Newsletter Tuesday, May 16, 2017

[LaineyGossip.com - Calling all smuthounds!] Tuesday, May 16, 2017 [Intro for May 16, 2017]( [The Strokes ]( Dear Gossips, When I saw that Vulture had posted an [oral history of The Strokes]( yesterday, I had to save it for a nighttime read. Articles that like must be enjoyed without interruption, without worrying someone might knock on your door, without being rushed. Have you read it yet? You don’t have to be a Strokes fan to get into it. I’m not a hardcore Strokes fan. I have Is This It, my favourite song on that album is Trying Your Luck. But it’s definitely not in regular rotation on my playlists. Which probably means I have the musical taste of an asshole – a fact confirmed in this article by the band members themselves and the music intelligentsia supporting their legacy when they declare that they were (are?) superior to both The Killers and Kings Of Leon, two bands I prefer over The Strokes. That’s not the point though. The point is that this is the kind of sh-t talk we’re getting here from The Strokes as they remember their rise and fall. Part of the reason behind the fall was that they didn’t know what they wanted. And the way I read it here, they were afraid to want what they wanted. Or ostensibly, they didn’t want it at all – and that always adds to the allure, to their alleged “rock cool”. Which is why pieces like this are referred to as “rock history” as opposed to… straight up gossip. But it IS gossip. It’s definitely gossip when Ryan Adams comes up. They talk a lot of sh-t about Ryan Adams. And Ryan Adams inadvertently talks a lot of sh-t about himself. Basically Julian Casablancas thinks Ryan Adams is an asshole for getting Albert Hammond Jr on heroin and Ryan Adams, well, Ryan Adams makes himself look like an asshole all by himself. His story about John Mayer alone, right off the top of the piece, pretty much seals it. But then again, I’ve never enjoyed Ryan Adams. Remember, Ryan Adams is the guy who broke up once with Mandy Moore and explained to the tabloids that he did it because he wanted to “[remain punk as f-ck](”. Mandy Moore finally got a hit show after she divorced. I will never, ever believe that that’s not a coincidence. Hilariously The Strokes “broke up” with Ryan Adams by calling a summit at a bar where, basically, they told him they didn’t want to be friends anymore. But, you know, this is not Mean Girls. Because these people are not girls, they’re rock musicians. So, remember, this isn’t gossip, it’s “rock history”. The “rock history” continues with The Strokes’ association with Courtney Love. Here’s when they talk about how f-cked up Courtney was at the time they were hanging out. And then their manager describes her being all “strung out and drunk” and that “it was almost embarrassing” the way she “was running up and down the hallways naked”. Sure. But not two quick scrolls later down the page, one of their own is using heroin and they were drunk on stage during their performances and fighting all the time, and amazingly, no judgment, just “rock cool”. Selectively, of course. It reminds me of a great essay I read a couple of years ago by Molly Beauchemin for Pitchfork when Montage Of Heck, the Kurt Cobain documentary, and Amy, Asif Kapadia’s film about Amy Winehouse, were both released within weeks of each other. Molly called it “[the Gendering of Martyrdom](” and you get a sense of it here, as a possible explanation to what happened to The Strokes – they were the victims of their own talent, of the masterpiece of their first album. It’s not like we all don’t do it or haven’t done it. Just look at Johnny Depp and the behaviour that we’ve willingly excused on his part that we probably wouldn’t if it were a woman – because he’s Johnny Depp, he’s Marlon Brando incarnate, the “eccentricities” come with the art. [Click here]( to read The Strokes oral history at Vulture. Yours in gossip, Lainey [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 1:33 PM [Smutty Social May 16, 2017]( [Jenna Dewan at NBC Upfronts, May 15, 2017]( Britney and Justin wore it better. [some scenes behind the scenes @gqitalia. italian interview at the link in my bio.]( A post shared by Orlando Bloom (@orlandobloom) on May 16, 2017 at 12:27am PDT [Vin Diesel]( paid tributes to mothers the only way he knows how: by posting a picture of himself on stage, giving the peace sign. [Hope you all have a great Mother's Day weekend... All love.]