Babelogue

Givenchy couture

2007-01-23T17:07:00.000-08:00

Christian Lacroix couture

2007-01-23T17:05:00.000-08:00

Chanel couture

2007-01-23T17:04:00.000-08:00

Dior couture

2007-01-22T16:48:00.000-08:00

Alexander McQueen

2006-10-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

Karl Lagerfeld

2006-10-15T05:39:00.000-07:00

Martin Margiela

2006-10-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

Viktor & Rolf

2006-09-10T11:05:00.000-07:00

Rock 'n roll boy

2006-07-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

La mode est dans la rue

2006-06-23T05:48:00.000-07:00

Los Calaveras

2006-06-23T05:33:00.000-07:00

I (heart) fashion?

2006-05-11T03:59:00.000-07:00

Backstage

2006-04-07T06:33:00.000-07:00

Paris fashion week

2006-04-07T06:24:00.000-07:00

Second Sex

2006-04-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

Rock 'n Roll @ Le Triptyque

2006-04-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

Les Shades @ Le Triptyque

2006-03-25T09:17:00.000-08:00

Nelson

2006-03-24T05:27:00.000-08:00

Les Clochards Célestes @ La Guingette Pirate

2006-03-24T05:05:00.000-08:00

Los Calaveras @ Le Klub

2006-03-24T04:54:00.000-08:00

Hero worship, Part One: Marlene Dietrich

2006-03-22T08:05:00.000-08:00

Mwah, dahlink!

2006-03-12T14:57:00.000-08:00

The perfect air kiss! Catherine Deneuve bids farewell to Pierre Bergé, the business partner of legendary designer Yves Saint Laurent, after the Lanvin autumn-winter ready-to-wear show in Paris on Sunday 5 March.

Courtney's got her groove back

2006-03-12T14:52:00.000-08:00

A svelte and sober Courtney Love at the Stella McCartney show in Paris on Thursday 2 March.

Even rappers get the (shopping) blues

2006-03-12T14:37:00.000-08:00

Pharrell Williams (The Neptunes, N.E.R.D.) and an unidentified female companion at the Louis Vuitton autumn-winter ready-to-wear show in Paris on Sunday 5 March.

Showtime

2006-02-19T06:52:00.000-08:00

The Paris ready-to-wear fashion shows kick off at the end of next week. Here is a little flavour of the catwalk action...

Some more portraits

2006-02-18T05:48:00.000-08:00

Fashion shows

2006-02-17T05:31:00.000-08:00

The next Paris ready-to-wear season starts at the end of the month. Always a great opportunity to capture candid shots such as this one, of a woman clasping the jacket of Christian Lacroix as she congratulated him after his show.

La mode est dans la rue

2006-02-17T05:26:00.000-08:00

I recently held an exhibition of my street fashion portraits, under the title "La mode est dans la rue". Here is a sample. I hope to continue this series in 2006!

The year in review - Arles

2005-12-26T13:19:00.000-08:00

One of the highlights of the year was attending the Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie in the southern French town of Arles. The meetings are an opportunity for leading photographers from all over the planet to get together and share their vision with like-minded people. In effect, this means the town is teeming with nutters armed with cameras, who run around snapping at 8 o'clock in the morning. For me, the July fest was an opportunity to reunite with my posse from the Gobelins photography school in Paris. Corinne, Sendrine, Charles and I met in late March when we enrolled on an intensive course that spanned everything from studio photography to laboratory development. Sendrine and I attended two workshops at Arles, a one-day group with Martin Parr, who curated the festival in 2004, and a four-day workshop with French photographer Laure Vasconi. On our last day, all the students from the different workshops taking place that week put up their work in a small gallery space in the centre of town and we celebrated with drinks. The evening ended with a wild party in an underground cellar where students and photographers kicked up a storm to a rollicking soundtrack of gypsy music! Scroll down for further pictures...

The Miguel Rio Branco exhibition inside a church

2005-12-26T13:12:00.000-08:00

The streets of Arles - a moveable feast

2005-12-26T13:02:00.000-08:00

Former railway warehouses turned exhibition space

2005-12-26T12:53:00.000-08:00

The fruit of our labours

2005-12-26T12:52:00.000-08:00

Stranger in the night (Laure Vasconi workshop, Arles)

2005-12-26T12:50:00.000-08:00

Mystery hand (Laure Vasconi workshop, Arles)

2005-12-26T12:46:00.000-08:00

Autumn hues

2005-11-06T11:44:00.000-08:00

Just as I was about to go stir crazy from being stuck in the city, a friend suggested going for a walk in the forest at Fontainebleau southeast of Paris. After a hectic couple of months preparing the first exhibition of my work, I had not taken out my camera in a month. The timing was perfect - last Sunday was a balmy 24 degrees Centigrade and the leaves were just starting to turn.

