Friday, April 11, 2008

There’ll Be No More ‘Too Young To Model’ Debates On Vogue Editor’s Watch

2:51PM Clem Bastow | Just this morning we were reading the latest “too young to model” fuss, which was, we have to admit, actually quite well-founded: Polish teenager Monika Jagaciak (aka “Jak”; pictured) was booked to walk and pose at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, not to mention booked to shoot for Vogue Australia… until everyone found out she was 14. Vogue editrix Kirstie Clements was particularly vocal on the topic and it now seems that when Vogue speaks, the rest of the industry listens: Rosemount Australian Fashion Week organisers this morning responded to Vogue Australia editor Kirstie Clements’ call for a minimum age of 16 for models appearing in the event. “In light of industry and community concern regarding the acceptable age for models to appear on the catwalk at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week (RAFW), today RAFW revised its industry policy,” an official statement said. More »

Right After Alice Burdeu Finishes Shooting This Mega-Bucks Campaign, She’ll Turn Her Attention To Defamer Australia

2:42PM Clem Bastow | We know that Defamer Australia’s model-mad and fashion-fanatic readers have been hanging to read Alice’s responses to your questions, however we’re quite sure her excuse for tardiness will wash with you: she’s been busy shooting the Dolce & Gabbana diffusion line D&G’s latest campaign, with superstar lensman Mario Testino. If that isn’t the definition of “top” modeldom, our years of reading the Vogue Forums have taught us nothing. (Incidentally you can check out her ever-expanding book of amazing editorial shots here.) However, the lovely Alice took a moment from her ridiculously busy schedule this afternoon to let us know she is completing her answers as we speak, so tune in on Monday for the thoughts from Australia’s reigning Next Top Model before we begin the search for the next one! More »

Turns Out No One Likes A Cockatoo

12:42PM Clem Bastow | Just days after the Erin McNaught-starring “She likes a cockatoo” campaign for winery Cockatoo Ridge caused a stink, then McNaught herself said she thought the campaign was “rude” (and not in a positive dancehall sense), the ads are being pulled. Cockatoo Ridge, however, will tell you they’ve wound up the campaign because of the price of billboards. Later, some monkeys flew out of our butts. “The billboards were only ever going to run for two more weeks anyway,” [Cockatoo Ridge managing director Peter] Perrin told Confidential, adding it will then “only run in Sydney and the entire campaign will cease in May”. Erin admitted this week she was shocked when she first saw the ad, but Perrin insists the slogan wasn’t meant to shock. “We didn’t think too much about the double-meaning,” he said. “If we wanted to be silly about it we could have put the ads in FHM magazine or something, but that’s not what we are about.” “We didn’t think too much about the double-meaning”?! You mean to say, Mr Perrin, that you employed a bikini model best known for the kerfuffle over topless photos surfacing midway through her Miss Universe campaign, made good use of her cleavage, used the kind of “whoops matron” slogan that might’ve been thought of as a bit much in 1973 Playboy, and you’re saying you DIDN’T think about it too much? Excuse us for a moment, readers, we’re just going to go jump off our balcony alongside all these winged pigs that are making their first flights! More »

Another Aussie Done Good In Hollywood

12:35PM Clem Bastow | She of the most entertainingly seemingly made-up name, Tammin Sursok, aka Dani from Home & Away, has been curiously quiet since leaving the beloved soap in a storm of Logies and “what I really want to do is sing!” press releases. Evidently the little go-getter has been pounding pavements all over Tinseltown, and it’s finally come good – she’s now all over The Young & The Restless! Sursok has signed a three-year contract to the US daytime drama, playing Colleen Carlton – a feisty glamour girl with an appetite for scandal. “I fall in love with my teacher and then I have an affair with one of the main guys,” Sursok said. Truly, in the world of soaps, this is like trading in the Volvo for a Jaguar. We hope to see Tammin at the next Daytime Emmy Awards red carpet (and are also not ashamed to admit that for years, we thought, “So what, they hold the Emmys in the daytime now? Big deal!” whenever we saw any Daytime Emmys publicity. Oh, how young and foolish we are once were.) More »

Teri Hatcher Attempts A Little Country, A Little Rock ‘N Roll On ‘Idol’, Makes Us A Little Queasy

