Obama’s Three Screen Presidency

One hundred days is scarcely enough time to draw any firm conclusions about a new president’s capabilities. Even so, Barack Obama has garnered considerable respect for his media skills. Pundits have dubbed him the “new media president;” while some of the most cynical among them believe his underlying strategy is to end run traditional Washington gatekeepers by communicating more directly with constituents sympathetic to his agenda. But his fans and critics alike may be missing the bigger picture.

“As audiences continually fragment into smaller, self-defined groups, communicating with them will mean working across multiple platforms.”

It’s true Mr. Obama has readily embraced most things digital. Throughout much of his campaign, his unique online audience bested those of his opponents - Hillary Clinton during the primaries, and John McCain in the general election - sometimes two-to-one. His historic 26-word text message announcing Joe Biden as his running mate reached nearly three million U.S. mobile subscribers, and is considered the nation’s single largest mobile marketing event ever. And since taking the oath of office, he has continued to use the web to blog on vital issues and field questions from the public.

It should come as no surprise, however, that the president is taking full advantage of new technologies. Given the current state of the media, it would be more astonishing if he didn’t.

American consumers, like their counterparts around the world, have a seemingly insatiable appetite for information, from just about everywhere. Time spent with blogs and social networks, for example, is increasing globally at more than three times the rate of overall Internet growth, particularly among audiences 50 and older. Little wonder then that Mr. Obama is active on Facebook, MySpace, Flickr and Twitter.

Much has also been made about the president’s penchant for his Blackberry. Yet with the typical U.S. mobile subscriber now sending and receiving more text-based data than voice calls, the ability to “thumb” a message is critical to reaching certain sectors of the population.

Still, it is with video, the emerging lingua franca of the 21st century, that Mr. Obama has probably been most prolific. Americans today watch more video than ever before, primarily on three screens - television, the Internet and cell phones. But despite the growth of online and mobile media, more than 99 percent of screen time is still in front of the TV set in the home. Acknowledging this fact, the president has made ample use of the medium. [see: Video Viewing Up At WhiteHouse.gov]

Tonight, he will hold his third televised press conference, raising his monthly average above any other president since John F. Kennedy. Last month he appeared on both The Tonight Show and 60 Minutes, helping to drive up their ratings to the highest levels in four and 10 years respectively.

Consequently, President Obama has underscored two important facets of an ever-changing media landscape. First, as audiences continually fragment into smaller, self-defined groups, communicating with them will mean working across multiple platforms. Second, the process is not a zero sum game. At any given time, consumers tend to favor the best available screen, basing their decisions on factors such as convenience, availability of content and the quality of the viewing experience. Thus, new media alone will not be enough to successfully reach all constituencies.

Regardless, Barack Obama will increasingly turn to new and emerging media technologies, as will the rest of the nation. Yet he is hardly the only president to do so. Some 67 years ago, Franklin Roosevelt became the “radio president,” as people began listening to radio to help carry them through the Great Depression. For his part, JFK initiated live, televised news conferences.

Back then as now, neither was the first to use their respective medium, though each was the first to truly master it. Like President Obama today, each was also able, to some degree, to bypass mainstream filters and talk more directly to the public. Since the invention of movable type, that has historically been one of the key advantages of any new medium. What is more, it is not likely to change.

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Listen to the Big-Oil CEO on climate change

This anti-Big-Oil spot from environmental group Avaaz.org pushes all the right buttons and succeeds by being rather restrained and good-natured where others would go too far with the name-calling and hyperbole. The guy in the faux-oil-company commercial really does look like a smooth-talkin' corporate CEO as he reminisces about the good old days before the economic meltdown, when politicians followed the oil companies' lead and "we bought bigger and bigger corporate jets." Yet, he never seems crass and comes across as more self-serving than outright evil. He's a villain you can almost love, just like that real-life Sprint CEO who's been in his company's ads. Kidding. Consider: We should probably root for Mr. Phony Exec and his cronies to get their Learjets out of storage soon. When they do, that'll mean the recession's passed and we'll all be better off.
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WongDoody improves penguins for zoo ads

"We took a very simple, recognizable element, the penguin, and made it artful and unexpected. It's eye-catching for adults and children." So says WongDoody chairman and executive creative director Tracy Wong of his agency's "More colorful than ever" ads for an upcoming penguin exhibit at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo. Visually, the ads are imaginative and appealing, and perhaps they even evoke the sense of childlike wonder the shop says it was striving for. Still, they imply the birds' familiar monochrome color scheme wasn't quite up to snuff. And parents could be in for a long day at the zoo trying to explain that no matter what the posters suggest, penguins don't come in paisley. Except maybe in the gift shop.

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The more musical way to order at Taco Bell

Rhett & Link, the musical comedy duo who worked on the Red House Furniture commercial below, have brought their Flight of the Conchords vibe to various other projects for brands like Alka-Seltzer, Baby Ruth, Starburst, Hummer and Cadillac. Above is their Taco Bell drive-thru song. The guys say they are "actively seeking to partner with agencies and brands to create high-quality branded content." Go here for more.
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Top 10 Cartoon Songs

10. The Uncle Song
South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999)

This unprintable piece of filth, from a film that one Christian website called "sinematic cyanide", can be defended on one ground alone - it's as funny as hell. South Park comedians Terrance and Phillip ("Well, what do you expect, they're Canadian!") celebrate sex-crimes, sung to an arpeggio of bottom-burps. Other musical peaks include "Kyle's Mom's A Big Fat Bitch"; Satan's power-ballad "Up There"; and the barking mad "La Resistance", which crashes South Park head-on into Les Misérables.


9. All Together Now
Yellow Submarine (1968)

Ths Lennon-McCarteney number slips perfectly into the cartoon for which it was recorded. Like the title Yellow Submarine song, it's an innocent-sounding kids' rhyme, but with that mischievously suspect lyric, "Black, white, green, red/Can I take my friend to bed?" It's used when the Fab Four first embark on their voyage to defeat the obnoxious Blue Meanies, sailing through a DayGlo ocean that would have freaked out little Nemo. Pom-pom-pom...

8. Bright Eyes
Watership Down (1978)

Blame Terry Wogan for this one. Art Garfunkel himself disliked Bright Eyes, which he recorded for the rabbit-quest epic. It was up to the film's writer-producer-director, Martin Rosen, to take the record to Wogan's radio show and make it a hit. The song has a low-key presence in the film, drifting in and out of rabbit Fiver's haunting search for his friend Hazel. In the Wallace & Gromit film The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit, bunny-hunting Gromit accidentally tunes into the song, glowers in annoyance and clicks it straight off again.

7. Belle
Beauty And The Beast (1991)

Fairy tale meets operetta in an exquisitely staged opening number from composer Alan Menken and the late songwriter Howard Ashman. The duo adopt a vibrant tone to set up the titular heroine and her provincial world, while Paige O'Hara's strong singing marks a feistier kind of Disney heroine for the 1990s.