Lost in "Translation"

2005-07-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I went to the "Translation" exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo museum. It showcases the artwork purchased by the collector Dakis Joannou, but the funky twist is that each piece is set off by graphics from designers M/M (Michael Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak). This is the duo behind countless fashion advertising campaigns, including the handwritten logo in the recent Calvin Klein ads. They also regularly collaborate with Björk.
Above: visitors walk through Nari Ward's installation "Amazing Grace" (all photographs copyright Joelle Diderich)

Self-portrait reflected in a sculpture by Jeff Koons

One of a series of posters designed by M/M

Detail of sculptures by Jeff Koons

Visitors resting in front of an image by Vanessa Beecroft

Change of Habit

2005-07-22T08:16:00.001-07:00

Apologies for using the title of an Elvis Presley song, but I could think of no better transition for my blog, which takes on a new identity as of today. Indeed, I have quit my job as a news agency journalist to become a photographer. It's a universe that is not a million miles removed from writing, but it requires a whole new set of skills. I have always taken pictures wherever I go but I felt frustrated by my lack of technical knowledge. I therefore spent the first couple of months of my new existence at a photo school in Paris, where I learnt everything from studio lighting to how to use a view camera. Spending all day talking about photography is pure luxury, but now I am in the second phase of my new career -- setting up and finding work. You can therefore expect to finally see some pictures on this blog, in addition to regular updates on the existence of a starving artist (at least I have a Parisian garret so I can hardly complain!). I hope all of you hooked on Paris Hilton will forgive me...

Don't mess with my e-mail

2005-01-19T02:39:00.000-08:00

Putting things into perspective for anyone with privacy issues, Paris Hilton is reported to be deeply upset because someone has hacked into her private e-mail account. This priceless quote from an accolyte: “She was pretty upset about it. It’s one thing to have people looking at your sex tapes, but having people reading your personal e-mails is a real invasion of privacy.”

Fox fouls up

2005-01-05T07:04:00.000-08:00

There is something satisfying about watching a detestable institution shoot itself in the foot. That is exactly what Fox TV appears to have done with "Who's Your Daddy?", its latest reality television offering in which an adopted woman has to pick out her biological father from a panel of imposters, for a $100,000 prize. The show is a ratings flop and many people have decided to simply switch channels. It's so good to see there is a limit to the public's appetite for ritualised humiliation.

Madonna - housewife superstar?

2004-12-30T04:44:00.000-08:00

Oh no! How distressing! Remember those gorgeous Versace ads 10 years ago featuring Madonna, shot by Steven Meisel? Well, don't expect a repeat. Fellow blog A Socialite's Life has the first picture of Madonna's new campaign for the Italian label, in which she comes across more housewife than business mogul. Her hair looks like cardboard and is that a faint 'tache I spot? Plus she has that perennially surprised look of the recently lifted.

Best/Worst Music of 2004

2004-12-30T03:32:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year again. Here is an interesting Best/Worst Music list (again courtesy of the Daily News). Sometimes reading these lists makes you feel like you've been living on another planet for the last 12 months. I mean, I buy a lot of CDs but most of these I have never heard of. All the more stuff to discover!

More trouble at Prada

2004-12-30T02:50:00.000-08:00

The latest from the fashion trenches, courtesy of today's New York Daily News:

"Fashion insiders are buzzing with the rumor that Helmut Lang is preparing to step down from his namesake label.
It's been five years since Lang sold a majority stake in his business to Prada. And the Italian company's tough management style has caused trouble with other designers whose names they bought - notably Jil Sander, who stormed out in 2000, came back and stormed out again last month.
"Helmut's stuff isn't selling, and the stores are empty," says one insider. "And [Prada CEO] Patrizio Bertelli is so fractious he was never going to get on with these visionaries whose labels he bought." Acquiring Helmut Lang and Jil Sander was part of Prada's as-yet-unrealized plan to go public. But quality-control issues have increasingly plagued the Lang brand."

