Media Whore D'Oevres



"So, About That Andy Samberg Dating Joanna Newsom Rumor... It's true true true! Let's just say, we have our sources..." (Papermag)

"Last night I had my one night out experiencing the craziness that is Main Street in Park City. The entire slushy street was filled with people -- think Times Square at rush hour -- lining up outside of various parties. As my group approached the after-party sponsored by Hypnotiq for Be Kind Rewind, directed by Michel Gondry and starring Jack Black, a mob scene broke out on the sidewalk a few doors down. Who could it be? Hysteria grew, camera phones flashed. The answer? Ms. Paris Hilton. 'I saw your tape, Paris!' one hopeful youngster cried out. The party for Be Kind Rewind, drew a good-looking, mostly LA-type crowd. We can't help but wonder -- who are these girls that can brave these temperatures with short skirts and no tights? ... Elsewhere, apparently, 50 Cent played a set and rumors continue of a secret U2 show." (Observer)

"After a huge buildup about the commercial prospects of this year’s Sundance — where they said the writers’ strike and ambient private money could fuel a frenzy of acquisitions — buyers have their hands jammed deep into their coats, responding to both the cold snap and the fear that they will spend too much on movies that deliver too little ... Main Street, of course, plays host to a few other activities besides movies. Every night there are frantic scrums in front of all manner of privatized nightlife options, with hierarchies of both need and power calculated by the minute. People in headsets examine hopefuls for credentials, wristbands, status or appearance, then decide whether they merit entrance to the warm and magical places within. Which were plenty warm in the main, though rarely magical: rooms full of absently good-looking young people who seemed more interested in an incoming text than the people around them. Those who fought their way in soon found themselves fighting equally hard to get out." (NYTimes)

"Since invading the then-independent Tibet in 1950, Beijing has ensured tight military and political control over the strategically important area. Struggling against this control has been the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists and last independent political leader of Tibet, the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, who was 15 when China invaded and in his early twenties when he fled the region to India in 1959. Now 72 years old, he and his Tibetan government-in-exile are concerned that his death and reincarnation (the present Dalai Lama is believed by Tibetan Buddhists to be the latest in an unbroken lineage of incarnations) will eliminate the possibility of political accommodation with China, given the Dalai Lama's role as the symbolic focus of the Tibetan issue. For its part, Beijing similarly believes the Dalai Lama's demise will remove a figure of symbolic force and sap the movement of much of its international resonance. It is therefore seeking to, and believes it can, manage the Dalai Lama's death with alacrity and prevent any deterioration in security." (Janes)

"Everyone knew There Would Be Blood and there would be Daniel Day-Lewis for Best Actor but no one could anticipate that there would be so many surprises! First, Keira Knightley (Atonement) and Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart) were both shut out of the Best Actress race while Ellen Page scored a nod for her brilliant performance in Juno — seriously, see this movie! ... Rounding out the Best Actress race is Cate Blanchett for the blah Elizabeth: The Golden Age (she was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the far superior I'm Not There), Marion Cotillard for La Vie En Rose, Laura Linney for The Savages and inevitable winner Julie Christie for Away From Her." (PageSix)