6. This Is Halloween
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

There aren't many cartoon songs that Marilyn Manson would cover. Danny Elfman's exuberant introduction to Burton land, though, is the exception. Like Elfman's iconic Simpsons theme, it's fun but almost intimidating, making you sit up from the first half-rhyme. Like the film's stop-motion, the song is spindly and unsettling - even before the denizens of Halloween Town creep from the shadows and Jack Skellington sets himself joyously alight.

5. Princess Mononoke
Princess Mononoke (1997)

The English cover of this song, on the dubbed version of Miyazaki's anime epic, is sung prettily by Sasha Lazard. You have to switch to the Japanese soundtrack for the sublime original, sung in a spine-tingling counter-tenor by Yoshikazu Mera. And yes, he's a bloke! The song plays during the hero Ashitaka's encounter with a mighty wolf-goddess, voiced by 'female impersonator' Akihiro Miwa. The music is by Miyazaki's long-term collaborator, Joe Hisaishi.

4. When She Loved Me
Toy Story 2 (1999)

Jessie, a cowgirl doll, sings forlornly of her abandonment by the little girl who outgrew her. Over to Tom Hanks, the voice of cowboy doll Woody. In the feature-length documentary The Pixar Story, Hanks remembers watching the completed Toy Story 2. "Tim Allen (the voice of Buzz Lightyear) and I watched it together, and we had an understanding of everything that goes on... But then when Jessie's song came up, we were just 40 year-old men crying our eyes out over this abandoned doll." Sarah McLachlan provided the vocals.

....really?

3. Belleville Rendez-Vous
Belleville Rendez-Vous (2003)

Disney micked France's Maurice Chevalier to sing the title song for the 1970 'toon The Aristocats, later resurrecting him as a candlestick in Beauty And The Beast. France sent a jazzy Gallic rejoinder in the shape of Belleville Rendez-Vous, with its extraordinary soundtrack by a Canadian, Benoît Charest. The title song is animated as a homage to Disney's vintage cartoon rivals, such as Tex Avery and the Fleischer brothers. There are toony caricatures of jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, sexy dancer Josephine Baker (with trademark bananas) and Fred Astaire, but no-one can beat the beat.

2. The Bare Necessitites
The Jungle Book (1967)

The loosest, breeziest, most fun cartoon song ever, The Bare Necessities is the odd tune out in The Jungle Book. While the other songs were written by Walt's favoured composers, the Sherman Brothers, The Bare Necessities was left over from a treatment by Terry Gilkyson. By one account, Walt wanted to scrap Gilkyson's work, but was begged to keep Baloo's song, sung by Phil Harris and animated by Disney legend Ollie Johnston, who died last year.

1. Heigh-Ho
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Frank Churchill, like his namesake, was a man for bleak times. He composed the Depression anthem Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?, then teamed with writer Larry Morey for the similarly stirring Heigh-Ho. The sight of that dwarf septet marching indomitably around the mountain is timelessly optimistic, although it's very much of a darkening era. After Pearl Harbour, it would be used to sell War Bonds.

Andrew Osmond explains his choices...
Cartoon characters have been singing their pencilled hearts out for nearly 80 years. Disney had an early mega-hit in 1933 with Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?, from its Silly Symphony short, The Three Little Pigs. A year earlier, the Fleischer Studios had turned jazz legend Cab Calloway into a phantom walrus singing Minnie The Moocher.

Disney is the king of cartoon musicals, but for this list we've cast our net wide to take in a mix of styles and tastes, ranging from the sublime to... well, South Park. As a result, we've left out many classics, including what many see as the Disney theme-tune, Pinocchio's When You Wish Upon A Star. Great as the song is, it lacks the beat of Baloo or the heft of Heigh-Ho.

Bambi's Little April Shower is another heinous Disney omission, while we've also passed over the end-title theme of Miyazaki's My Neighbour Totoro, as well as David Bowie's doom-laden warble, When The Wind Blows (from the cheery film about Blighty getting nuked).

Have cartoon songs a future? Many recent CG animations have shunned them as passé, though it's heartening that Pixar's WALL-E had humans being saved by a sentimental showtune. Disney's Enchanted extended the tradition, with its maddeningly catchy That's How You Know, but everything may hinge on its next hand-drawn musical, The Princess And The Frog, due in 2010...

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Howard Stern: We Must Make Gay Marriage Acceptable

Howard Stern issued a strong message of support for gay people on his show today, in only the way Howard can:

"My feeling about gay people is that we have a responsibility not only to make gay marriage acceptable and to make gays feel accepted as much as heterosexuals...Gay people are downtrodden They are beaten. They are abused for their sexuality, and it goes across race. In the white community and the black community gay people are the bastards of the world. And in order for things to change, because any one of you could have gay children, or gay relatives, or gay friends...we have a responsibility to make this acceptable, to get all this bullshit so that some gay kid going to high school doesn't get the shit beaten out of him just because he's gay...I'm as heterosexual as they come. What is this hang-up about gay marriage? Who cares? Get on with your life!"


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Paris Hilton planning trip to Africa

Paris Hilton will be announcing a trip to Africa, RadarOnline.com has learned.

She recently attended a summit on health and women's issues in Los Angeles with 15 first ladies from African nations. Paris told RadarOnline.com: "I met Sarah Brown, wife of British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and she is so inspirational and gracious. It was an honor for me to be there, and I want to help shine a light on the struggles that Africa faces."

Paris also spent time the First Lady of Cameroon, Chantal Biya and told RadarOnline.com: "The First Lady of Cameroon personally invited me to Cameroon and it's something I hope to make happen. It is a very important priority to me."

Paris is now Twitter buddies with Sarah Brown, and she has already talked to Biya since the event. Scott Lazerson of the Interface Foundation says, "The First Lady of Camaroon has invited the Interface Foundation to Cameroon to work on the Millennium Development goals. We have some exciting news to announce in the next two weeks."

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No Makeup For Natalie Portman

We're used to celebrities faces popping up on beauty campaigns all over the place, from Beyonce at L'Oreal and Scarlett Johansson for D&G but we'll never see Natalie Portman doing such a thing.

Natalie has revealed that she doesn't believe in endorsing products to make money, New York magazine reports.

The actress said: "I don't have a problem with making money, but I don't believe in doing something you don't believe in to make money.

"Like a makeup campaign or something like that - the opportunities that young actors have all the time."

It's refreshing to hear a celebrity speaking the truth instead of plugging something she has probably never used.

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Dita Von Teese on the cover of L’Officiel Middle East March 2009

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Prince Harry is coming to America

Prince Harry is to make his first official visit to the United States according to news reports. While there's been no confirmation from Clarence House sources say the 24-year-old is to spend several days in the country carrying out a series of charity engagements. It will be his first foreign tour in an official capacity.

One of the most popular members of the royal family, Harry has a huge fan base in America. Recent US visits by the Queen and Prince Philip stopped traffic, and a Stateside trip by the newly-single - and highly eligible - flame-haired royal is likely to prompt the kind of reception usually reserved for pop stars.