Lagerfeld mania

2004-12-07T06:02:00.000-08:00

Karl Lagerfeld triggers "mass hysteria" in Tokyo at the opening of the new Chanel megastore. Now Babelogue is a haven for the seasoned fashionista and therefore most sympathetic to outbreaks of cold sweat in the department store -- usually followed by the foolhardy flexing of credit cards. This fall, we even suffered a mild episode of cardiac arrhythmia at the sight of the new season's Miu Miu bags. But could we please stop this insane worship of the pony-tailed one? First there was the worldwide scrum at H&M for its Lagerfeld label collection. Babelogue was thankfully spared this episode (as true fashion snobs, we had been proudly displaying our black leather messenger bag since September -- a little souvenir from the ultra-glamour launch party in Paris). Now Japanese people are sleeping on the pavement for first grab at the Chanel tweed? REALITY CHECK. Much as it pains us to pronounce these words, it's ONLY FASHION.

Diddy at the White House

2004-12-07T05:31:00.000-08:00

Never mind the war in Iraq. George W. Bush clearly has more important things on his agenda, like giving P. Diddy a guided tour of the White House. Dubya found out his wife Laura and The Didster have the same birthday. He suggested they have a joint party next year. Now that I would pay to see.

Bob and me

2004-12-03T06:58:00.000-08:00

The New York Times reports that Robert Evans, legendary producer ("Chinatown", "The Godfather") and ex-husband of hot-damn 70s babe Ali McGraw (until she dumped him for Steve McQueen) is looking to take his crayzee life story to Broadway. Now Babelogue has had the pleasure of an hour in the company of this man. Picture this...Cannes, 2002...a cream-coloured suite at the Eden Roc hotel...view of turquoise sea out the window. Evans has summoned the press to promote his documentary "The Kid Stays In The Picture", based on the memoirs of the same name and produced by Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter (who really shouldn't have been messing around in Hollywood, as we later discovered). I'm thinking this guy is over-the-hill. He's 71 and has had a multiple stroke. He can barely shuffle from his coffee table to the closet, fer chrissakes. There's three of us, two French guys and me. Since I am the only one speaking fluent English, I kick off the questions. And as soon as those first gravelly notes hit me, I am sucked into the charisma vortex that is Bob Evans. This guy speaks like Bogie in "The Maltese Falcon" -- all the time. Bob/Bogie is not shy about discussing his legal woes. "I took the biggest dive in the history of the motion business and you know what the reciprocity was? Zero minus zero. And you know what it did to me? It branded me for the rest of my life," he says. I'm hooked. My questions become increasingly fawning and sycophantic. At one point, I apparently channel Marilyn Monroe and breathily wonder: "Mr Evans, how does it feel to be a legend?" My journalistic credibility now totally snuffed, I secretly decide that I want to have this man's babies. How to explain it? He has a George Hamilton perma-tan and his light blue satin shirt is stretching over what appears to be a corset. I know, like I said, I was in a secondary state. Had he been spritzing pheromones? Performing black magic? Whatever it was, I'm not the only woman to feel the vibes. Discount wife number 7, or 8, another pneumatic blonde who no doubt wants to sink her claws into his Beverly Hills estate. I'm talking cream of young Hollywood. Newsday reported at the time: "Recently, at a chichi Oscar party, Evans' dinner partner, Selma Blair, told everyone that she wanted to marry him." Yeah, join the queue, honey. Anyway, all I have left of my brief encounter is an autograph from the great man. It makes me smile when I am down. Bob wrote: "Go for it, beautiful lady. You can do it if you try."

Tim Allen's stinker

2004-11-24T04:24:00.000-08:00

Tis the season to be jolly, and evidently to crank out those crappy "themed" movies. While we all like a bit of irony with our mistletoe & mulled wine, it looks like the new Tim Allen comedy (if that is not a contradiction in itself) has misfired with critics. The New York Daily News, with uncharacteristic literary flair, dismisses "Christmas with the Kranks" as "malodorous" fare akin to a "smelly gym sock". I think that means they, like, didn't enjoy the movie.

Vote or Die

2004-11-04T01:42:00.000-08:00

As the world settles in for four more years of Bush comes the SHOCKING news that some of the celebrities who took part in the "Vote or Die" campaign did not cast a vote themselves. Which means that Paris Hilton only did it for...the publicity? Surely not! By the way, do you think Puffy meant that slogan literally? Does Paris need to hire more bodyguards?

Galliano, watch out

2004-10-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

Those pesky anti-fur protesters at PETA have a nasty surprise in store for John Galliano at his Christian Dior fashion show in Paris. The group plans to gatecrash Tuesday's event to unveil a campaign poster featuring the madcap designer under its slogan: "Fur is worn by beautiful animals -- and ugly people". Galliano has been known to accessorise his catwalk creations with skewered foxes. A word to the wise: a PETA protester who disrupted a Dior show last year was viciously tackled by a security guard twice her size. Watch out for the guys in suits and red ties!

