a Buffalo Wild Wings, and grabbed a 17-year-old girl’s breasts in hopes of a media onslaught. We hope he had fun in L.A. County Jail.
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images ( Full article and comments)
Thanks to 99x.com, alternative band Filter will be playing a free show tonight at the Tabernacle's Pontiac Garage! Filter is joined by local Atlanta bands Sleep Therapy and The Julia Dream. Doors are at 7:30. Admission is first come, first served, so show up early!
“Filter is one of the many bands who shaped 99X’s alternative sound through the mid and late ’90s with “Hey Man Nice Shot” and “Take a Picture.” This show means a lot to us longtime fans of both the band and 99X.” —Eric (Dutch) Van de Steeg
The show is all ages, and you can get more info on it at 99X.com. ( Full article and comments)  There’s no more highly anticipated movie this summer than Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight,” the sequel to 2005’s “Batman Begins.” And the film (screened yesterday for local critics) delivers on that anticipation. It’s a (mostly) fast-paced, intelligent action film; leave out the fact that its main character dresses up in a bat costume, and it’s still an exceptionally executed action thriller. Some quick highlights: 1.
ACTING: Yes, Heath Ledger’s jittery, unhinged portrayal of the Joker (pictured) is every bit as arresting as early reports have indicated. I’ve not always been a huge fan of Ledger’s past work, but his turn raises “The Dark Knight” several levels above just another ordinary superhero movie. With his creaky voice (which reminded me a bit of Peter Lorre), roughly applied makeup and menacing stare, he’s simply magnetic; it’s impossible to notice anything else when he’s onscreen.
But Ledger’s isn’t the only impressive performance. In keeping with the growing trend of casting talented actors in thoughtfully written comic-book films (“Batman Begins,” “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk”), “Dark Knight” boasts a top-caliber cast, none of whom simply cashes a check. Gary Oldman, in particular, shines as Batman’s police ally Jim Gordon, fully inhabiting this slightly schlumpy, dedicated cop; a wrenchingly emotional scene toward the end of the movie shows that Oldman takes his work here seriously.
Aaron Eckhart (as crusading district attorney Harvey Dent) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (taking over for Katie Holmes as Batman/Bruce Wayne’s kinda/sorta love interest, Rachel Dawes) also deliver strong performances; Gyllenhaal, in particular, has a brief but heartbreaking scene that will stay with you long after the film ends. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine execute their supporting roles with aplomb. Even smaller roles are impressively cast. (Oddly enough, star Christian Bale isn’t given all that much to do, comparatively, but he turns in solid work nonetheless.) 2. ACTION: There’s plenty of it, from an opening bank robbery (with William Fichtner as a bad-ass bank manager) to an assault on a Hong Kong office tower that would feel at home in a James Bond film. And there’s a high-speed car chase, of course, the main attraction of which is the introduction of the BatPod, basically an economy-size motorcycle. 3. TONE: Take the “Dark” part of the title seriously. The cinematography boasts a modern urban palate of dark shadows, dim lighting, concrete and steel, especially the streets of Gotham City, which forsake the ornate structures and murky, nightmarish feel of Anton Furst’s designs in the Tim Burton “Batman” movies for a more conventional but still slightly imposing cityscape. On the story side, there’s a fair amount of violence (but little blood or gore—with one notable exception—to endanger the PG-13 rating), and a few very intense moments not recommended for small children (especially involving Eckhart and Gyllenhaal). The Joker’s twisted manipulations are far more chilling than anything in any of the “Saw” movies. And thematically, the film deals a lot with the idea of what it means to be a hero, in some gloomy ways, but without falling into easy postmodern cynicism. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures ( Full article and comments) 1. “I Was Told There’d Be Cake”: In true Gen-Y form, Sloane Crosley’s charming collection of essays (about her own life, told from a twentysomething’s point of view), has already been optioned by HBO. 2. “Stuff White People Like: A Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions” (pictured): From blog to book form, Christian Lander’s painfully spot-on cultural observations (about NPR, Nalgene bottles and Macintosh devices) hit uncomfortably close to home. 3. “Chasing Darkness”: Robert Crais’ latest novel starring wisecracking P.I. Elvis Cole is a typically grabbing, fast-paced thriller filled with indelible characters, complex turns and powerful writing. 4. “When You Are Engulfed in Flames”: David Sedaris tallies up the most bizarre moments of his last 25 years, filled with his trademark wit and biting honesty. 5. “Dear American Airlines”: Jonathan Miles’ hilariously sad account of a stranded passenger who takes a complaint letter much further than it should ever go—but in a good way. ( Full article and comments)
Is just standing there and soaking up the envy more your cup of tea? Take your smokin' hot self to the small screen. ABC is casting for a new show called "The Great American Beauty." If you’re beautiful and between the ages of 18-29, contact Brian at updyke.brian@gmail.com. Darn, we just missed the cutoff age. ( Full article and comments) |