Tom Cruise

The Week in Gossip: Bush Sells?

Friday, January 9th, 2009

A free hand job with the purchase of a handbag? More or less. In a new ad campaign, Madonna’s 50-year-old crotch has Louis Vuitton’s brand written all over it. Aren’t you just ”itching” to add a new couture bag to your collection already? I think that’s the subliminal message here. Either that, or it’s one of those “If you had to…” ultimatums. Buy Vuitton’s bag or bag Madge’s vag—”If you had to…” which would you choose?

George W. Douche: The Musical! As if NYC hasn’t had its fair share of terrorist activity, Will Ferrell is now threatening to bring the antics of one George “Dubya” to Broadway. Ferrell was SNL’s Bush impersonator many moons ago and plans to revive his act on January 20 (which happens to be the National Day We Restore Literacy in the White House—mark your calendars!) at NY’s Cort Theater. The show will be called, “You’re Welcome America: A Final Night With George W. Bush.” Cute. But let’s make this a one night quickie, shall we? Because America is just not that into you, George W. Bush.

Speaking of quickies, POP QUIZ: What is Obama’s favorite meal? (Bush’s baked beans was my guess. But no.)

Quote of the week: “The only story is that drugs are bad and they will kill you . . . but that’s not true . . . Some people are just bad at taking drugs.” Which U.K. import (and no, not that one) made the above statement in an interview with Word magazine? And then went on to diss Christianity and her record label (for good measure)?

Flight of the Washboards Alert! Umm . . . yumm. I’m giving everyone the opportunity to check out the latest cover of Time Out New York mag because with these mugs front and center, this week’s magazine will have an abs-olutely short shelf life on newsstands. You know what they say about funny men with seriously hot bods, don’t you? Trick question! They don’t say anything because they don’t exist. (To read Time Out’s full interview with our funny Kiwi friends, click here.)

Roll Call! Jerry O’Connell and Rebecca Romijn had twins! on December 28, one of whom was named Dolly. If you think that’s a cruel name, try Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa. That’s what Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet (”The Cosby Show”) are calling their new baby. And, let’s not forget, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner had another girl this past Tuesday. Her name is currently undisclosed, but may I suggest Hakuna-Matata Dr. Robota con Salsa y Spicy Jalapeno Sauce?

And the dearly departed . . . John Travolta and Kelly Preston lost their son Jett, 16, after he had a seizure in the Bahamas on January 2. The boy had a history of seizures, but the family failed to seek medical attention for the ongoing condition. Critics are wondering if their involvement in the Church of Scientology played a role in this decision. Tom Cruise adamantly defended the church during an appearance on The View yesterday. (Shocker!) And no couches were harmed during the taping of the show. (Double shocker!)

Oh, and guess whose fancy feline died this week? Hint: The answer fits in neatly with the theme of this post. Yes, I’m beating around the BUSH! BUSH! BUSH! So go ahead and take a guess.

Daily News Roundup: Turkeys, turkeys, and more turkeys

Monday, November 24th, 2008


Turkeys don’t sedate you with tryptophan, but they may give you a superbug. Apparently, when turkey farmers dope their birds to keep them from getting sick, they may also be creating super-resilient bacteria, much the way people do when they don’t complete a full round of antibiotics. Somehow it doesn’t seem this news will stop many people from gobbling them up on Thursday, anyway.

A samurai-sword wielding assailant was shot dead in front of the Hollywood Scientology center. The guard who shot him said he was close enough to hurt them when he fired. Word is, he used to be a member, but not many details have been released, yet. The controversial, star-magnet church hit the media limelight again when anti-Scientology protesters demonstrated outside the preview of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons” because Katie Holmes, wife of the religion’s most famous celebrity, Tom Cruise, has a starring role.

Kanye West gave his award to a fellow artist after he won at the American Music Awards Sunday night—among other interesting moments. Here’s the scorecard.

The first black presidency already may have sparked a rash of violence coming from white extremists. The Ku Klux Klan is making a comeback, and violent hate crimes have been on the rise in the three weeks following the election of Democrat Barack Obama, according to an L.A. Times article. Looks like to become post-racial we may yet need to iron out a few wrinkles.

Obama supporters are beginning to worry he’s not as far to the left as they hoped. Much of his future administration is shaping up to be Clinton and Bush holdovers, calling his campaign for change into question. Of course, he has chosen several close friends and associates to serve in his Cabinet or as senior advisers. And Wall Street, at least, seems to appreciate his pick for Treasury Secretary, though many of his views remain a mystery.

The Pope apparently doesn’t have much faith in interfaith conversations. In a letter to a scholar-politician, portions of which were published in an Italian newspaper, Pope Benedict XVI said “interreligious dialogue in the strict sense of the word is not possible,” though that hasn’t prevented the Vatican from meeting with Muslim leaders to find common positions on issues such as terrorism and religious freedom. Meanwhile, in Southern California, Jewish college students visited mosques as part of a national “twinning campaign” in which Jews and Muslims team up to fight Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.

Citigroup: add one more bailout to the pile. The government has approved a deal to secure about $306 billion in loans and securities and to directly invest $20 billion in the company. It was the third time in three months the government has tried to contain the unraveling financial crisis.

Hollywood’s chewing its cheeks over the same-sex marriage ban. It’s a place that has celebrated free speech and weathered the McCarthyist witch hunts. Now Hollywood insiders who supported Prop 8 are being “outed.” Film Independent has gotten flak for defending Richard Raddon, the director of the L.A. Film Festival, who donated $1,500 to the Yes on 8 campaign. And the director of a nonprofit theater organization in Sacramento resigned after complaints of his donations to the campaign.