Oops! Not the clothes problem again

Posted by BiggestStars at 12:28 AM | Permalink

Twice in one week, the Olsen Twins have landed in the news with their clothes. First, the twins were smeared when it was revealed that their clothing line for Wal-Mart was produced in sweat shops.

Now it seems, Ashley Olsen, and Latina superstar Jennifer Lopez are among the stars targeted by the People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals (PETA) on their annual "Worst Dressed list." (Apparently, for wearing animal skins.)

, First, PETA poked fun at the Lopez's wandering love life, stating, "The lives of the animals she wears are like her relationships: short and painful."

The charity then offered advice to the twins with, "Here's a tip on adjusting to life at New York University: The Big Apple is not the Yukon - you don't need to look like Bigfoot in order to fit in."

At the top of the worst dressed list was The View host Star Jones Reynolds, and supermodel Cindy Crawford. Interesting that Crawford, who recently signed to model Blackglama's furs, once participated in a PETA "I'd rather go naked than wear fur" campaign 10 years ago.

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Hilary Swank To Be "The Black Dahlia"

Posted by BiggestStars at 8:19 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Source: Variety December 14, 2004

Hilary Swank (Boys Don't Cry) will play the infamous "Black Dahlia," in an adaptation of the James Ellroy novel. Swank, who was nominated for two Golden Globes (Million Dollar Baby and Iron Jawed Angels) on Tuesday, joins Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson in the film.

, The film is based on the true story of the brutal murder of Elizabeth Short, a crime that rocked Los Angeles in 1940. The crime was never solved.

Swank's character,the Black Dahlia, who was a beautiful and promiscuous woman in her 20s, is discovered in a vacant lot, cut in half, disemboweled and bearing evidence that she had been tortured for several days before dying. Dubbed "The Black Dahlia" by the press, the victim becomes an obsession for two L.A.P.D. cops, both ex-boxers, who also are best friends and in love with the same woman.

Probably the most interesting twist to this film, is that it will be directed by Brian De Palma. This is just his kind of material.

Shooting starts April 4 on location in Bulgaria.

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Lemony Snicket Opens Friday

Posted by BiggestStars at 7:53 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Paramount's anticipated Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, starring Jim Carrey as wily villain Count Olaf. The fantasy comedy directed by Brad Silberling opens nationwide on Friday, December 17.

After Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire's parents perish in a terrible fire, they are placed in the care of Count Olaf, an actor, evil genius, and master of disguise.

At every turn, Count Olaf hatches another outrageous plot to steal the orphans' vast fortune, and he's not going to let anybody stand in his way -- not Uncle Monty, not Aunt Josephine (Meryl Streep), and certainly not the children themselves! The resulting series of unfortunate events is likely to leave viewers of all ages in utter hysterics.


, The brilliant Jim Carrey gets his comeuppance while being upstaged by a delightful two-year-old named Sunny (played twins Kara and Shelby Hoffman), the totally unintelligible munchkin whose words are subtitled in the film.

The movie is narrated by Jude Law (Mr. Lemony Snicket) who keeps warning the audience that the tale will be dark so we might want to leave the theater, room or airplane from which we are watching it. Which is exactly how the book reads: the narrator strongly reminds the reader (tongue firmly in cheek) to put down the book and don't continue.

Which is way the books have continued to be bestsellers throughout the dozen or so adventures already published.

In addition to baby Sunny, are her older Baudelaire siblings consisting of Klaus (Liam Aiken) and Violet (Emily Browning, who bears a strong resemblance to Angelina Jolie).

After the mysterious death of their parents and a fire that burned down their house, the kids -- and their large inheritance -- are sent to live with their closest living relative, Count Olaf (Jim Carrey). Being their 3rd cousin, 4 times removed, he may not be the closest relative in every sense, but his crumbling gothic mansion is just thirty-nine blocks away. The kids are given a long list of laborious chores to do each day, including making dinner in a rat-infested kitchen.