Currently training to become an attack helicopter pilot with the Army Air Corps in Lincolnshire, Harry will be given special leave for the visit. The driving force behind the trip is understood to be the chance to raise funds for Sentebale, the charity the soldier prince set up in memory of his late mother, Princess Diana, which cares for children in the African country of Lesotho.

While details of the tour are still being worked out, the Daily Mail reports Harry is expected to participate in a charity polo match in New York on May 30. Organisers of the event - one in a series to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Big Apple - have confirmed funds raised from the event will go to American Friends of Sentebale.

Also in the frame for the third-in-line to the throne are visits to several charity projects in New York plus a trip to Ground Zero to pay his respects to the victims of September 11.
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Novak Djokovic irresistible in Head.com ad

Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic, the world's third-ranked player behind Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, gets extremely loose in his first major outing for sports brand Head since the equipment and apparel company signed him in January. His nickname's Djoko, with a silent "D," and he's certainly more fun on camera than Federer, whose performance in that '70s-themed Gillette ad with Tiger Woods and Derek Jeter was as wooden as an antique racquet. In the Head spot, there's a cute set-up with Djoko going into the stands mid-point for some over-the-top flirtation with an attractive fan, and still having time to return his opponent's shot. The spot tries a bit too hard to be "outrageous" with nipple tassels and a recreation of a scene from Flashdance. Even so, it's extremely likable, and I didn't regret hanging in for the entire two minutes. If Head ever casts Anna Kournikova in a similar scenario, hopefully they'll keep the tassels.
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Bewitched by Twitter

The seemingly endless media and industry fawning over Twitter has led to the widespread debate over the merits of real-time search and the future of the search industry. Yes, Twitter is an amazing service that allows people to share their thoughts, however poignant, painful or pointless, about events as they happen. The hype, however, is reaching a fever pitch only exacerbated by Google acquisition rumors. With that in mind, it's time to try to determine exactly where this wonderful new medium belongs in the world of search.

It has been suggested that Google is looking to acquire Twitter because it views it as a threat. That line of thinking is completely insane because Google isn't going anywhere. The company is still the top dog in terms of financial stability, commitment to innovation and business strategy. Depending on what research firm you ask, Google owns roughly 80 percent of the search engine market and is still gobbling up market share. In terms of users, Twitter doesn't even match Facebook's potential as a rival. Twitter is simply not a threat to Google; in fact, the search giant could simply consume the Twitter API. The good news is that it probably won't because Twitter is a piece of the greater problem Google is looking to solve.

There's no question that the Web is getting crowded with content. The user-generated era is spawning such a huge amount of data that it's nearly impossible to find anything with traditional keyword-based search anymore. The ideal search should be personalized and capable of referencing search history, relevance, social bookmarking, micro-blogging and contextual relevance with each search. Google has been working on this semantic Web model for a while because it will theoretically allow search engines to tell you what you're looking for before you try to find it. As Twitter has created an online collective consciousness on virtually any topic, it makes sense that as Google labors toward its Web 3.0 ambition to organize all of the world's data it would be interested in this new data stream. Real-time search is the catalyst to this goal, a cultural paradigm shift, but data without context is useless, and this is where Google excels.

Searching real-time content in its current state finds millions of stream-of-consciousness rants and blurbs that are largely irrelevant in their raw data format. Though given the right context on the aggregated whole based on desired filters, it could provide real-time opinions, sentiment and behavioral data. If Google finds a way to track it back to the Web search, it could be one of the aspects that help the semantic prediction model.

As online utilities, tools and content are created daily, search must adapt as well. Many people seem to think that Twitter will become the de facto medium of the common voice. This isn't true. How does a 140-character opinion replace a full-length article on Wikipedia, a 30-second video spot, a corporate site or even financial or stock information? Humans interact with different channels because of varied contextual factors; relying on Twitter as the be-all and end-all simply isn't realistic.

Twitter is a single service, not the final piece of the puzzle for Google as an increasing number of companies publish real-time, user-generated content. A comprehensive real-time search engine would need to monitor a host of user-generated content from sites including Twitter, FriendFeed, Plaxo, Loopt, Brightkite, Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace as a baseline. There are companies already doing this, but it's still data with no context for the most part. These companies are currently charging for their services, but it's only a matter of time until someone like Google taps into this and makes it available for free.

Another fact that has flown under the radar is that Google has technically already entered the micro-blogging space via Latitude. The service combines geographic data with micro-blogging and taps into the company's existing g-mail and Android platform user base as well as its deal with Apple's iPhone. More than anything, this shows Google understands that context is king and will be the future of search.

Initiatives like micro-blogging, mobile and social media are helping companies get closer to the user experience to provide users with information when they need it most. Innovation is the key to success and whoever figures out how to combine social data with contextual information will have an opportunity to fundamentally alter the search engine landscape.

As Twitter's growth explodes, speculation has intensified about whether the service can be profitable. Twitter's online traffic, excluding cell phones, surged to nearly 9.8 million unique visitors in February from 6.1 million in January, according to comScore.

In pursuit of revenue, Twitter faces the same challenge that has dogged social-networking platforms like Facebook. If advertisers can tap into its network free of charge, why would they pay the company to do so?

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone said the San Francisco startup is watching the outside initiatives closely as it prepares to launch its own fee-based services this year, but doesn't view them as competition. "We want to work with those companies that are already making an effort," he said. Stone said Twitter recently hired a product manager to oversee the development of commercial accounts. The accounts would offer users more features in exchange for a fee, but Stone said Twitter hasn't set a launch date, according to the wsj.com.

Two groups of people use Twitter's search API: personal and commercial. Personal users employ it for fun, low hits, personal Web sites, little mashups that don't make money. Commercial users try to monetize it, like those mashups that will charge for fee-based services, or listening platforms that monitor brands, sentiment and behavior on a mass scale. These companies would be happy to pay for the API use. Isn't that simple? I'm sure they'll figure it out.

by Rob Gonda
Rob Gonda is director of digital strategy at Sapient.
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Camilla Belle on Elle Italy

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Juliette Lewis: 'My new album is like heaven in a vat of lava'

Juliette Lewis has described her new album as "heaven in a vat of lava that’s about to explode" and says the album is an attempt to "pour her sonic soul out" on record.

“I feel like this record came out of contrast of emotions” the actress-musician told NME.COM. “Disillusionment, joy and pain, the contrast of sound… heaven and earth, really groovy big bottom bass and drums and then very atmospheric mercurial guitars. I was trying to get my sonic soul poured out on record. It’s like heaven in a vat of lava that’s about to explode.”

Lewis worked on the record, entitled ‘Terra Incognita’ with Omar Rodriguez Lopez of The Mars Volta sand says that the pair instantly agreed on how they both wanted the album to sound.

“He has a different groove for rock and roll, he makes you want to make your hips move from left to right rather than bob your head straight up and down,” she says.

