Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Sarah Jessica Parker: ‘There Are Many Times Matthew Broderick Wishes He Wasn’t With Me’
10:50AM Molly Friedman | Okay, you clever SATC minxes. Your masterfully executed plan to generate press for The Most Important Movie Of The Year Century has officially come full-circle. First, Kristin Davis just happened to appear all over our computer screens being attacked by a massive Segel, then Cynthia Nixon gave a far more ladylike interview breaking the news of her former struggle with breast cancer. But today, in “Me Too!” attempts to pipe in and get their names in the papers, both Sarah Jessica “Sex Is Icky” Parker and Kim Cattrall are gabbing and blabbing about completely irrelevant and ancient stories about marriage and age-old rumours. But hearing about how SJP’s marriage sucks and how Kim likes money don’t really compare to inspirational disease fighters and nudie photos. Though, it is shamefully fun to hear Parker tell us once again why being married to Matthew Broderick is like riding “rather treacherous train rides”:
Consciously Or Not, ‘The Dark Knight’ Pays Homage To Tim Burton
10:35AM Seth | A clever mashup from CollegeHumor.com suggests Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight—the hotly anticipated, second chapter of his radical re-envisioning of the Batman franchise for Warner Bros.—might be less of a radical re-envisioning than we might have been led to believe. Frankly, they could prove the entire thing was lifted frame-by-frame from an NYU film school thesis project, we wouldn’t be any less excited about it. Dark Knight! Whooo! Movie of the summer! The side-by-side “trailers” are after the jump: More »
Coldplay Give Away Single; We’d Make A Joke About Nobody Wanting It Anyway If They Weren’t Multi-Platinum Already
10:24AM Clem Bastow | Looks like “we’re giving our next album/single away for free” is code for “we haven’t made a relevant album in a while and we’re worried that we’re becoming stale, do you still like us, DO YOU? Here, have it for free!” when it comes to the monsters of rock.
First Radiohead, then Prince, now Coldplay are releasing their next single online and for free. Well, gosh, thanks, guys!
A note posted on www.coldplay.com said that fans can download Violet Hill from the album Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends free for one week from tomorrow.
The album will be launched in Britain on June 12.
Coldplay also announced two free shows – one at London’s Brixton Academy on June 16 and another at Madison Square Garden in New York on June 23.
Really, what all these sales-nervous bands should do is start getting in the crazy sale guy; that’ll solve everything. For example:
PONDEROUS ADULT CONTEMPORARY BALLADS, OUT THEY GO!! THESE REFLECTIONS ON A VEGAN LIFESTYLE IN THE HARSH FACE OF STARDOM WILL NEVER BE REPEATED!!
See? They’re already flying off the shelves. More » 
Lourdes Ciccone Leon Looks Less Like Madge, More Like That Other Celebrity Adoptress
10:05AM Molly Friedman | Until now, most onlookers have been noting just how much little Lourdes Ciccone Leon looks like her mother, the vitamin-injecting, leg-spreading Madonna. And while she does have her mom’s naturally dark hair and piercing eyes, we think the 12-year old mini-Madge looks much more like another pillow-lipped celebrity you may have heard of. Particularly when we place Lourdes’ current visage next to the star-in-question’s glamour shots when she was just a teenager herself:
Jack Wins ‘SYTYCD Australia’, The Affection Of Hugh Jackman
9:35AM Clem Bastow | Guy Smiley aka Jack Chambers won So You Think You Can Dance Australia on Sunday night, which didn’t really surprise anyone, considering the odds were in his favour, though those who were rooting for runner-up Rhys Bobridge were disappointed there was no shock upset.
We were mildly shocked that hoofer Kate Wormald managed to come third ahead of irrepressible B-girl Demi Sorrono, which indicated that perhaps the voting public had decided to vote for talent before personality.
Suffice to say Jack was probably shocked when Hugh Jackman – who, remember, used to be way into musical theatre; your Associate Editor and her mum saw him in Beauty & The Beast in the ’90s and knew he’d be a star – admitted he was a fan of the 19-year-old jazz dancer and vowed to meet him on Broadway.
“The fact that he knew my name just gave me shivers,” Chambers said.
“I was just standing there and he looked at me and he goes: ‘Jack, congratulations man, you’re wonderful’, and I’m like, ‘oh my God, Thank you’.”
Chambers said he was blown away by the comments from Jackman, who won a Tony Award for playing Peter Allen in the Boy From Oz.
“He said: ‘I’ll guess I’ll see you at Broadway some time’ and I said: ‘Yeah, I love it’ and he said: ‘I’ll see you there’.”
Jack Chambers, you’re going out there a nobody, but you’re coming back in here a star! (Bonus points to the Defamer Australia reader who can spotto that quote.)
And what did we all think of the Dance finale? It started brilliantly; the Matt Lee-choreographed opening number was great, and having all the judges dance was inspired (hello, high-kicking Bonnie!). Tap Dogs for once didn’t make us psychotic with rage, and Khaly’s robot-costumed “futuristic hip hop” routine was stupid/fun, too.
But then, WTF, the “greatest hits” performances (i.e. “your favourite” couples’ routines from the season) were, no jokes, the worst of the series. We knew the selections were a little off when they chose that Marko and Stephanie jive (the Veronicas/1976 punk one) and were just about projectile vomiting when they got the worst performance of all – Rhiannon and JD’s botched tango – back for a second chance draw. Fortunately our television set was just saved from getting a brick through it by an encore of Jason Gilkison’s brilliant African samba for Henry and Vanessa.