The kids eventually move in with their sweet and eccentric Uncle Monty (Billy Connolly), with whom they live happily ever after. Which is about half way through the movie, when Uncle Monty passes from this world, and the kids get another guardian, their crazy Aunt Josephine (Meryl Streep).

Lemony Snicket, both the books and the film, are enjoyable "unfortunate" adventures.

Visit the official website for more information.

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Sweatshop allegations hit the Olsen Twins

Posted by BiggestStars at 9:14 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Teen stars Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen demanded retail giant Wal-mart provide female factory workers in Bangladesh with maternity leave and benefits.

, The Full House stars, 18, were said to be "horrified" to discover the workers who sew the Olsen Twins clothing line, were working in poor conditions.

Just hours after a protest by members of America's National Labor Committee (NLC) began at Washington Square Park near New York University, where the sisters are studying, Mary-Kate and Ashley signed the petition for Wal-Mart to give workers the "legal right to maternity leave with benefits."

But what about decent pay and working conditions?

A Wal-Mart statement regarding general sweat-shop allegations reads, "We feel that our program is helping to improve working conditions and create economic opportunity for workers around the world."

Former Talk show host Kathie Lee Gifford was also linked to a sweat shop scandal a few years ago. She held a weepy press conference after it was revealed that her Kathie Lee clothing line, also sold by Wal-Mart, was made by sweatshop workers in Honduras.

The Olsen twins shouldn't be shocked by the news. Most cheap goods in the world today are manufactured in sweatshops with deplorable pay and treatment. Chances are pretty good that something under your Christmas tree or a Hannakah gift was made in a sweatshop -- by the hands of children. If the gift is trendy clothes, purchased at a discount price, the odds are high.

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DOT workers survive "Survivor: Vanuatu"

Posted by BiggestStars at 9:07 PM | Permalink

CBS's "Survivor: Vanuatu - Islands of Fire" came down to two highway workers, but only Chris Daugherty was able to drive home with the $1 million prize and a new car.

Daugherty, 33, outplayed, outlasted and outwitted Twila Tanner, 41, in the 39-day contest. Daugherty received five of the seven-person jury's votes. He lives in South Vienna, Ohio, works for the Ohio Department of Transportation (DOT). Tanner works for the Missouri Department of Transportation (DOT).

, Toward the end of the game, Tanner pledged an alliance allegiance to Ami Cusack and Leann Slaby by "swearing on her son's life" but later backed out, infuriating some survivors.

The final tribal council was tearful with players expressing hurt feelings over lies told and friendships broken throughout the game.

This ninth edition of "Survivor" has been the most watched reality show currently airing, beating competitors such as "The Apprentice" and "The Amazing Race," according to Nielsen Media Research.

For the 10th season: There will be 20 castaways (the most ever) and they are headed to Palau, an island nation located in the Pacific. Host Jeff Probst promised "everything the survivors have come to expect will be wiped out in the first 10 minutes."

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U2 leads list of Hall of Famers for 2005

Posted by BiggestStars at 8:50 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Irish rockers U2, R&B singers The O'Jays and soul balladeer Percy Sledge are among the legends that will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during the foundation's 20th annual induction ceremony March 14 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Manhattan.

U2 became one of the planet's most popular bands in the 1980s with their album "The Joshua Tree." The Irish band is still making the charts -- their latest release, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," is at the No. 2 album spot according to Billboard.

, The O'Jays had eight No. 1 R&B hits during the 1970s and 1980s including "Love Train" and "Use Ta Be My Girl."

Percy Sledge's legendary hit "When a Man Loves a Woman" made him a prominent figure in Soul music in the late 1960s.

Also being inducted in the "Class of 2005: are The Pretenders and blues guitarist Buddy Guy.

Musicians, industry professionals and journalists vote on the nominations. Artists are eligible to be inducted into the Rock Hall after at least 25 years have passed since their first record was released.

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Golden Globe Nominations Announced

Posted by BiggestStars at 2:39 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

The road-trip flick "Sideways" led Golden Globe contenders Monday, December 13th, with seven nominations, including best musical or comedy film, three acting nominations and best director.