10:45AM Molly Friedman | Teri Hatcher has admitted that her performance on last night’s Idol Gives Back was “nerve-wracking,” and we couldn’t agree more. Watching the bat-faced Housewife dry hump the mic stand and hearing her attempt to carry a damaged woman tune about men and how they love to cheat was a very painful experience. Though her DH co-star James Denton is eager to remind us that Hatcher once performed in Cabaret, we’re eager to remind him that the likes of Ashley Parker Angel and Joey Fatone have too. As Teri proved last night, Broadway experience does not a talented singer make. More »

Taking A Time Out From The Important Business Of Saving Whales, Isabel Lucas Finds Herself A Hollywood Love Interest

10:21AM Jess McGuire | Gracious, we can’t think of a more wonderful way to celebrate the end of the week than by hearing news former Home & Away hottie Isabel Lucas has landed herself some prime US heartthrob beef. Or whatever the vegan animal loving equivalent to beef is. There was only one gorgeous girl in Adrian Grenier’s entourage when the actor attended the star-studded premiere – and her name is Isabel Lucas. Confidential hears the super-stud and former Home and Away stunner have become quite the couple since Lucas relocated to Hollywood two months ago. More »

10:15AM Defamer Hollywood | Reports today confirm that Natalie Portman will join would-be sexy nurse Scarlett Johansson as a first-time director in the short-film compilation New York, I Love You. First known as the movie where that Hasidic dude walked out on co-star Portman, then better known as the one where contributing director Anthony Minghella hand-picked replacement Shekhar Kapur before he died, NYILY is finding its latest momentum as the film featuring everyone from Brett Ratner to Orlando Bloom to Cloris Leachman pimping out for the city tourism board. “NYC & Co., the official marketing and tourism organisation for the City of New York, is fully behind the pic, throwing its weight into sponsorship deals,” writes Variety’s Dade Hayes. “A major airline is in final talks to help ferry talent to and from the city and promote the film on its aircraft, for example.” The producers, however, cite an “explicit auteur approach” that will keep the art front-and-centre, promising Johansson the latitude to fire a maximum of 10 PA’s as she learns to flex her megalomaniacal muscle behind the camera. [Variety] More »

10:15AM Defamer Hollywood | Reports today confirm that Natalie Portman will join would-be sexy nurse Scarlett Johansson as a first-time director in the short-film compilation New York, I Love You. First known as the movie where that Hasidic dude walked out on co-star Portman, then better known as the one where contributing director Anthony Minghella hand-picked replacement Shekhar Kapur before he died, NYILY is finding its latest momentum as the film featuring everyone from Brett Ratner to Orlando Bloom to Cloris Leachman pimping out for the city tourism board. “NYC & Co., the official marketing and tourism organisation for the City of New York, is fully behind the pic, throwing its weight into sponsorship deals,” writes Variety’s Dade Hayes. “A major airline is in final talks to help ferry talent to and from the city and promote the film on its aircraft, for example.” The producers, however, cite an “explicit auteur approach” that will keep the art front-and-centre, promising Johansson the latitude to fire a maximum of 10 PA’s as she learns to flex her megalomaniacal muscle behind the camera. [Variety] More »

Artie Lange Quits Stern Show (Again), Cementing His Top Ranking On Celebrity Deathwatch

9:00AM Mark Graham | While we haven’t been avid listeners of Howard Stern since he made the switch to Sirius a few years back (call us crazy or even cheap, but we’re morally opposed to paying for radio), we still follow the show pretty closely. And as anyone who has been paying attention knows, Stern sidekick Artie Lange has been on a self-destructive streak for the better part of the last nine or so months. His weight has been ballooning, his already prolific drug habit has only gotten worse and his on-air behaviour has become more erratic than ever before. However, things reached Defcon 6 levels on today’s show when Artie flew into a rage, got into a physical confrontation with his personal assistant and abruptly (and from the sounds of it, tearily) resigned from the show. Audio of the incident follows after the jump. More »

YouTube Clip Of The Day

8:23AM Jess McGuire | Here’s the brand new official video clip for Radiohead’s 15 Step. Enjoy! Today’s Clip Of The Day was sent in by Hirsty, with the concise message “Yeh… I know…” attached. What do you know, Hirsty? Do you know these men? Because we kind of think they’re deranged, but also sort of want them to be our boyfriends, so if you can introduce us, we’d be very appreciative. Sure, we’d probably break up in a couple of weeks after the whole drunken-singing-to-a-horse thing lost its charm, but until then, we’d have some good times. More »