Lewis, who will tour with a new band called The New Romantiques, says that she disbanded former band The Licks in order to get closer to her own musical journey.

“I was changing my sound so drastically and what I wanted to do with songs, that I had to discover that in my own self as a musician. It was the first time I discovered a sound with a producer on record and then put a band together after the fact. To get purer to my own musical journey I had to shed everything that I knew before.”

She says that she will incorporate her favourite Licks material into the live show, and that she is prepared for some negative reaction to her new sound.

“I pick the best of the Licks stuff, some of its more simple, some songs I’ll reinvent,” she says “Not everybody is going to like every song every record, every outfit. This is part of the journey, what am I going to do? Play it safe now? I’m just following my inner tornado."

‘Terra Incognita’ comes out later this spring.

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Oklahoma not a fan of The Flaming Lips

Oklahoma lawmakers who voted against making a Flaming Lips tune the official state rock song represent a minority of "small-minded religious wackos," the band's lead singer says.

Most state House members voted for a resolution recognizing 2002's "Do You Realize??," but conservatives who said they were offended by the band's clothing and language mustered enough votes to keep it from being adopted.

"Me, I just say look, it's a little minority of some small-minded religious wackos who think they can tell people what kind of T-shirts and what kind of music they can listen to, and the smart, rational, reasonable people of Oklahoma are never going to buy into that," frontman Wayne Coyne told Tulsa World in an interview Friday.

Gov. Brad Henry resolved the issue by announcing he would sign an executive order proclaiming "Do You Realize??" the official rock song of Oklahoma. The song earned more than half of the 21,000 votes cast in an online contest.

The Grammy-winning group, formed in Norman in 1983, is known for its psychedelic rock and lyrics.

Rep. Corey Holland, R-Marlow, was offended when band member Michael Ivins wore a red T-shirt with a yellow hammer-and-sickle emblem, a traditional symbol of the Communist Party, during a visit to the Capitol last month.

"The great thing about this country is he has the right to make whatever statement he wants to make," Holland said. "I have the right to be offended by that."

The shirt was a Christmas present to Ivins from Coyne's wife, and he wore it to a rehearsal earlier that day, said Coyne, who was offended by Holland's implication that the band is un-American.

Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, also denounced Coyne for using an expletive at an event.

Despite the criticism, Coyne said he always expected state residents to stand up for their native sons.

"People would have a reason to really fight for us and say, `No, this isn't what Oklahoma is all about,'" Coyne said. "And I think the governor is very cool, how he's come to our rescue."

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Franz Ferdinand guitarist Nick McCarthy injury

Franz Ferdinand guitarist Nick McCarthy has been forced to walk on crutches after injuring his foot mid-way through the band's US tour.

A video posted on the blog section of the Scottish band's official website shows McCarthy hobbling around the Colorado countryside.

Set to the music of 'Time To Say Goodbye' by classical singers Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, the clip sees McCarthy struggling to negotiate the local woodland using his crutches, and walking along the highway on his own before cooling his swollen foot in a nearby river.

Writing on the site's Franz Ferdinand blog, McCarthy explained the extent of his injury.

"I've bust my foot and it's driving me insane but the shows are brilliant," he wrote. "[I'm] sitting around all day with my foot over my heart, to get the swelling down they tell me. I had to get out..."

In the video's description McCarthy states that he is trying holistic therapy ("Kneipp Kur") to try and speed up the recovery process.

"This is the old Austrian tradition of the Kneipp Kur, which I learned back in my childhood in the Bavarian alps," he explained. "Who'd have known it would ever come in handy?"

McCarthy is currently playing Franz Ferdinand gigs sitting down.

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Tara Reid wants to do Dancing with the Stars

Reformed party girl Tara Reid is so desperate for a career comeback that she has been ringing producers of Dancing With The Stars with an offer to do the ABC ballroom reality series for free.

Over the years, the often-unemployed actress has consistently lobbied producers to let her do the show, but they’ve turned her down each year. Now that she’s apparently clean and sober after a stint in rehab late last year, Tara she feels that DWTS is her best chance to promote herself.

“Tara wants a comeback. She’s willing to forego a paycheque for publicity.”

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Dyke Woods blogs about Danity Kane, remains an irrelevant bitch while doing so

Friends, romans, country men, play cousins, and all my single ladies...lend

me your ears! I've learned that many of you may be disappointed and even
upset by the recent course of events with my departure from Danity Kane; I
am as well. However, the evil that men do lives beyond them, the good is
often forgotten, and how quickly we forget how this whole thing started. You
may want to know what happened to bring us to this point, you wonder if it
was real and when the punch line will roll in. You are searching for answers
and closure.

I am truly sorry for the disappointment and even more sorry to
tell you that you will never find the answers or what's real, while watching
"reality" tv. The concoction of lies, truth, and entertainment has been the
main course on the menu you've been eating for quite some time my friends.
However, I am confident that the truth will "come out" when the sh*t hits
the fan, literally!

When that great day comes you can come find me. Uninspired and
malnutritioned as you may be from the mediocracy...you can find me. I'll be
by myself, standing on a bare stage ready to light a fire in the hearts and
minds of you all. No well oiled machine to crank out thoughts, feelings and
images for you to consume, it will be just me. And we will feed off
each other to create a new movement of what we want to see on stage and on
screen. I hope you will continue to support me and that I will see you once
I emerge from the constraints of the smoke and mirrors.

The revolution will not be televised...that b*tch went digital! Man against
the machine.

Ya girl D.woods

Sauce

Vanessa Dell

MySpace Names Van Natta CEO

Former top Facebook executive Owen Van Natta has been named CEO of MySpace.

The 39-year-old Van Natta, who was most recently CEO of the online music company Playlist, replaces MySpace co-founder and CEO Chris DeWolfe.

DeWolfe this week said he was stepping down as part of a management shakeup initiated by Jonathan Miller -- News Corp.’s recently installed CEO of digital media/chief digital officer.

At Facebook, Van Natta originally served as COO starting in 2005 and then as chief revenue officer and vp of operations until early 2008. During that stretch, Facebook enjoyed meteoric growth while gradually building out its advertising business. Van Natta is credited with helping to steer Microsoft’s $240 million '07 investment in Facebook, which resulted in the company’s massive $15 billion valuation at the time.

Van Natta, who also has logged time at Amazon.com, will report to Miller. He’ll be tasked with improving MySpace’s monetization prospects while recapturing the company’s buzz, which has been stolen in recent years by Facebook and, more recently, Twitter.

“Owen combines a deep understanding of social networking, a keen business sense and the operational experience to guide MySpace through its next phase of growth,” said Miller. “I’m confident his leadership will be an invaluable asset.”

