Now That's Odd. Billy Corgan Is Smashing Pumpkins With Jessica Simpson

Disarm you with a smile ...You've got to wonder how these two met. It's not like they travel in the same circles. But it is nice to see Jess dating again, even if it is another musician. You'd think she'd learn by now, but I guess it's a type she's after.

All the more reason her new relationship with the Great Smashing Pumpkin himself is kinda odd. She usually goes for those big, burly types with a full head of hair. I don't know how big Billy is, but he's definitely not burly.

Billy and Jess are said to be taking it slow, which would be good for her, I think. She needs to slow down and just have some fun with a guy instead of looking for marriage and commitment after just a month or two. As for Billy (who dated Courtney Love before Kurt Cobain), Jess could only be considered a step up from that kind of action. He's gotta put up with Papa Joe, though, so he's not getting off that easily.

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First reviews of ‘Avatar’ sound promising

(HMG) – James Cameron’s highly anticipated Avatar one the most expensive films ever made at a cost of about $400 million and therefore a huge risk for 20th Century Fox, premiered in London on Thursday to mostly glowing reviews.  Newspapers like, The Times of London reviewer calls “Avatar an overwhelming, immersive spectacle, while “The Herald Sun calls it an ‘Instant classic.’   Magazines like, Hollywood Reporter called the film a “jaw-dropping wonder,” in which every element of the groundbreaking technology “serves the greater purpose of a deeply felt love story,” while Variety hailed it as “a film of universal appeal that just about anyone who ever goes to the movies will need to see.”  British tabloid The Sun commented: “It’s a 3D movie people will look back on in years to come to comment on how it transformed cinema.  “The only reason that ‘Avatar’ won’t top ‘Titanic’ at the box office is that there are not enough digital screens around the world to show it in all its 3D wonder,” it added.

The background to Avatar’s birth is pretty amazing and is the first narrative film for Cameron since “Titanic”. Cameron actually wrote the script years ago (1995) for the technically ambitious and trailblazing sci-fi story, but waited to make the film until until screen technology and 3-D shooting techniques were sufficiently advanced,  while used the downtime planning Avatar in minute detail.  The story set in the year 2154, focuses on Pandora, a faraway moon filled with blue-skinned natives who don’t take kindly to the mining colony from Earth, a multinational corporation established to pillage for a precious mineral Unobtainium. The corporation sends in a handicapped former Marine Jake Sully (played impressively by Australian rising star Sam Worthington), to negotiate. By putting his mind into an avatar, a remote-controlled biological body that mixes human DNA with that of the natives, it allows him to join the Na’vi, the dominant indigenous tribe on Pandora.  The Na’vi are a 10-foot-tall species with translucent, aqua-colored skin, 3-fingered hands and smooth, lean torsos.  Sully, who quickly takes to life as a Na’vi, begins to feel his allegiances blurred. “Avatar” is essentially a fairy tale of good versus evil that proposes a happier ending for the oppressed, fighting against overwhelming might of Western Civilization.

Cameron said the film was a warning to humans about damaging the environment  and how indigenous people are treated by newcomers.

“It’s a way of connecting a thread through history. I take that thread further back to the 16th and 17th centuries and to how the Europeans pretty much took over South and Central America and displaced and marginalized the indigenous peoples there,” he said.

“I see it as a broader metaphor, not so intensely politicised as some would make it, but rather that’s how we treat the natural world as well,” he said at the premiere.

“There’s a sense of entitlement — ‘We’re here, we’re big, we’ve got the guns, we’ve got the technology, we’ve got the brains, we therefore are entitled to every damn thing on this planet’,” he said.

Avatar begins landing in theaters worldwide next week.

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Jude Law & Sienna Miller Round 3?

Here comes the rumor mill...
Are Sienna Miller and Jude Law(pictured here in 2006) taking the love spin for the the third time??
According to Star Magazine via People, it looks like they are cozying up under the fire.
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, they reportedly shared an Italian meal together in New York.
"They stopped in just after midnight", according to the source and get this, this is a whopper...they shared..."pizza."
But, if you're not convinced now that they were having a Lady And The Tramp moment maybe this will entice you to believe.
"Rather than hiding away in a private seat in the back of the restaurant, they opted to sin in the front where they shared a bottle of wine and at least one passionate kiss."
We do know that they are both performing on Broadway at the moment, and apparently their stomach contents, but as for the romance?
Guess we'll just have to wait and see...

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Obama's Afghanistan Speech: More Poetry, Less Terror

It was easily one of the 50 most important speeches Barack Obama will ever give: Tonight, he made the case for why he's sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. (Oh, and terrorists? They still want to kill us.)

We basically snoozed our way through the boring "It is important to recall why America and our allies were compelled to fight a war"; and "we must strengthen the capacity of Afghanistan's Security Forces and government, so that they can take lead responsibility for Afghanistan's future." Our eyelids cracked a little when Obama sketched the time-line of his surge (don't call it a surge, though!): The 30,000 troops will begin to deploy in early 2010 and all American forces will start withdrawing in July of 2011. (No definite date for a complete exit, though, since politicians hate deadlines as much as we do.)

But, really, our ears only perked all the way up when we heard this:

[Afghanistan] is the epicenter of the violent extremism practiced by al Qaeda. It is from here that we were attacked on 9/11, and it is from here that new attacks are being plotted as I speak. This is no idle danger; no hypothetical threat. In the last few months alone, we have apprehended extremists within our borders who were sent here from the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan to commit new acts of terror. This danger will only grow if the region slides backwards, and al Qaeda can operate with impunity.