Presleys MIA

2004-10-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

How sweet to see three generations of Presley women reunited at the Dolce & Gabbana party in Milan on Friday. Except for the fact that Priscilla, Lisa Marie and Riley actually missed the fashion show beforehand because they were "stuck in traffic". Our spies say Stefano Gabbana threw a tantrum backstage over the outfits the girls were wearing when they did eventually show up (they had to watch standing near the door). The Elvine trio did attend the party afterwards at D&G's new store, where they reportedly sat in a cordoned off area looking bored. Ah, la dolce vita. It's tough.

Terminator justice

2004-09-30T01:26:00.000-07:00

California is fast becoming a fascist state. First, Governor (choke) Arnold Schwarzenegger bans tobacco from state prisons, knowing that about half of the state's prisoners smoke and there is precious else to do behind bars. Schwarzenegger, by the way, has set up a tent outside his smoke-free state office so that he can continue puffing on his fat cigars. In his next strike at crime and the causes of crime, Schwarzie signs a bill requiring that cars 30 years and older be tested under California's smog regulations. Because we all know those fleets of Cadillacs and Mustangs are the primary cause behind air pollution. This from a man with a fleet of Humvees...And finally, he bans the force-feeding of ducks and geese to make foie gras. Personally, I am opposed to the technique. But how about banning the torture of factory chickens that end up in KFC buckets? Or tackling the disgustingly high amounts of fat and sugar contained in most mass-distributed food in the United States? I'm waiting for Arnie's take on sexual harrassment next. That should be fun.

19th Nervous Breakdown

2004-09-22T04:33:00.000-07:00

Groan. The Rolling Stones are planning a world tour. Again.

Fashion emergency

2004-09-16T06:42:00.000-07:00

The Daily is fast becoming Comedy Central. The official publication for NY Fashion Week offers helpful tips on "How To Survive Your Hotel". Firstly, I am not sure how apposite the word "survive" is when discussing digs like the Hotel du Cap on the French Riviera (where Brad & Jen stayed during the Cannes film festival). But my doubts were dispelled by this brilliant piece of advice from Giles Mendel (who he?): “I recommend traveling with a knitted sable throw. Those blankets they give you in first class cannot keep you warm on international flights.” Brother, I hear you!

Paris can't spell 'E!'

2004-09-15T03:43:00.000-07:00

Waiddaminute -- you mean Paris Hilton didn't write that book all by herself? The hotel heiress attracted a bunch of protesters at her latest book signing in LA, who helpfully pointed out her lack of literary skills. When E! entertainment TV started filming them, they began chanting: "Paris can't spell 'E!'"

Anna's crew

2004-09-15T02:24:00.000-07:00

Anna Wintour lives in fear. The stick-like editrix has hired a bunch of ex-Navy SEALs to protect her from over-zealous autograph seekers and paparazzi at the New York shows. Nothing to do with the fact that PETA protesters have targeted Anna for wearing dead animals...

Kabbalah Schmabbalah

2004-09-15T02:19:00.000-07:00

Her Madgesty is headed to Israel for the Jewish New Year. Some locals are less than impressed. A religious teenager visiting Rachel's tomb in the occupied West Bank queried: "Madonna? Who's that?"

Fashion wisdom

2004-09-14T06:23:00.000-07:00

The Daily, in full New York Fashion Week throttle, has some INSANELY good advice on how to deal with self-loathing, courtesy of a coterie of magazine editors. Gary*, a Redbook editor, helpfully offers: "Don’t get mad at yourself when you say “Fresh with a modern twist” because you know that’s what you have to do to get ahead in the game."
One Dr. Dennis Zinner offers advice for our anguished editors. This is what he had to say about Cynthia*: "She’s seeing the world as nouns. Everything is a noun, a dress, a piece of food. But if she thinks of the world as a verb she can move through it as a fluid being." So remember, think of the world as a verb!!

*all names have been changed

Doing a Lynndie

2004-09-07T05:28:00.000-07:00

That cynical lot over at Bad Gas have found a new way to idle away those boring office afternoons -- doing a Lynndie. Inspired by the sickening photo of private Lynndie England, cigarette in mouth, pointing at a naked prisoner at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, it consists of striking a similar pose in the presence of co-workers, relatives and other innocent (preferably clothed) onlookers. And I am ashamed to say it made me laugh out loud.