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Dove finding real beauty on Upper East Side

While you might not immediately make the connection between Gossip Girl's uproariously shallow beauties and Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty, Dove will illuminate everything this coming Monday, April 27, with the launch a series of documercials about four real girls whose lives and posh outfits mirror those of GG's privileged characters. Check the trailer above—it's just like the Real Housewives, but aimed at teens. The clips will air exclusively during Gossip Girl and online, where you can also catch the girls' blogs. In typical Dove brand fashion, all four girls appear scrubbed clean of makeup, but for some unspecified reason, the particular product they're pushing is Go Fresh Body Wash in Burst, which I can only assume helps you burst onto the scene smelling like nectarines. According to the press release, I'm right. It helps girls "start their days with a burst of energy and inspiration." The connection to the product on the Web site is tenuous at best, and seems to boil down to a peachy color scheme. I'm not entirely sure why they picked a single product at all. But who cares? Free gossipy content masquerading as a Dove commercial, I dig. Via Y Pulse.
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Fake-drug-warning advert shows man coughing up rat

Well, here's a pretty damn gross ad. This Pfizer advisory from the U.K., which we won't spoil for you, warns consumers against buying unregulated medicine on the Internet. It got 64 complaints from viewers, most of whom found it unduly distressing and offensive. Pfizer responded by saying the ad was inspired by a woman who died in 2006 from taking medicine contaminated with rat poison. That was good enough for the U.K.'s Ad Standards Authority, which dismissed the complaints. Frankly, the only thing that troubles me about the ad is the mixed message therein. Without taking those pills, who knows how long that thing would have been stuck in the poor guy's esophagus?
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David Slade To Direct 'Eclipse'

Summit Entertainment announced today that David Slade has been hired to direct THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE from a screenplay written by Melissa Rosenberg. THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE, the third film in the studio’s TWILIGHT film franchise based on the Stephenie Meyer’s blockbuster book series, will be released theatrically in North America on Wednesday, June 30, 2010. The announcement was made by Erik Feig, Summit’s President of Production.

Meyer stated, “I am thrilled that David Slade will be directing ECLIPSE. He's a visionary filmmaker who has so much to offer this franchise. From the beginning, we've been blessed with wonderful directorial talent for the Twilight Saga, and I'm so happy that ECLIPSE will be carrying on with that tradition.”

Feig said, “Stephenie Meyer's ECLIPSE is a muscular, rich, vivid book and we at Summit looked long and hard for a director who could do it justice. We believe we have found that talent in David Slade, a director who has been able to create complex, visually arresting worlds. We cannot wait to see the ECLIPSE he brings to life and brings to the fans eagerly awaiting its arrival in summer of 2010.”

Filmmaker Slade came to prominence as a director for his work on 2006’s engrossing film HARD CANDY starring Academy Award® Nominated actress Ellen Page as well as directing 2007’s genre hit 30 DAYS OF NIGHT which opened to number one at the box office its first weekend of release.

Nikki Finke

Susan Boyle Joked About Never Being Kissed

The 47-year-old spinster told viewers of the U.K. TV talent show that she lived alone, had a cat called Pebbles, and had "never been kissed."

But it wasn't true.

Boyle, who has competed in countless talent shows, used the line to curry favor with the audience. She told a TV interviewer from U.K. breakfast show GMTV, "That was made as a joke! Never been kissed? I've never stopped."

The blogosphere has lit up at the news.

"Angel or crazy for publicity? You decide," was how fan site CafeArjun.com responded. "I'm forced to believe it was all a planned show!"

Popwrap.com branded her a "one-trick pony," while NowPublic.com was more understanding: "Do you think a peck on the cheek counts for being kissed?" the site asked.

But Boyle's admission has done nothing to dampen the ardor of her millions of new fans. Many believe Boyle, who has been nicknamed the "hairy angel" according to Britain's Daily Mail, should be declared the winner of the show right now. (She has at least one more song to perform).

"Now that Susan Boyle has been acknowledged as a singing sensation for her beautiful voice, I think it would be a good idea to declare her the winner of Britain's Got Talent," wrote C.J. Crane from Mallorca in Spain.

"I am glad Simon Cowell looks like he's going to give her a recording contract," said Raymond Rees from Wales.

British fan D.E. Atkins wrote: "The makeover squad should leave Susan Boyle alone. It is her singing and simplicity that people love. Once they start trying to change Susan's image they will spoil her."

But is it too late? Is overnight stardom already threatening to change Susan Boyle?

Since her first audition, the local council has built a fence around her home to discourage autograph-hunters. Boyle has also hired a hunky live-in bodyguard, been seen sporting an expensive leather jacket, and has agreed to go on a date with one of the judges.

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Kendra Wilkinson: Hank Uses My Stripper Pole!

It's not hard for Kendra Wilkinson to keep her relationship with fiance, Philadelphia Eagles' Hank Baskett, interesting. She just uses her new line of stripper poles!

"At first when I told him about the stripper pole, he did not know what it was," the Girls Next Door star, 23, admits in an interview with E!'s The Daily 10. "He was like, 'Are you serious? No, you can't do that.' He's a very conservative guy, you know? It's just a lot of fun. He even gets on it now sometimes."

Although Wilkinson is surrounded by cameras for her new E! reality show, Kendra -- which will follow her engagement and marriage with Baskett -- she won't be getting naked in front of any of them, like she once did for the pages of Playboy.

"Yeah, [Baskett] really gets mad when I do stuff like that," she says.

Still, she says her beau knows who he is marrying.

"A guy should fall in love with who they met, you know what I'm saying?"< Wilkinson says. "And I will -- I never change. He knows where I come from, he knows I lived at the mansion for the last five years of my life. I still am wild, but not as wild."

Her time spent as Hugh Hefner's girlfriend, however, is hard to forget. She confesses that she got tongue-tied at Hef's 83rd birthday party this year.

"At the party, I was like 'Hef, oh s**t, Hank! Oh God!' Wilkinson says about saying the wrong name. "I felt so bad, and he got so mad at me."

Wilkinson's interview with The Daily 10 will air Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. EST on E!.
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Eliza Dushku Plans Mapplethorpe Biopic

Actress Eliza Dushku is stepping behind the camera to make a new movie about controversial late photographer [Robert Mapplethorpe].

Dushku is teaming up with her brother Nate for the biopic of Mapplethorpe, who died of AIDS-related illnesses in 1989.

Mapplethorpe was famous for his gay and erotic photographs, as well as images of celebrities like Andy Warhol, Deborah Harry, Richard Gere, Peter Gabriel, Grace Jones and Patti Smith.

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EW's 50 Most Heartbreaking Songs of All Time

Last month, EW's Jason Adams put up a post on the Music Mix asking "What's the most heartbreaking song of all time?" and naming Smog's "Cold Blooded Old Times" as his top pick. Nearly 2,000 comments later, we realized we'd touched a (really depressed) nerve. So we sat down to create a list of our own favorites, available below in reverse order, No. 50 to No.