Jack and Rhys’ vaguely West Side Story-esque routine pulled it all together at the end (and made us feel a bit funny in the pants), and then The Bass confirmed the franchise would be back for round two next year, so here’s hoping all the stuff-ups, dodgy “corrie” and lacklustre atmosphere will have been gotten out of the way and 2009 will go straight to 11.
And next year? No more advertorial from Nacho Pop, please. Just stick to dancing like a robot and stop showing us your wicked fresh Sony Handycam. More » 
Investigating The Miley Cyrus ‘Topless’ Photo Scandal: Career-Ender Or Standard Starlet Move?
9:30AM Molly Friedman | Vanity Fair has done it again. In their upcoming issue, famed photographer Annie Leibovitz shot a controversial photo spread featuring Billion Dollar Girl Miley Cyrus, prompting public outrage from the Christian Coalition, Disney and, naturally, the ladies of The View. Leibovitz and VF are being accused of crossing the line between art and pedophilia by shooting Cyrus in what some are calling “topless” photos (shown after the jump). Before the issue has even hit newsstands, Miley has apologised to her fans and Disney, concerned that the spread could affect the Hannah Montana cash cow. But this isn’t the first time VF has hired one of their star photographers to use her lens in an effort to reinvent the images of underage starlets by featuring them in a slightly more provocative and mature light… More »
Two-Thousand-And-Great Gets Even Greater For Channel Nine
9:16AM Clem Bastow | At this point in time there’s almost no point reminding you what a shit year Channel Nine has had so far – between the bonings, cancellings, court orders, legal disputes, anonymous scandal rags and Eddie McGuire, it’s as close to an annus horribilis as one gets without involving the royals.
Well, things just keep getting better – not one but two of their new flagship shows are being booted out of their time-slots, no doubt in order to give them a dignified death out of the glare of prime time.
My Kid’s A Star has been all but dumped, with the remaining episodes to be shown at midday on Saturday, instead of at 8pm on Wednesdays.
Meanwhile new drama Canal Road has been shifted back an hour from 9.30pm on Wednesday to make way for Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen.
Canal Road premiered on April 16, drawing 1.09 million viewers, but that fell last week to 811,000.
My Kid’s A Star, featuring young performers and their stage parents, has failed to rate since premiering with just 878,000 viewers earlier this month.
The network on Monday said remaining episodes had been shifted, with the final to air on Saturday May 17.
“The last three episodes will screen Saturdays at midday from this week,” a Nine spokeswoman told AAP.
So, for those of you who are keeping score, that’s two ‘local content’ comedies and dramas, and one big-ticket reality/talent show down the gurgler, and we’re not even halfway through the year.
At this rate, all Nine has left in the Aus-made basket is more “observational reality” programming (i.e. where they gaffa tape pens into the hands of critically ill in-patients so they can sign their release forms before having a leg removed, etc), Fire 000 and Search And Rescue. More » 
The Countdown To Dean Geyer’s Becoming A Man Starts… Now!
9:10AM Clem Bastow | Happy news – or sad news, if you’re approximately 13-years-old – from the teen pop fraternity: Lisa “The Veronicas” Origliasso and Dean “Still A Virgin” Geyer have announced their engagement!
Evidently Lisa was tired of taking out stocks in AA batteries the couple are very much in love and despite having put the kybosh on marriage talk only months ago, have decided to take a long walk up a short aisle.
“Dean Geyer and Lisa Origliasso, together with their families, are delighted to announce they are engaged,” the statement said.
“The couple have been together since April 2007 and are thrilled to share their news.”
Origliasso, 23, and Geyer, 22, met at the ARIA Awards in 2006, when The Veronicas won the best pop release for their debut album The Secret Life Of…
Aww, bless their tiny little hearts. Will Geyer do a backflip in the church after the ceremony? Will sister Jess have to cover up her powerful tatts? Will there be mass hara kiri amongst the Dolly readership? Will the marriage last?
Only time will tell! More » 
Photo Taken At Cruise Compound Shows Oprah Looking Afraid But Unharmed
9:05AM Seth | Pictured, Harpo Productions released the first promotional image from Oprah Winfrey’s much-publicised, two-part interview with Tom Cruise. Shot near the actor’s vacation home in Telluride, it shows the two superstars riding a V.I.P. chairlift to the top of Cruise’s private peak. (Oprah expressed concern that the only thing supporting her was a “thin metal bar,” at which point Cruise wrapped an arm firmly around the talk show host and whispered, “Don’t you worry. I got you. I got you tight.” That in turn elicited an inexplicable laughing fit from Cruise, leading Winfrey, now afraid for her life, to reluctantly join in.) Three-quarters of the way up Mt. Hubbard, Cruise signalled to the operator, and the lift came to an abrupt stop; the Valkyrie star then eased himself onto his feet, and, a stunned Winfrey looking on, proceeded to take several flying leaps off the seat, pumping his fist into the frigid Colorado air as he shouted, “This is how I still feel about Kate, Oprah! I’m jumping 2400 feet high! That’s how in love with this girl, the mother of my child and wife, now and forever, I truly am!” The first part of the special airs May 2. Oprah’s Two-fer With Tom [AccessHollywood.com] More »