( A post shared by Vin Diesel (@vindiesel) on May 12, 2017 at 3:48pm PDT [Chelsea Handler]( and [Jessica Simpson]( both attended the wedding of their hair stylist, Christine. How friendly do you think Chelsea and Jessica are? I googled their names together and this tweet popped up. How has jessica simpson still not given birth to this baby? I'm getting frightened. — Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) [April 27, 2012]( [Wedding weekend. @christinesymondshair @odetteannable @jessicasimpson so much fun!]( A post shared by Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) on May 15, 2017 at 1:54pm PDT Mike Myers and Dana Carvey reportedly “[set aside their feud](” in 2013 and now, when everyone is so hungry for reboots, are they going to make Wayne’s World happen again? [Soooo I got to hang out with these two legends this past weekend!! #MikeMyers @TheDanaCarvey]( A post shared by Tracee Ellis Ross (@traceeellisross) on May 15, 2017 at 4:49pm PDT [Jennifer Lopez]( and [Jenna Dewan]( posted similar shots from the NBC Upfronts. They both chose dresses to show off their legs because… look at them! They even have nice calves, and that’s the tree trunk of the body. As dancers, they have impeccable posture and pose without jutting out and creating [an Angelina situation](. [💙]( A post shared by Jenna Dewan Tatum (@jennadewan) on May 15, 2017 at 1:00pm PDT [#Repost @chrisappleton1 ・・・ @jlo 🔥🔥🔥 #chrisappletonhair @scottbarnes68 @marielwashere @robzangardi @enamelle]( A post shared by Jennifer Lopez (@jlo) on May 15, 2017 at 9:44am PDT Is Jeremy Renner’s team using Microsoft Clip Art to make these graphics? [Monday... #startitup]( A post shared by Jeremy Renner (@renner4real) on May 15, 2017 at 6:22pm PDT Great News got picked up for a second season, even though the first season has been lukewarm in every way (ratings, reviews). But there is probably the hope it will develop like 30 Rock. [#NBCUpfronts so excited for Season 2 of @nbcgreatnews!! ❤❤]( A post shared by Nicole Richie (@nicolerichie) on May 15, 2017 at 12:29pm PDT What’s STEM without a sparkly jumpsuit. [Hands-free policy around the Apollo 14 Crew Capsule, but I felt so honored to even stand this close to it.. I have so much respect for the brilliant men and women who risk their lives for space exploration and discovery !!!!! THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING AND TO EVERYONE AT @KENNEDYSPACECENTER FOR THIS DAY 🛰☄️💫]( A post shared by Gigi Hadid (@gigihadid) on May 15, 2017 at 1:27pm PDT [John Boyega]( and [Lupita]( is like an explosion of smiley face heart eye emojis. [This one surprised me tonight ! ❤️❤️]( A post shared by BOYEGA (@johnboyega) on May 15, 2017 at 7:00pm PDT [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 7:23 PM [Charlie Hunnam: saved by Lost City]( [Charlie Hunnam promotes 'King Arthur: Legend of the Sword' in Rio de Janeiro, May 14, 2017]( As Sarah noted yesterday, [King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword](, is a huge flop, so far the biggest flop of the year, grossing under $15 million domestically on opening weekend and $29 million overseas on a budget of at least $175 million before marketing. They’re looking at a major loss. But is it a loss for [Charlie Hunnam]( and his career? Vulture cited [three reasons]( behind the failure of King Arthur: IP is hot right now but it has to the right IP and clearly not enough people care about the Knights Of The Round Table; the movie itself was sh-t; and, well, Charlie couldn’t save it. That said, as the writer Kevin Lincoln points out, he’s not the only one. Many other actors couldn’t save their many respective flops. And Charlie actually has an advantage right now. The Lost City Of Z, which came out just a month before Arthur, was generally well-received, with many calling it the strongest performance of his career. Which is why Kevin Lincoln argues that even though Arthur is a straight up bomb, the problem here is that Hollywood just [hasn’t figured out what to do with Charlie yet](. Does part of that, the not figuring out, have to do with Jax Teller? I read a wonderful piece by Shea Serrano at The Ringer the other day about his affection for Charlie Hunnam. It’s funny, because Shea is a major stan. But it’s also really sweet. Because he’s not stanning here as a dude-bro. This is [sensitive, vulnerable fan appreciation]( by a straight man for another straight man that’s mostly based on a fictional character who’s arguably a pure dude-bro. And somehow, Shea’s written a piece that’s the exact opposite of toxic masculinity. The opposite, you could say, of Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur. And it makes Charlie look GREAT. If they’re trying to figure out what to do with Charlie Hunnam, reading that article would be a good start. Attached - Charlie promoting King Arthur in Brazil. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 6:43 PM [Justice League uh-oh]( [Gal Gadot and Chris Pine attend the press conference for Wonder Woman on May 15, 2017 in Shanghai, China]( Would you be terribly surprised if I told you Justice League might be in trouble? No? Me neither. The latest warning sign comes in the form of reshoots—lots and lots of reshoots. Like, multiple rounds of reshoots, enough to be “remade…twice”. Oh boy. I bet [Ben Affleck]( is [super excited](. Of course, everyone is pointing to Rogue One as proof that extensive reshoots don’t spell doom, but Rogue One still has [visible story/character problems]( resulting from those reshoots. It’s not a terrible movie, but there’s no doubt that reshoots left scars on the final product. And yes, reshoots are normal, especially for blockbusters, but not this much. Can we all stop pretending like reshooting half the movie is normal? It’s not. Reshooting a couple scenes, maybe an action sequence where something didn’t quite work on the day—that’s normal. Reshooting an entire act? Or reshooting half your movie then going back to reshoot EVEN MORE? No. Not normal. A problem, in fact. Sure, you can pull out something decent, like Rogue One. But Warner Bros/DC went through this already and the result was Suicide Squad, which is a f*cking nightmare. Do we really think the same people are going to save Justice League? This is the whole issue—no one trusts the people in charge. They [promoted Ben Affleck]( and added an oversight committee to monitor Zack Snyder, but that seems to have resulted in chaos, and it sounds like no one knows what the f*ck movie they’re even making. And we’re not even talking costs here. No one is ever honest about their budgets, but Warners is especially bad about that, and with both Superhero Face Punch and Suicide Squad they spent so much they made it impossible to actually make money. (They only made money on paper if you accept their reported budgets are honest.) So how much will all this cost? Well, back in 2007 Spider-Man 3 cost over $300 million, and it hasn’t gotten any cheaper in the decade since. And this kind of thing, reshooting so much of the movie, just digs the hole deeper. Can Justice League still be good? Maybe. There’s always hope. But between Zack Snyder’s wildly off-base take on the characters and now chaos behind the scenes, optimism is harder to muster. But you know what the real killer is? Thor: Ragnarok opens two weeks before Justice League in November. Undoubtedly, Warners thought that would be a softie spot, and would come with the added bonus of getting to beat Marvel at the box office that month. It almost doesn’t matter what the actual quality of the movie is—if f*cking THOR outperforms the Justice League… I don’t think anyone is actually prepared for that. But maybe they need to be. (Lainey: First though, Wonder Woman. Opening in two weeks. Here are [Gal Gadot]( and [Chris Pine]( in Shanghai.) [Source]( [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 6:10 PM [Smutty Tingles]( I think… [I might love this show](? (Dlisted) [Benedict Cumberbatch does look tired](. I don’t know about beautiful…but that’s why we all have different eyes (Cele|bitchy) [Gillian Anderson in an Erdem dress that’s so boring]( I’m surprised Princess Kate’s not wearing it (Go Fug Yourself) [The Oscars really liked Jimmy Kimmel]( (Just Jared) Busted: [Katy Perry’s carpool karaoke]( (TooFab) [Is Katy Perry still not over Orlando Bloom](? (Celeb Dirty Laundry) Is this [supposed to be leather](? (Popoholic) [Why Guy Ritchie and David Beckham are friends]( (!! omg blog !!) I need to see [more of this skirt]( on Elle Fanning (Hollywood Tuna) [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 5:22 PM [Zac Efron: closer to Leo]( [Zac Efron attends Paramount Pictures' World Premiere of 'Baywatch' on May 13, 2017 in Miami Beach, Florida]( The last time we did a full article here on [Zac Efron]( it was over a month ago, a post written by Kathleen titled [When Did Zac Efron Go Full Douche?]