Holy wigs!

2004-09-07T02:17:00.000-07:00

Is Britney losing her hair?

Game love

2004-09-02T05:13:00.000-07:00

Sibling rivalry, anyone? In a deadline-defying, simultaneous launch, Nicky Hilton launches her own range of clothes almost the same minute Paris begins hawking her Swarovski crystal-encrusted crosses on the web. The range, called Chick by Nicky Hilton, includes hand-painted jeans and tie-dye tops. "I wanted to create a line that was a reflection of the couture houses that I have grown to love, but on a scale that every girl could attain," Nicky told Entertainment Tonight. And we all know there's nothing more couture than a tie-dye top!

Leo & Gisele? No thanks

2004-09-02T03:23:00.000-07:00

Leonardo DiCaprio and Gisele Bundchen took part in some ancient indigenous rituals on their recent trip to Brazil, but they were not a big hit with the tribes of the Alto Xingu region. According to Brazilian gossip columnist Joyce Pascowitch, the locals thought Gisele would never find a husband because she is too skinny. As for Leonardo, one teeth-sucking woman opined: "He is very white to the point where he looks sick."

Crystal heart belly bar, only $15!

2004-09-02T02:42:00.000-07:00

Flex your plastic, girls, Paris Hilton has launched her own jewellery line (to go with that book/CD/TV show/crappy film). Poise and elegance are thrown in for free...just kidding.

To die for

2004-09-01T08:29:00.000-07:00

What are you prepared to do for a $150 IKEA voucher? Clearly, some people think it's worth dying for.

Get a life

2004-09-01T04:02:00.000-07:00

In the too-much-time-on-your-hands department, the New York Times reports that management at Calvin Klein have issued strict guidelines on what employees are allowed to display on their desks. In the words of the Ali G show's fashion correspondent, Bruno, black paper clamps are "whassup" while purple tulips are "Ich don't think so".
Last year, word got around that minions preparing Clavin's coffee had to match the colour of the brew to a paint sample tacked to the wall (really). The NYT reports that in a July 29 e-mail memo, employees were ordered to conform to the "Calvin Klein brand aesthetic":
"Employees were instructed not to display photos, mementos, toys, awards or any flowers other than white ones. 'Colored flowers and plants received should be taken home at the end of the day,' read the memo, which was sent by Tom Murry, the president of Calvin Klein Inc.
A photograph with the memo shows a tidy black desk accessorized with little more than a file folder or two. Approved office supplies that may appear on desks include black or white folders, black staplers, black paper clamps, black three-ring binders, black mechanical pencils and black Uniball Micro pens with black ink. The guidelines also forbid computer screensavers or desktop patterns that are not company-approved. "

QT blog?

2004-08-27T06:55:00.000-07:00

Hmm-hmmm-hmm. Intriguing. Quentin Tarantino on Blogger? MSNBC's The Scoop says the site is a fake but if it is, then it is pretty clever as the writer has been paying close attention to QT's speech patterns and imitates his propensity for saying "alright" every five seconds. Also, if "QT" does not want publicity for the site as he states on the blog, a denial from his spokesperson would be a great decoy. A mystery for the post-Rance era...

Britney in toilet use shock!

2004-08-27T00:45:00.000-07:00

It's so good to know the paparazzi are there to follow stars 24/7. Imagine we should miss Britney going to the toilet! Or picking a DVD! I hope that when she picks her nose, a photographer will be there to get that all-important shot.

Hiltons OD

2004-08-20T01:26:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the gap in postings. Recent developments on the Hilton front have simply left me feeling depressed. First Paris's busted lip, then the break-in, now she is dating Fred Durst and Nicky is doing a Britney in Vegas. To cap it all, Tinkerbell goes missing for a week. Whatever.

Mourning the Rivers

2004-08-11T08:08:00.000-07:00

Talk about late-breaking news. I may be the last person on this planet to find out that Joan and Melissa Rivers have left E! and will now be found dispensing their fashion wisdom on the TV Guide Channel. Am I also the only person on this planet who has never heard of the TV Guide Channel? Incidentally Joan's website has a scary page that patches together a caricature of her head and the bodies of models sashaying down the catwalk. Wishful thinking. Babelogue spotted Joan at a party in Cannes a couple of years back and yep, the lady is stretched tighter than a drumskin.