"The Aviator" was second with six nominations including best dramatic feature, two acting nominations (Leonardo DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett) and best director nod for Martin Scorsese.
, Other best drama nominees were "Closer," "Finding Neverland," "Hotel Rwanda," "Kinsey," and "Million Dollar Baby."

The best musical or comedy nominees offer a tough race among "Sideways," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," the animated "The Incredibles"; "The Phantom of the Opera," and the Ray Charles film biography "Ray."

Best Actor Nominations
Jamie Foxx scored three nominations for acting. Foxx was nominated for best musical or comedy actor for "Ray,"; for supporting actor for "Collateral" as a taxi driver whose cab is hijacked by a hit man; and as best actor in a TV movie or miniseries for "Redemption."

"The Aviator" star Leonardo DiCaprio earned a nomination as best dramatic actor for his role as Howard Hughes. Other dramatic actor nominees were Javier Bardem as a paralyzed man in "The Sea Inside"; Don Cheadle as a hotel manager sheltering refugees in "Hotel Rwanda"; Johnny Depp as playwright J.M. Barrie in "Finding Neverland" and Liam Neeson in "Kinsey."

The other musical or comedy actor nominees were: "Sideways" star Paul Giamatti was nominated for best actor in a musical or comedy for his role as a loser in love on a road trip with a buddy; Jim Carrey in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"; Kevin Kline as composer Cole Porter in "De-Lovely" and Kevin Spacey as singer Bobby Darin in "Beyond the Sea."

Dramatic lead actress nominees were Scarlett Johansson in "A Love Song for Bobby Long," Nicole Kidman in "Birth"; Imelda Staunton in "Vera Drake"; Hilary Swank in "Million Dollar Baby" and Uma Thurman in "Kill Bill: Vol. 2."

Best musical or comedy actress nominations are: Annette Bening in "Being Julia"; Ashley Judd as composer Porter's wife in "De-Lovely"; Emmy Rossum in "The Phantom of the Opera"; Kate Winslet in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and Renee Zellweger in the romantic sequel "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason."

Contenders for best film director: Alexander Payne for "Sideways" and Martin Scorsese for "The Aviator." Other nominees were Clint Eastwood for "Million Dollar Baby," Marc Forster for "Finding Neverland" and Mike Nichols for "Closer."

Best Screenplay: "Eternal Sunshine," "The Aviator," "Finding Neverland," "Closer," and "Sideways."

Best Song: "Shrek 2," "Polar Express," "Phantom of the Opera," "Hotel Rwanda," and "Alfie."

Best Film Score: "Million Dollar Baby," "Finding Neverland," "Sideways," "The Aviator," and "Spanglish."

Why They Are Important
The Globes feature 13 categories for film and 11 for television. Last January, The Globes correctly predicted eventual Oscar winners in all key categories, including best-picture champ "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and actors Sean Penn, Charlize Theron, Tim Robbins and Renee Zellweger.

This year, as with the 2003 season -- when the Oscars were moved up a month to late February -- the Globes will have a bit less influence because of a tighter awards time frame. The Golden Globes are handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a small group of about 90 reporters for overseas news outlets. Yet with a nationally televised awards ceremony on NBC and a solid knack for picking eventual Academy Awards winners, the Globes have a profound influence on the 5,800 Oscar voters.

This year will be different however, since the Oscar nominations are due a day before the Jan. 16 presentation of the Globes. The Academy Awards show is Feb. 27.

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Spielberg directing "film of the decade" . . .

Posted by BiggestStars at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 53 )

The teaser trailer for next summer's blockbuster movie, Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds is now available online!

The film stars Tom Cruise, Miranda Otto, Tim Robbins, Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin. Cruise and Otto play the parents, and Robbins plays an astronomer in the story adapted from H.G. Wells' 1898 novel that sees Martians invading Earth.

, Spielberg reportedly wants to make War of the Worlds the "film of the decade" and is willing to spend all the cash that Dreamworks and Paramount studios can supply.