50. Wham!, "Careless Whisper" (1984)
49. Sufjan Stevens, "John Wayne Gacy Jr" (2005)
48. Meshell Ndegeocello, "Bitter" (1999)
47. Skeeter Davis, "The End of the World" (1962)
46. Lauryn Hill, "Ex-Factor" (1998)
45. Fairport Convention, "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" (1969)
44. Jackson Browne, "Late for the Sky" (1974)
43. John Cale, "If You Were Still Around" (1982)
42. Ryan Adams, "Come Pick Me Up" (2000)
41. Throwing Muses, "Hate My Way" (1986)
40. Sinead O’Connor, "Thank You for Hearing Me" (1994)
39. The Go-Betweens, "Dusty in Here" (1983)
38. Simon & Garfunkel, "The Sound of Silence" (1965)
37. Sugarland, "Very Last Country Song" (2008)
36. Phil Ochs, "Rehearsals for Retirement" (1969)
35. Lorraine Ellison, "Stay With Me" (1966)
34. The Velvet Underground, "Candy Says" (1969)
33. Fiona Apple, "Never Is a Promise" (1996)
32. 10CC, "I’m Not in Love" (1975)
31. Judy Garland, "Over the Rainbow" (1939)
30. Big Star, "Holocaust" (1978)
29. Frank Sinatra, "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)" (1958)
28. The Cure, "Pictures of You" (1989)
27. Annie Lennox, "Why" (1992)
26. Aretha Franklin, "Ain't No Way" (1968)
25. Dolly Parton, "Jolene" (1973)
24. The Carpenters, "Superstar" (1971)
23. Elvis Costello/Burt Bachrach, "God Give Me Strength" (1998)
22. John Lennon, "Mother" (1970)
21. U2, "One" (1992)

Top 20:

20. The Band, "Tears of Rage" (1968)
Co-written by Bob Dylan and Band pianist Richard Manuel, this slow-burn ballad gets much of its emotional punch from Manuel's anguished wail. It's one of rock's most haunting vocal performances.

19. George Jones, "He Stopped Loving Her Today" (1980)
How did the hopelessly devoted subject of Jones' poignant country classic finally quit his long-gone but still pined-for love? He died. Seriously: "They placed a wreath upon his door / And soon they'll carry him away / He stopped loving her today."

18. Bill Withers, "Ain’t No Sunshine" (1971)
Withers was working in a factory making airplane toilet seats when he wrote this remarkably bleak but beautiful R&B ode to longing for someone when she's gone.

17. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Maps" (2003)
The stunning desperation Karen O displays on this impassioned plea to a lover about to leave proves her pain is real. It's as if she knows there's nothing she can say to keep him at home, but can't help putting up a good fight anyway.

16. Neil Young, "The Needle and the Damage Done" (1972)
Young's heartfelt but unflinching song about Crazy Horse member Darren Whitten's heroin addiction was rendered even more tragic when Whitten died of an overdose at the end of 1972.

15. Beck, "Lost Cause" (2002)
On the saddest track of Beck's saddest album, love hasn't just slipped away -- it's no longer worth fighting for, replaced by apathy and pretty, pretty exhaustion.

14. Bonnie Raitt, "I Can't Make You Love Me" (1991)
Is there anything more heart-wrenching than begging someone to make love to you one last time -- knowing they don't want you anymore? Can't think of it.

13. Roy Orbison, "Crying" (1961)
The flip side of his fame would always remain the jaunty, Julia Roberts-friendly "Pretty Woman," but the orchestral sweep and chest-squeezing sorrow of the rock pioneer's ululating ballad remains an unforgettable musical marker of "I'm not over you" despair.

12. Joy Division, "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (1980)
Song as suicide note? Doesn't get much sadder than that. Released just before frontman Ian Curtis took his own life, the beautifully morbid tune is believed to spell out the joyless division the singer and his wife, Deborah, were experiencing in real life. As an apparent statement of fact, she had "Love Will Tear Us Apart" inscribed on Curtis' headstone.

11. Elliott Smith, "Between the Bars" (1997)
Smith's ode to drinking away his depression poignantly encapsulates the work of an artist whose gifts were both a blessing and a burden.

Top 10:

10. Billie Holiday, "Good Morning, Heartache" (1946)
"I've got those Monday blues / Straight through Sunday blues": Have the weekly blahs ever been conveyed more eloquently than in Lady Day's jazz standard?

9. Prince, "Purple Rain" (1984)
U never meant 2 cause us any sorrow? U never meant 2 cause us any pain? Well, we never wanted 2 be your weekend lover. We only wanted to 2 be some kind of friend. Think on it, Prince. Think on it.

8. The Beatles, "Yesterday" (1965)
There have been scads of songs about the urge to turn back time and right old wrongs, but no tune captures that feeling quite as beautifully as "Yesterday."

7. Fleetwood Mac, "Landslide” (1975)
Written by a young Stevie Nicks, this ethereal, melancholic tune about change and growing older becomes even more poignant with the maturing of its author.

6. Eric Clapton, "Tears In Heaven" (1992)
The guitarist responded to the accidental death of his four-year-old son with this devastating lament that makes horribly clear the chasm that now lies between Clapton and the loved one he has lost.

5. Al Green, "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?" (1972)
Reverend Green asks a reasonable question in his cover of the Bee Gees' lament. But if heartbreak causes him to raise the query in such a silkily soulful fashion, we're not going to get too upset that he doesn't find the answer.

4. R.E.M., "Everybody Hurts" (1993)
Michael Stipe sounds like a bleating lamb who lost his mother on this overplayed but still devastating song, which keenly summarizes a universal truth atop a swooning string section.

3. Johnny Cash, "Hurt" (2002)
The Nine Inch Nails original conjures a sad-if-sadomasochistic glee. Johnny's tear-inducing cover reinterpreted those mixed feelings into ones of genuine loss and heartache.

2. Otis Redding, "I've Been Loving You Too Long" (1965)
The most soulful song ever? Redding's rasp sounds like he'd been crying for a week before laying down the track, and the blaring horn build-up hits like a punch in the stomach. Almost physically painful to listen to.

1. Hank Williams, "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (1949)
Williams is so down, even the birds seem like they've lost their will to live. Throw in a mournful, clip-cloppy beat and a sobbing fiddle, and you might as well just lie down on the railroad tracks right now. Which is exactly what we feel like doing after compiling this list. We're going to go listen to "Shiny Happy People" a few hundred times now…

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Another PETA Add - Victoria Secret Ain't Happy

Audrina Partridge from 'The Hills' is the latest celebrity to pose in a PETA “Angel for Animals” ad. She appears in a white bikini and angel wings and holds her rescued dog Speedy Gonzalez next to the tagline "Be an Angel for Animals—Always Adopt, Never Buy."

"Each year, 6 to 8 million unwanted dogs and cats are turned in to shelters, and half are killed because there aren't enough good homes," says Audrina. "The solution is as easy as ABC—animal birth control. Always spay and neuter, and never buy from a pet store or a breeder."
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Jamie Foxx has been sued

Jamie Foxx has been sued by a guy who got severely injured on a Vodka display and claims his dream to become a brain surgeon has been put on ice.

