Tuesday, November 18, 2008
3 Reasons Why ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is Guaranteed a Best Picture Oscar Nod
7:02PM STV | If or when the U.S. Treasury stumbles too badly to stop America’s slide into recession, we’ll always have Fox Searchlight to bail us out. The mini-major had another specialty smash last weekend with Slumdog Millionaire, the Mumbai-based genre-bender whose $35,043 per-screen average was the fourth best of any film this year, trailing The Dark Knight by less than $US1,300 per location. And if a quick scan of the Searchlight record tells us anything, the numbers will continue to astound — and they portend even better things for the Oscar race. More »
Sacha Baron Cohen Apparently Unaware of Dutch ‘Borat’ Spin-Off Premiering Next Week
6:40PM STV | An ad currently running on Variety is promoting something called Carmen Meets Borat, a documentary about a Romanian girl whose life is thrown into upheaval when Sacha Baron Cohen and co. substitute her village for the title character’s Kazakh hometown in Borat. We use the term “promoting” loosely, however, unless you consider “inviting a lawsuit by alerting Cohen to your existence” is promoting: More »
Jail-Induced Sobriety a Quaint Lark, Says Kiefer Sutherland
6:11PM Kyle Buchanan | Now that our Kiefer is free as a bird and more velvet-voiced than ever, he’s opening up about the seven-week jail stint that made shower soap negotiation almost as perilous as saving the free world. Speaking to Men’s Vogue, he details the jail’s living conditions (bad, but at least it wasn’t the plebeian hellhole inflicted upon Raffaello Follieri) and the cerebral, mercifully short-lived experience that was his sobriety: More »
Sami Lukis Will Be Presenting Breakfast Radio In Sydney Next Year
1:39PM Jess McGuire | The death of Triple M breakfast show The Shebang means that the folks in power over at Austereo have had to put their heads together and come up with an ideal on air team to win over listeners in Sydney.
The result?
Well, Sydneysiders – this hasn’t been confirmed by Austereo, but how would you feel about Sami Lukis teaming up with Ugly Phil O’Neill? Is that combination tickling your earlobes in a pleasurable way?
Channel 9 weathergal Sami Lukis is leaving Brisbane for a new gig on Sydney’s Triple M’s breakfast show, alongside comedian Ugly Phil O’Neil.
More » George W. Bush Snubs Kevin Rudd
12:48PM Jess McGuire | Poor Kevin Rudd. It appears he’s still in the bad books with President Bush, who was apparently displeased to learn that our Prime Minister busying himself with sharing details of their phone conversations with the press. How displeased? Oh, displeased enough to deliver the ultimate Screw You to our fearless leader – he’s not included Kevin’s mug in an online photo album!
Wait, what?
It is the ultimate souvenir gift from Washington to a leader at a global summit – your own grip-and-grin pic with the US President. The White House then adds an extra ego-stroking touch by putting the picture on its website so the world can see your familiarity with power. But not for Kevin Rudd.
More » It’s Time To Vote For The EG Awards!
11:35AM Jess McGuire | Is it that time of year again? Goodness me, it appears it is. The Age has opened voting for this year’s EG Awards, and many of Defamer Australia’s favourites (including The Drones and Lilith Lane) are up for awards. Hurrah, etc!
You can vote by heading here.
The awards will be handed out on the 4th December and I plan on being at the ceremony. You should try and get there too. Two years ago, the surprise act at the end of the night was BONNIE TYLER!!!!! And she sang Total Eclipse Of The Heart!!!! AND IT WAS THE BEST NIGHT EVER!!!!! So I hope to god organisers have a similarly awesome ace up their sleeve planned for this year’s line up of live performers.
Note: As opposed to what happened at this year’s ARIAs, it’d be nice if someone other than Gabriella Cilmi won something. Consider that while you’re voting – if only for the sake of the speeches. More » 
The British Press Are Highly Supportive Of Britney’s Makeover
10:44AM Jess McGuire | The following quote to lure readers of the Daily Mail to an article about Britney Spears’ new look made me laugh – out loud – quite a bit.
What a charming summary – the transformation from zitty baldie is complete!
The article itself contains a whole lot of images leaked from the Britney camp. I’m not sure who leaked them, or why anyone thought to take a series of photographs where Britney resembles a grown up Jon-Benet, but you don’t come here for facts, do you?
MORE: Airbrushed Britney Spears reveals more spotless (and slightly out of focus) images ahead of album launch More » 
Natalie Imbruglia Has Scored – But With Who?
10:06AM Jess McGuire | Great news for Natalie Imbruglia, who must be sick of hearing about how devoted former husband Daniel Johns is to his new skinny model girlfriend Louise van de Vorst – the singer (does she still sing? It’s hard to keep up…) apparently has a new love interest.
Who is it? Well, that depends on which publication you’re choosing to read. If you’re partial to the Herald Sun, then you won’t consider Nat’s love interest to be exactly new. After all, rumours of a David Walliams dalliance have been floating around for a while.
Aussie singer Natalie Imbruglia has again been spied on a romantic night out with Little Britain star David Walliams. Imbruglia watched Walliams perform in the play No Man’s Land, before the pair enjoyed an intimate dinner for two at the Nobu restaurant in London and finished the night at trendy nightclub Movida.
It’s not the first time they’ve been seen out together.
Sounds to me like they’re practically married! Unless…
What’s this, Daily Mail? Natalie Imbruglia was spotted pashing a member of the Black Eyed Peas? More » 
Amy Winehouse Lashes Out At Dannii ‘Always Standing’ Minogue
8:48AM Jess McGuire | When Dannii Minogue joined UK talent show The X Factor as a judge last year, the British press went wild over rumours that original judge Sharon Osbourne was frothing at the mouth with jealousy over the appearance of a younger, sexier woman on the program.
Sharon ended up leaving the program, and was replaced this year by Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole – and quelle surprise, the tabloids began speculating that Dannii was frothing at the mouth with jealousy over the appearance of a younger, sexier woman on the program!
Throughout this year, there have been numerous articles pitting Dannii against Cheryl in a fight for hearts, and given that Cheryl is younger, very attractive, married (although not 100% happily!), and happens to have a very successful music career, it can’t have been too pleasant an experience for Dannii.
It’s about to get worse. Guess who has decided to announce whose side they’re on when it comes to the Dannii/Cheryl rivalry? Why, ladies and gentlemen… please welcome fresh-faced pop singer Amy Winehouse! More » 