The real deal

2004-08-11T06:41:00.000-07:00

Yeesh. Style.com features steaming pictures of Julianne Moore in the buff and posing as an icy blonde staring into broken glass. The result is reminiscent of Sophie Dahl in that Opium ad. Beautiful, but slightly scary.

Toss your cookies

2004-08-11T05:06:00.000-07:00

Obnoxious former supermodel Janice Dickinson (the bitchy one from "America's Next Top Model") gives a charming account of her heyday in the business in an article for the Sunday Times Style magazine. Sample this tidbit:
"How far will your average supermodel go to look fabulous before, during and after the hot, hot days of a modelling career? Well, that era was a buffet of surgery, puking, drugs, booze and moments so horrifying that just remembering them gives me wrinkles."
Janice, who claims to have had sex with everyone from Jack Nicholson to Warren Beatty, helpfully adds: "It goes without saying that I don’t condone this as a weight-loss plan." It goes without saying, Janice.

Semantically challenged

2004-08-11T04:32:00.000-07:00

Raising semantics to a new level this week is Richard Herman, the lawyer for the woman charged with stalking and threatening Catherine Zeta-Jones. Dawnette Knight reportedly threatened to cut the actress "to bits" or "slice her up like meat on a bone and feed her to the dogs", according to the New York Daily News. Herman says his client is being unfairly prosecuted because "she dared look sideways at a star". I hate to think what would happen if she looked a star square in the face.

Eat your greens

2004-08-11T03:17:00.000-07:00

Pamela Anderson is a woman of many guises -- pneumatic temptress, advice columnist and now author. Just don't ask her to comment on foreign policy. Pammie signed a crate of 100 copies of her novel "Star" for the soldiers in Iraq and her main concern was that no animals were being killed to feed the U.S. troops. The Scoop has the story:
“She had a really nice chat with the soldiers,” says the source. “She’s a big supporter of animal rights — she’s a spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals — and was delighted to learn that the overseas troops actually have three different vegetarian meals to choose from.”

Mi casa, su casa

2004-08-11T01:51:00.000-07:00

Thieves who broke into the home of Paris and Nicky Hilton last week used that cunning technique: opening the front door. Turns out Paris has lost her keys so many times she no longer bothered locking the house. This picture on Page Six has got to be the most unflattering since U.S. ELLE ran its spread of Paris looking comatose on a sofa at the Ritz Hotel in Paris (wait a minute -- doesn't her family own a rival chain of hotels?).

Wear some clothes

2004-08-07T09:42:00.000-07:00

Captain Lightbulb award of the week goes to Benjamin Vanderford, the San Francisco bank employee who faked a video of an American being beheaded by Islamist kidnappers in Iraq. As if it wasn't enough to come up with this tasteless stunt, Vanderford insisted on receiving the world's media dressed in nothing but his grubby boxer shorts, giving us a full-blown view of his beer gut and hairy back. Thanks, we really needed that.

Touchay

2004-08-07T04:12:00.000-07:00

In a singular display of wit and verve, Paris Hilton has titled her debut album "Paris Is Burning". The debut single is aptly titled "Screwed" (that should really help us forget her sex tape) but there's a snag -- Haylie Duff (eh?) has recorded a song of the same name and a catfight is brewing over who gets to release it. Paris's version has conveniently leaked onto the Internet, a development her flak calls "disturbing". Yeh, it must be really inconvenient having the song out just when the album is looking for a distributor.

Gallo goes down

2004-08-07T03:58:00.000-07:00

Vincent Gallo's blow job billboard has been taken down, for reasons unexplained.

Poor little rich girls

2004-08-07T03:31:00.000-07:00

Burglars haul loot reported worth thousands of dollars from the Hollywood home of hotel heiresses Paris and Nicky Hilton. The house is described variously as lavish and modest. What's the deal, kids?

Celebrity justice

2004-08-04T07:32:00.000-07:00

Check out the celebrity portraits of British artist Dawn Mellor. These include Courtney Love wallowing in the embrace of a grizzly bear and Madonna with a shotgun, dripping blood over a pack of hyenas. A tenner says she is not about to be profiled in "Hello!" magazine.

SJP goes Fauntleroy

2004-08-04T07:27:00.000-07:00

Sarah Jessica Parker channels Little Lord Fauntleroy in one of the first visuals from her upcoming press ad campaign for The Gap. Start cropping your jeans, girls.