It is tabbed as the costliest film in Hollywood history, and rumored that one-fifth of its eventual profits will go to director Spielberg and star Tom Cruise. The filmmakers are hoping that spending a Titanic-style budget will reap Titanic-style box office mojo.

War of the Worlds is scheduled to open June 29, 2005.

Check out the teaser trailer for War of the Worlds at the official website.

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Clinton Bio Gets Pirate Treatment in China

Posted by BiggestStars at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 )

Former President Bill Clinton's autobiography "My Life" is a best seller in the United States, and is now being distributed in Asia. However, many copies of the book available in Asia are "hastily pirated versions - sold for a fraction of the price and without any of the royalties due its rightful author."
, According to an article in Tech Central Station, "the chronic misspellings, cheap materials and smudgy ink that mark the knock-offs commonly found in Asia are the least of the problem. Mr. Clinton's carefully chosen words have been murdered by additions and deletions wholly out of keeping with the original. Copies available in China have Mr. Clinton serially quoting Mao and extolling the feng shui of his hometown in Arkansas."

Still, it's hard to sympathize with Clinton in this matter when you learn that he has supported knock-off drugs to fight AIDS. After leaving the White House, Mr. Clinton’s Presidential Foundation has been working with international health and charity organizations in trying to supply AIDS medicines to countries in Africa, Asia and South America.

Using the obvious "end justifies the means" philosophy, the Clinton Foundation "has been a leading supporter of the use of knock-off pills, produced without permission or supervision by generic manufacturers in countries that do not recognize international patent rights."

"While the goal itself is worthy, the companies, most notably Cipla and Ranbaxy in India, have long been favorites of the AIDS activist community because they pilfer technologies developed at huge cost by large western research-based drugs firms. . . Bill Clinton is right to balk at copyright infringements . . .now if only his Presidential Foundation would do the same."

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Amazing Race 6 "Quote of the Week"

Posted by BiggestStars at 4:06 AM | Permalink

Quote of the Week:

Hellboy: "Do You Want Me To Go Jump Overboard?"
Rebecca : "Yes, that would be AWESOME."
, On to the review of AR6 !

Team of Kris & Jon: First again. Ho-hum, won ANOTHER trip. They are a cute couple and likeable, they've made a couple of mistakes but have managed to stay as frontrunners. AR producers must like the "WET tee-shirt" episodes for ratings - and Kris didn't let them down!

Jonathan & Victoria: What was up with that sissy hat, Jonathan? Fuzzy baby blue w/polka dots? And those pants every week??

Bolo & Lori: The Hulk and Daisy May are the best comedy team on the show and she kicked serious butt in the salt paddies! That lady is yoked! Stay tuned next week as pro wrestler Bolo tangles with snippy Hayden who accuses him of being on 'roids . . .

Hayden & Aaron: Whoa, is he a whiny ass or what?

The old folks: Gotta give it to Don & Mary Jean. They've lasted longer than the Mormon sisters and the two wandering Jews from the Brooklyn who were eliminated in the first legs of the race. Hope they can overcome the financial setback next episode and stay in the game!

Freddy & Kendra: Don't you hate these two spoiled models? But kudos to Freddy for refusing to be ripped off by the cab driver. The prissy Kendra announces "I feel very unsafe. We are in the middle of Ghetto Africa." Has she not watched previous races of AR?

Adam & Rebecca: What does Rebecca see in Hell Boy the drama queen? She's way more mature than he is and he seems to be deep in the closet. Last week he was screaming "Mama! Mama!" on that safe-as-kittens pulley ride in Sweden . . . What was THAT all about? On the train he points out, "I'm physically weak, apparently." And Rebecca responds, "Well, stop being a wussy-boy and maybe nobody would say that."

Gus & Hera: Once again Professor Klump and Jada got lucky and are STILL in the race, to the amazement of all. The ex-CIA inoperative grossed us all out by taking off his shirt in the taxi and showing us that pair of 46 triple DDDs. (And to think the FCC was outraged over Janet Jackson's boob!) The daughter, Hera, is actually pretty cool, but she lacks confidence, even though she's right most of the time. Her father needs to get a clue.

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