A Little of the Old In and Out



(image via angelia-jolie-hot-pictures.com)

In: Angelina Jolie. Everything Angelina Jolie does careerwise and existentially ups the ante for actresses everywhere. Napoleonic are her moves; although, of course, she makes them appear effortless. With the exception of Sigourney Weaver, Jolie has become the first bankable woman action franchise player in Hollywood. Then, taking a cue from celeb-humanitarian Audrey Hepburn, she cashed in on her stardom to aid the United Nations. Now, Jolie is leasing out her astonishingly sexy image for an actual stake in a multi-million a year company. To which we say: You go, girl (Two snaps and a slow, lascivious neck roll). This, according to British Vogue:

"ANGELINA JOLIE is set to break all celebrity-turned-model records when it is announced later today that she is the new face of California-based label St John. The 30-year-old actress is expected to sign a contract for up to $12 million for a multiyear agreement which will also see her take on a stake in the company and a seat on its board. She may also receive a percentage of revenues, which came to $395.6 million last year. The 43-year-old company, which was founded by Marie and Bob Gray and her husband in 1962, announced in June that it was planning a revival. Shortly afterwards, the founders' daughter Kelly was replaced as the face of the label by Gisele Bundchen who was photographed for the autumn/winter 2005-6 ads by Mario Testino. By July, both Marie and Kelly, who doubled as creative director of the house, had left the company, though the Gray family continue to own a part-stake having sold 83 per cent to Vestar Capital in 1999 for $520 million. Jolie's contract is expected to raise the stakes of actresses appearing in advertising campaigns."

Out: Fashion Week Stalkers. First: there was that "ALT Drama (tm)" that the excellent Chris Wilson rschooled us about earlier in the week involving designer Malcolm Harris who threatened, "to stage a protest outside Talley's place of worship, the Abyssinian Baptist Church." Now, this, from-- sotto voce -- the Beeb:

"Sir Paul McCartney's wife Heather has visited the New York office of Jennifer Lopez's fashion company Sweetface to protest against its use of fur.

"'I just want to raise awareness about the skinning alive of all the animals in China,' she told reporters.

"'The next stage is I'll find out where she lives and show up there.'"

It's just fashion, yo. Can everyone please just calm the fuck down?



(image via pdnonline)

In: ESPN. We like competition between cable channels; we doubly like competition between sports cable channels (How fucking "meta"; What, pray tell, is more competetive than sports?): it brings out the best, and the viewer is ultimately the winner. Remember what TV was like before 500 channels (Averted Gaze)? We too would like to forget. According to Medialifemagazine:

"With Comcast's OLN nipping at its heels, ESPN is making deals. Yesterday the network renewed its contract with Major League Baseball for a record $2.64 billion over eight years. OLN (formerly Outdoor Life Network) had reportedly been chasing an MLB contract weeks after reaching an NHL deal. George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN and ABC Sports, said that OLN wasn't a factor in baseball negotiations."

Riiight; sure, cupcakes (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment). Whether the contest is on the field or in the boardroom, though, it is always gracious and manly to at least aknowledge the competition. Still, good move.



(image via hello!magazine)

Out: Liz Hurley and Diddy. Yuck! One would have to search far and wide the ghettos of Portugal to find two more tastless people on the face of this earth. According to Hello!Magazine:

"'I've always had a thing for Liz,' (Diddy) has admitted. 'She oozes class and style.'"

You see, we always thought of Liz Hurley as being not unlike school on Saturday, as Fat Albert used to say: No class. And of Sean Jean he always struck us as being an "unsalted popcorn" sort of dude: No Taste.



(image via blockimages)

In:Cintia Dicker. Once, years ago, when we used to frequent the lower east side of New York, at the thoroughly skanky Mars Bar on 2nd Avenue, a broken man walked in an ordered a cold adult beverage. "What's the matter?" Tracy, the bartender, asked. "A coppertop," he said, bitterness and pain filling his voic as his eyes welled up with tears. "Never fall in love with a redhead." He didn't say another word for the rest of the night. According to USA Today's Live From Fashion Week:

"So much attention is paid to the celebrities and the clothes at Fashion Week that the models are often overlooked. Not so with Cintia Dicker. The red-haired 18-year-old walked in back-to-back shows tonight � Anna Sui and Vivienne Tam � each time drawing rave reviews from the crowd. After the Sui show, two audience members were overheard commenting on her unique beauty. At the Tam presentation, the crowd actually whistled as she walked the catwalk � a rare occurrence during shows where silence is golden."