Versace woes

2004-08-03T03:06:00.000-07:00

Donatella in rehab shock! OK, I'm still on a roll with my stale headlines here. The New York Post reported last week that Donatella Versace has checked herself into rehab for a cocaine addiction. Babelogue is no stranger to the fashion scene but can honestly swear the naughtiest thing she has seen backstage at a show is someone smoking a joint. Still looking to spot those track marks between models' toes...PS: Donatella's daughter Allegra recently inherited 50 percent of the company. She is well on her way to looking as scary as Mom.

Little red booster

2004-08-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

More belated jaw-droppers - you have to feel sorry for Paris Hilton. I mean, what is it like to have the brain of a leek? Paris decided to break up with the equally B-list Nick Carter while preparing for a magazine photoshoot and immediately dumped him over the phone -- but only after consulting her psychic. This from an interview with US Weekly:
"I was getting my makeup done, and it just hit me: I love Nick, but I need time alone. I called my psychic, and I asked her opinion. She thought I should be alone, and I agreed with her.
"I went straight to the Kabbalah Center and told everyone about the break-up and got a new bracelet. I go there regularly - it helps me with my life. It helps you deal."

Eew

2004-08-02T07:54:00.000-07:00

I'm sure Chloe Sevigny will be thrilled. Vincent Gallo, who directed the indie actress in the stinker "The Brown Bunny", thinks she is such a talent that he has put up a 60-foot billboard on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles that shows her giving him a blow job. Wow! He must really think she has star quality! Either that, or he is stooping to the lowest depths to promote the reportedly unwatchable movie. UPDATE: Pic now available.

Who's your granddaddy?

2004-08-02T06:28:00.000-07:00

When two of my favourite celebrities get together for a chat, things go a bit pear-shaped. Read JT LeRoy's stream-of-consciousness interview with Courtney Love from this month's i-D magazine, in which Courtney discusses the rumours that Marlon Brando was her grandfather. Presumably the interview was conducted before Brando's death last month. Guess now we will never find out -- they can't do an Yves Montand as Marlon was smart enough to have his remains cremated.

Suh-weet

2004-08-02T04:50:00.000-07:00

I'm just catching up with all the gossip I missed and this one really has me cackling. Sorry if I come across as a moron to all you gossip vultures...Kimora Lee Simmons of "America's Next Top Model" fame has been arrested for erratic driving. Catch her mugshot on thesmokinggun.com. It's a far cry from those Baby Phat ads where she poses with her maid and pets...oops, sorry, children.

Travel the world

2004-08-02T03:17:00.000-07:00

Babelogue is back after spending the holidays not too far from her own doorstep. There is nothing like armchair travelling however and fellow blogger Jodyleia kindly directs to a fun website where you can create a map of the countries you have visited (http://www.world66.com/myworld66). This is a great one for people like me who have visited a single town in Russia, which makes the whole country show up in blood red on the map and thereby allows you to appear much more widely travelled than you actually are.

Save Rance

2004-07-16T08:17:00.000-07:00

Hollywood is buzzing over the real identity of the mystery blogger known as Rance, who claims to be an A-list actor. Rance has won fans with his bilious tirades against the Hollywood system, but sadly his outpourings seem to have had a therapeutic effect. In his most recent post, he reports: "My Piss Count right now is about a 2.0, my Vinegar Level is about 0.9. When I logged on to rant last December, I was into double digits in both. I feel I’ve gotten it out of my system." Rance is currently auditioning for a replacement. Don't let this happen! Start a Save Rance petition or better still, make him mad. Mad enough to rant.

Hail to the chief

2004-07-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

Fox News biased? Surely not! Fellow blogger Wonkette publishes 30 memos by Fox News chief John Moody that set the editorial tone at the network. Here is a sample:
"The president is doing something that few of his predecessors dared undertake: putting the US case for mideast peace to an Arab summit. It's a distinctly skeptical crowd that Bush faces. His political courage and tactical cunning are worth noting in our reporting through the day."

Psych out the Taliban

2004-07-13T06:53:00.000-07:00

This just in from the Washington Post: a naturist magazine offers advice for waging the war on terror:
"'As you may already know, it is a sin for a Taliban man to see any woman other than his wife naked and that he must commit suicide if he does,' writes an unnamed wag, who suggests that American women should therefore 'walk out of their houses completely naked to help weed out any neighborhood terrorists.' Meanwhile, men should 'position themselves in lawn chairs in front of their houses to prove they are not Taliban. . . . And since the Taliban also do not approve of alcohol, a cold 6-pack at your side is further proof of your anti-Taliban sentiment.'"

Just Say No, Britney

2004-07-13T05:53:00.000-07:00

Great minds think alike. Cafepress (of Dick Cheney T-shirt fame) have also come out against Britney's engagement. Remember: "Just Say No".