It's probably a leftover reflex burnt into our cerebellums by the Bush years, but it seems that nothing really makes you sit up and accidentally spill beer on your shirt like your president dropping the fact that terrorists are among us into the middle of a speech. You remember it: Back when our president didn't have much worthwhile to say it was all blah blah blah TERRORISTS ARE GOING TO KILL US blah blah FREEDOM. People went wild for that stuff!

But now we have a president with a lot interesting things to say and a lot of pretty ways to say them. And while a number of commentators have been quick to point out the similarities between Obama's war strategy and rhetoric, and Bush's, what was most striking to us was the near-complete lack of the fear-mongering and Get Your War On mentality which was used by Bush to such great and terrible effect. (The word "terrorist" appeared just three times in Obama's 33-minute speech, which is going to be either a heartening or infuriating fact depending on what cable channel you get your news from.)

Instead, this was a call to arms based on shared American values and the need to "show our strength in the way that we end wars and prevent conflict."

Unlike the great powers of old, we have not sought world domination. Our union was founded in resistance to oppression. We do not seek to occupy other nations. We will not claim another nation's resources or target other peoples because their faith or ethnicity is different from ours. What we have fought for — what we continue to fight for — is a better future for our children and grandchildren. And we believe that their lives will be better if other peoples' children and grandchildren can live in freedom and access opportunity.

Which we will help them do by leaving them alone (starting July 2011).

Of course this is a better way to rally people than constantly barraging them with color-coded terror alerts and axes of evil and Wars on Terror. And our foreign friends were probably breathing a sigh of relief at such a measured tone (seeing as how it appears they're off the hook for future wars—once they give Obama the additional troops he wants for this one.) So we were happy to indulge Obama as he skipped into poetry land in the last quarter or so of his speech, talking about all the great things he believes "with every fiber of my being," and how America is "passing through a time of great trial," etc., etc., etc., off into a hazy glow of positive vibes and his trademark theme of hard-won optimism in the face of adversity™.

But still: TERROR ALERT: YELLOW!!!

(Here's the entire, 33-minute speech. Or read the entire text here.)

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Nicole Richie To Create & Star In New ABC TV Comedy

Nicole Richie is coming to network television.

On Monday night, the former reality star and fashion designer took to her personal site to announced that she is gearing up to star in comedy for ABC. The star — who penned the semi-autobiographical novel The Truth About Diamonds — explained that her comedy “revolves around a young, modern and professional woman who must balance her business and family relationships.”

“I am so excited to announce that I am officially working on a television project,” Nicole wrote on her official website overnight. “I am creating a half hour scripted comedy for ABC in which I will be starring in, as well as producing.”

“She must deal with, and navigate the many ideas of what a woman’s role is: modern vs. traditional,” Nicole continued adding that she has been extensively researching to prepare for her new role.

Nicole starred in several seasons of reality show The Simple Life alongside Paris Hilton and has made cameo appearances on shows like Chuck. But the star revealed she has been doing some homework to prepare for her new role on the still-untitled series.

“Lately, I have been surrounded by many different women of all ages and walks of life. It amazes me to watch and observe how many different ideas there are about what a woman’s role should be in this era,” Nicole continued. “I’ve taken these fascinating ideas, and compiled them into something that I think will be very special (and funny!). We’re still in the very early stages and I can’t wait to share more with you soon!”

No details on when Nicole’s sitcom will debut.

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Nicole Richie Heads to Scripted Comedy

Nicole Richie is going to be a busy working mom. In addition to her jewelry line, the mother of two will be taking on a role in a scripted half-hour comedy on ABC, she blogged. Richie is tapped to play a professional woman with intricate family relationships. She describes her character: "She must deal with, and navigate the many ideas of what a woman’s role is: modern vs. traditional." Richie said she thought of the concept and will receive a producing credit in addition to acting. She wrote on her blog, "Lately, I have been surrounded by many different women of all ages and walks of life. It amazes me to watch and observe how many different ideas there are about what a woman’s role should be in this era. I've taken these fascinating ideas, and compiled them into something that I think will be very special (and funny!)." The star's on-screen resume includes reality show "The Simple Life" and "Chuck." She has had guest-starring parts on "8 Simple Rules… for Dating My Teenage Daughter" and "American Dreams."

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Sixers Coach Eddie Jordan Denies “Iverson Comeback” Rumors + Allen’s Retirement Letter

Philadelphia 76ers coach Eddie Jordan has denied rumors of Allen Iverson returning to the team and made it known that he hasn’t even talked to the NBA star, who recently announced his retirement.

Jordan downplayed reports Sunday of Iverson coming back to the Sixers, saying the speculation is “probably more in the media than it actually is.” Jordan said he hasn’t discussed Iverson with anyone and that the Sixers aren’t seriously discussing any free agents.

A person with knowledge of the talks said Saturday that the Sixers were approached about signing Iverson and that team management has held internal discussions. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because talks haven’t been made public.

Iverson led the Sixers to the NBA Finals in 2001 and announced his plan to retire this week.

Continue reading to peep Iverson’s retirement letter that was released the day before Thanksgiving.

(...) Continue Reading »

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