Here's the lowdown. Foxx hosted a party in 2007 at Social in Hollywood. William Presler says in his lawsuit he was hired to work the bar -- made completely of ice.

In the suit, filed today in L.A. County Superior Court, Presler claims drunk guests dropped their drinks around the bar and glass shattered everywhere. He claims he tried cleaning it up but was told to leave it be. Presler says the manager preferred kicking the glass along the side of the ice bar.

At the end of the party, Presler says he slipped, fell and landed on the shattered glass, severely injuring himself. He needed 170 stitches to repair the damage to the severed nerves in his left hand.

Presler says he obtained a neuroscience degree and was forced to abandoned his career to become a brain surgeon due to the damage in his left hand.

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The Wolf Pack

Step aside, aloof vampires with all your undead issues. The wolf pack is ready to howl.

Unlike cold-blooded neck biters, these poster guys for animal magnetism are hot. So hot that their temperature runs a steady 108 degrees, as anyone who has read Stephenie Meyer's series of gothic romances knows.

That gives them a great excuse to doff their shirts on-screen and expose the physiques they've been pumping up for playing werewolves in The Twilight Saga:New Moon, the sequel to last year's supernatural sensation, due Nov. 20.

Four actors — Chaske Spencer, Alex Meraz, Kiowa Gordon and Bronson Pelletier, all with Native American heritage — join Taylor Lautner, 17, who returns as a hairier, scarier Jacob Black. The plotline finds Jacob growing closer to a distraught Bella (Kristen Stewart) after her vampire beau, Edward, runs off.

Among wolf pack job requirements: the ability to work half-naked no matter what the weather in the Vancouver, B.C., area, where the film has been shooting for several weeks.

"It's not pleasant for the actors," says director Chris Weitz. "But they have all been good-natured. They show up on location in drenching, cold rain, and I say, 'OK, off with the robes.' "

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Jan Feindt

Father denies 'selling' Slumdog Millionaire star for £200,000

The father of a child actress in the film Slumdog Millionaire is offering to sell her for £200,000, it was claimed yesterday.

Rafiq Qureshi, who lives in poverty in Mumbai, reportedly attempted to trade nine-year-old Rubina Ali in an illegal adoption deal.

Rubina played the young heroine Letika in the movie, which has grossed £185million worldwide and swept the board at the Oscars.

The claims were made following a 'sting' operation by the News of the World, which said it had been alerted that the child was for sale in a tip-off from a former family neighbour.

It was reported that the little girl, her father and uncles all went to a hotel to meet the 'prospective buyers', supposedly a family from Dubai, to discuss the deal in detail.

Confronted about the story yesterday, Rafiq Qureshi angrily denied that he was trying to sell Rubina, instead insisting that he was discussing a film role.

A source close to the family told the Daily Mail: 'Rafiq was told to bring Rubina to the hotel, where a rich man wanted to discuss a job with him.

'He happily agreed because Rubina can earn good money since her Slumdog success. She has had many movie offers. Rafiq didn't understand everything that was being said to him but he was happy to discuss money for a wellpaying job for his daughter. He loves her like any father loves his daughter.

very long article here

New Green Day Song: "Lights Out"

The B-side for "Know Your Enemy" has been released on CD in Germany.

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Prince Charles hearts the Earth

Prince Charles has inked a two-book deal with HarperCollins in which the heir to the throne laments man's loss of harmony with the surrounding world, the publishers said on Monday.

The book, titled 'Harmony' argues that "in our relentless pursuit of economic growth and technological progress we have become dangerously disconnected from Nature," a statement from HarperCollins said.

"As humanity faces the multiple challenges of climate change, ecological destruction, economic instability and continuing human poverty, 'Harmony' encourages us to restore the lost balance."

The publishers did not say how much the deal was worth. The book is tentatively planned for publication next year, with a picture book version in 2011.

Charles, 60, has won plaudits -- and some controversy -- for his outspoken support of traditional values and eco-friendly management of natural resources.

The prince said humanity had "a sacred duty of stewardship of the natural order of things" and needed to stop seeing "the world as some sort of gigantic production system, capable of ever-increasing outputs for our benefit -- at no cost."

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Stephen Hawking rushed to hospital

Professor Stephen Hawking, one of the world's foremost physicists, has been urgently admitted to hospital, Cambridge University said in a statement Monday.

Hawking, 67, who is wheelchair-bound and almost completely paralysed by a wasting illness, was taken to a local hospital in Cambridge, where he is a professor of applied mathematics.

"Professor Hawking is very ill and has been taken by ambulance to Addenbrooke's Hospital," the statement said.

Hawking is renowned for his work on black holes and quantum gravity. He is considered one of the world's leading scientists having achieved global recognition with the publication of "A Brief History of Time" in 1988.

A spokesman for Cambridge University was unable to confirm what Hawking was suffering from.

The head of the university's applied mathematics department expressed hope that Hawking would recover.

"Professor Hawking is a remarkable colleague," said Peter Haynes. "We all hope he will be amongst us again soon."

Update
Professor Hawking is undergoing tests and is now described as "comfortable", but will still be in hospital overnight.
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Twilight - SUED!

Production Halted on Twilight Sequel

Allegations of plagerism halt production of popular movie sequel.

Hollywood, CA (Associated Press) Production on the hit sequel to the popular vampire series Twilight have been halted among allegations of plagerism by young author, Stephenie Meyer.

According to sources, Meyer has been accused of stealing the idea for her popular Twilight series of novels for young adults and teenagers from her college roommate, Heidi Stanton. Stanton, 36, of Salt Lake City, Utah, attended Brigham Young University during the early 1990's and was for a time during their sophmore year roommates at a campus dormitory with the alleged author, Meyer.

The Twilight novels have sold over 42 million copies worldwide, and have been translated into 37 languages across the globe. Meyer who claims the premise for her popular vampire series came to her in a dream in June of 2003. Just three short months later she had completed the entire novel with very little to no previous writing experience.

Allegations by Stanton, who is a stay at home mother to 4 children in Utah arose after she viewed the movie Twilight for the first time last week, shortly after it was released to DVD format. Stanton claims that she had heard about the novels, but with four small children at home has very little time to read for pleasure or go to the theaters to watch movies.

"Quite frankly, I was shocked when I began watching the movie with my husband last week. I immediately told him that she got that idea from me! I wrote a fictional short story with the same ideas when we were in college together." stated Stanton.

Lawyers for both sides were remaining tight lipped Tuesday when papers were filed in Utah for claims of idea infringement. However amongst the claims, production was halted on a Studio City California production lot where New Moon is finishing post production. New Moon was slated to be released later in 2009. At this time, that has been "put on hold" stated studio heads Tuesday evening when reached by phone.

Mrs. Stanton's claims have some credence to them as she has documented proof that a short story with very similar idea was written by her in 1993 while she was a sophmore at BYU. English department chairperson Dr. Peter Benton was at the time a second year professor of writing and distinctly remembers Ms. Stanton's prolific writing style and the vampire story in particular.