Top 10 Worst Album Covers

2004-07-12T06:13:00.000-07:00

For tears-in-your-eyes entertainment, check out this collection of the Top 10 Worst Album Covers. It includes such gems as Joyce, a Tootsie lookalike, and the McKeithens, whose lead singer has a dead animal the size of a microwave oven attached to her head.

Gwyneth's cup runneth over

2004-07-12T03:35:00.000-07:00

Gwyneth Paltrow sports bizarre markings on her back, presumed to be the result of "cupping". Brr.

Keira goes flat out

2004-07-12T02:30:00.000-07:00

Keira Knightley benefits from a bit of surgical enhancement, courtesy of the digital department, in the posters for her new epic "King Arthur".

Intolerable Cruelty

2004-07-12T01:46:00.000-07:00

Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel. A new reality TV series follows a group of Amish youths as they share a villa in the Hollywood Hills with "six young urbanites" (read air-heads). Sounds like "Intolerable Cruelty" to me.

Cheney's F-word on a T

2004-07-09T06:32:00.000-07:00

Foul-mouthed U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney is immortalised in a new line of T-shirts available at a webstore near you! Thanks to the Lady Caroline in Washington D.C. for this item.

Tori & Charlie 4ever

2004-07-05T03:22:00.000-07:00

Tori Spelling, the world's most inspired B-movie actress since Donna Mills, has tied the knot at daddy's mansion in Beverly Hills. You can still buy the happy couple a gift from their wedding list at Tiffany, which includes a $1,350 rhodium mantel clock.

Is that, like, a hotel?

2004-07-05T03:13:00.000-07:00

The New York Times has devoted 10,000 words to stories about the humanitarian crisis in Darfur (Sudan) since May 23. In the same period, it has devoted 17,000 words to stories mentioning Paris Hilton.

Bergdorf bitch

2004-07-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

It appears that Manhattan's new literary darling, Plum Sykes, is a bone fide bitch. Read journalist Charlotte Edwardes's immensely entertaining account of her encounter with La Sykes in book promotion mode. A choice extract:
"I tell her that, despite repeated requests, Penguin, her publisher, has failed to send me a copy. She pales to an unflattering shade of grey.
'You haven't read my book? Oh, my God, I can't believe it. So you don't actually know what I am talking about?' Near hysterical, she drops her napkin.
'You obviously have no idea. When I interview a famous author for Vogue, I make absolutely sure I have read all their works.' She takes a deep breath, then screams at me: 'You are so unprofessional - I can't deal with this.'"

The gospel of Homer

2004-07-01T02:59:00.000-07:00

Propaganda comes in many shapes and guises. The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, head of the world's 70 million Anglicans, has praised "The Simpsons" as "one of the most subtle pieces of propaganda around in the cause of sense, humility and virtue." Try throwing that remark into your next dinner conversation! You will sound clever and wise.

Britney - the new Liz Taylor?

2004-07-01T02:42:00.000-07:00

Is Babelogue becoming bitter and twisted? News that Britney Spears is marrying her backing dancer Kevin Federline after a "whirlwind romance" just gives me a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. For some reason, I can see myself reading a Britney profile in 20 years' time with a footnote along the lines of: "Britney divorced her first husband, a backing dancer, after 18 months." Or should that read second husband? I'm already losing count. Britney describes her quickie Las Vegas marriage in January to childhood sweetheart Jason Alexander -- annulled after just 55 hours -- as "a total ugh". I wonder if she will come to speak as eloquently of her marriage to Federline.

Polly Jean is the queen

2004-07-01T01:38:00.000-07:00

PJ Harvey gave a kick-butt concert in Paris last night. The girl might be tiny but she sure packs a punch. Her voice goes from a shout to a whisper in the space of a heartbeat. Stomping the stage in her shocking pink stilettos, she reminds us what the Riot Grrl movement was all about. For the encore, she was joined by Marianne Faithfull who sang two of the songs they co-wrote for Marianne's new album. While the first song, "Love is a Miracle", drew cheers from the crowd, one could not help but feel a bit sorry for Marianne, who could not remember her lyrics without the aid of a cheat sheet. Her broken voice was soon drowned out by the instruments and Polly Jean's luminous backing vocals. When the lights came up, the crowd went ballistic and refused to budge. We were treated to a second encore with PJ doing a searing solo version of "Rid of Me" before capping it off with a haunting performance of "To Bring You My Love". Major, major respect.