"The story stood out in my mind, at the time, because it was more advanced than most sophmore students usually presented, also the vampire story stood out because I had recently taught a series of lectures on Brahm Stoker's Dracula." claims Dr. Benton. "I felt at the time that Heidi had brought a very current and up to date look at a classic subject."

No word on when or if production will resume for New Moon. Requests for interviews with Ms. Meyer or her representatives went unanswered Tuesday evening.
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Michelle Rodriguez in Latina mag

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Dog the Bounty Hunter Says, "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!"

Only days after the head-scratching announcement that disgraced Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich would be heading into the jungles of Costa Rica as part of NBC's reality competition, I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, OK! has learned of the latest addition to the show — Duane "Dog" Chapman of A&E reality hit Dog the Bounty Hunter.

According to a show insider, the controversial bounty hunter is in the last stages of inking the deal with NBC. The show, which premieres on NBC on June 1, drops 10 celebs of varying backgrounds into the heart of the Costa Rican jungle to face challenges designed to test their skills in adapting to the wilderness — and to raise money for their favorite charities.

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Zac Efron People Interview

A record number of fans sent their burning questions to PEOPLE.com for Zac Efron, who stars in this month's comedy, 17 Again. The actor, 21, responds here – covering topics ranging from keeping that hot body to partying with his grandma.



• I read somewhere that you recently bought your first home. Has anything surprised you about homeownership?
REBECCA WOODS, Chicago, Ill.

Efron: My sprinkler broke the other day, and I spent all day trying to fix it. I just made things worse and now my whole back yard is flooded. And keeping the house clean. It's like a bigger version of the disaster formerly known as my room.

• What is your workout routine and diet?
JOSH BRIMMEIER, Ames, Iowa.

Efron: I like backpacking, hiking, surfing, swimming, playing tennis – things that get you active and are also fun. If I do go to the gym I usually do circuit training. If you're skinny, you should never stop eating. The problem is a lot of people mistake that for permission to eat junk food. I try not to eat anything that's packaged. Of course, I never succeed.

• First of all, I think you are insanely hot. My question is: Did you ever cause trouble when you were 17?
NICOLETTE FAVARATO, East Longmeadow, Mass.

Efron: Sure! I think I put my parents through some grief. When I was 17, I was too demanding of freedom; I wanted an unnecessarily long leash. Don't push it too hard, because you're going to need your parents in college when you're broke!

• What did you want to be when you grew up?
JOSHUA AND LILI GALVAN. Kyle, Tex.

Efron: When I was a kid, I wanted to be a professional baseball player, or an astronaut, or be in the X Games. I thought Tony Hawk was the coolest guy alive.

• What keeps you motivated?
KRISTIE, Tallahassee, Fla.

Efron: I've always enjoyed being creative, no matter what it is. Anything that I do in life, I always want to do it well. That leads to a lot fun adventures!

• I'm a big fan. I especially loved watching you sing in Hairspray and High School Musical. Would you ever consider releasing an album of your own?
ERIN STRECKER, Des Moines, Iowa

Efron: I'm not going to pretend that I'm a music prodigy. I would want an album to come from me, not from writers or other producers. I definitely don't possess those skills and right now. I just don't have the time.

• Hey Zac! If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
DANIKA BODNARCHUK, St. Albert, Alberta, Canada

Efron: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches … and milk.

• If you were able to costar with any actor dead or alive, who would it be and why?
NNEKA CHARLES, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Efron: Oooh, it would be fun to work with Marlon Brando or James Dean. Brando had this ability to be real but interesting.

• What did you have for breakfast this morning?
EMMY JEPSON, England

Efron: It was in a hotel. I had poached eggs on white toast with ketchup, and then I had oatmeal, and then a strawberry banana smoothie.

• How come we rarely see you out partying like the other young Hollywood stars?
MORGAN STEVENS, Westlake, Ohio.

Efron: I'm not really into partying. Don't get me wrong – I've gone to a club. But I'd much rather be with my close friends at home or a concert, or on a trip. I'll go dancing with my grandma. She likes to cut a rug!

• You play a man who has the chance to be 17 again. Are there any ages that you would want to go back to, that you would want to revisit in your life or that you would want to skip?
ASHLEY LIZZETTE TORRES, Whittier, Calif.

Efron: I think it's important to remember to live in the moment and enjoy every day to the fullest. Don't sweat the small stuff and don't cry over spilled milk.

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Nylon magazine continues to be completely incompetent

The new issue of NYLON magazine has been mailed to people who got the free Urban Outfitters subscription. It's "The Young Hollywood Issue" and Kat Dennings and Olivia Thirlby are on the cover.


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TOP 5 SEXY~ SUPERHEROS

5. Robert Downey Jr: Iron Man
Iron Man (2008)

The mercurial Downey Jr found a masterful performance when adopting the character of Iron Man in last year’s ever-popular comic book adaptation.

His primary character, weapons manufacturer Tony Stark, might have proved a bit of a metal-hearted rogue but once he’s learned the error of his ways and built himself an incredibly nifty super-suit, Downey Jr’s hero emerges as one cast-iron, handsome crime-fighter.



4. George Clooney: Batman
Batman & Robin (1997)

Joel Schumacher’s 1997 entry into the Batman canon was widely derided by critics, despite Uma Thurman playing the sultry Poison Ivy. And yet, while the film proved a box office turkey, Clooney kept his gander up, emerging with some credibility and bright new career.

His version of the character may have lacked Christian Bale’s body-sculpted super-suit, but he looked better than Adam West, cutting a fine figure when suited as the suave Bruce Wayne.



3. Christian Bale: Batman
Batman Begins, The Dark Knight

Another Welshman enters the list, with by far the most successful on-screen Batman of all time. Christian Bale might fan the flames of his fiery big-screen persona, by occasionally erupting in public places, but up on screen, he’s even more dangerous.

That dark smouldering fire burning behind his Bat-eyes becomes even more menacing when he wraps himself in his tight rubber shell and heads out onto the streets of Gotham.



2. Ioan Gruffudd: Mr Fantastic
Fantastic Four (2005); Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

The Welsh hunk Gruffudd stretched his CV when taking on the role of the super-supple Reed Richards, aka Mr Fantastic, in the Fantastic Four franchise.

Bringing charm and good looks to the character of the boffin scientist, comic book guru Stan Lee regards him as the most intelligent character in the Marvel universe, heartthrob Gruffudd also cut a few fine moves on the dance-floor in the 2007 sequel.



1. Hugh Jackman: Wolverine
X-Men (2000); X2 (2003); X-Men: The Last Stand (2006); Wolverine (2009)

With his fine facial chops and admirable acting chops, Hugh Jackman snarls his way to top spot with Wolverine, the brooding hero of the X-Men trilogy and now the lead in his own movie, to be released at the end of May.

He might have dangerous claws, but there’s many a woman who’d gladly fall into his steely grip. Jackman is also a very rare beast: one of Hollywood’s thoroughly decent fellows.

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