( It ended up being a group effort, with several of us weighing in on Zac’s douche history and revisiting his shirtless diary and me coming to the conclusion that Zac Efron is Hollywood Putin. Doucheness, then, is something that Zac has always had in common with his hero, [Leonardo DiCaprio](. We’ve seen Zac’s admiration of Leo through the years, notably at basketball games, but we haven’t seen that admiration become inspiration… until now. It was announced yesterday that Zac will play rapist serial killer Ted Bundy in a new film, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. If you’re into the true crime thing, you know that Ted Bundy lured many of his victims with his good looks. He was attractive and charming so, initially, they didn’t think he could be dangerous. So Zac has that part down… I guess? Zac’s cheese has never been my flavour and Zac types, to me, have always seemed super rapey but I wonder if that’s part of the Ted Bundy effect. Also Robert Chambers, the “preppy killer”. And every asshole working in finance who thinks showing me his watch gives him the right to graze it against my tits. So Zac is finally getting the opportunity to go dark, like his idol Leo. He’s seeing Leo’s Frank Abagnale and Calvin Candie and raising him a Ted Bundy. I’m curious though – once Zac Efron goes full Leo, does that mean he’ll actually go FULL Leo? No comedies. No improv. No personality. All serious. Only models. Because what’s interesting is that if, IFFFFF, Zac Efron can pull off Ted Bundy, it might actually mean he’s MORE versatile than his mentor. Attached - Zac at the world premiere of Baywatch in Miami on the weekend. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 4:59 PM [Cannes Preview 2017]( [Marion Cotillard arrives in France, May 16, 2017]( Cannes 2017 kicks off tomorrow, and the festival seems a bit muted, with a noticeable dimming of star power and no obvious Oscar bait in the line-up. That has to be deliberate—there is a real emphasis on the filmmaker, not the actor, this year. Which is good for the actual quality of the cinema, but a little disappointing for people and batsh*t crazy fashion watching. At least we have a lot of Nicole Kidman to look forward to. As she is in Eccentric Grande Dame mode, we’re sure to see at least two bonkers outfits from her, plus whatever Tilda Swinton deigns to wear. (A dressing gown and fright wig? You never know.) But still, it feels like we’re in for a relatively quiet year at Cannes. The Kidman Collection As Lainey wrote yesterday, [Nicole Kidman]( has [four projects]( screening at Cannes this year: How to Talk to Girls at Parties, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Beguiled, and Top of the Lake. What’s incredible is that these are all high-potential projects—Kidman isn’t just working a lot, she’s working WELL. [Top of the Lake]( is Jane Campion and follows a critically acclaimed first season; Sacred Deer is Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos’s follow-up to The Lobster; Girls at Parties is based on a Neil Gaiman story, which puts it in the zeitgeist thanks to American Gods; and The Beguiled is the latest from [Sofia Coppola](. I’m especially interested in The Beguiled, particularly to see how male critics react to it. A couple weeks ago Claire White at Bitch Flicks [examined the gendered response]( to Coppola’s work and how criticisms like “too pretty” have been used to ding her when that never seems to affect filmmakers like Damien Chazelle. My issue with Coppola is that I’m not always interested in her privileged protagonists, but she is undeniably every inch a visual master like her peers, such as Wes Anderson, and she’s more thematically consistent than most of her male cohort as well. So I’m interested in how the predominately male critical body will respond to The Beguiled. Cannes v. Netflix Netflix is premiering their first films at Cannes this year, Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories, with Ben Stiller and Adam Sandler’s intermittent sense of integrity, and Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer follow-up, Okja, starring [Tilda Swinton]( and Jake Gyllenhaal. But France is practically the last bastion of the pure theatrical experience, so as of next year, films [must be released in French theaters to qualify for Cannes](. This rule will stymie Netflix, which has struggled to find theatrical partners for their films because they insist on day-and-date release models. (It probably won’t affect Amazon, since they’re committed to theatrical windows.) The Cannes Film Festival can do whatever the f*ck it wants, but this is basically barring talkies from your film festival because REAL film is silent. Give it a few years and Cannes will be forced to relax their rule because the future is inevitable (which other major world festivals [recognize](). A flight of auteurs Heavy-duty filmmakers are well repped at Cannes this year, starting with Todd Haynes, whose Carol follow-up, Wonderstruck, pairs Michelle Williams and Julianne Moore in a cross-generational story. It sounds a little Spielbergian, with two kids separated by decades on the same adventure, but Haynes just doesn’t make bad movies, so it will be worth a watch. The competition slate also brings out Michael Haneke, with a film called Happy End. It stars Isabelle Huppert and I guarantee it won’t have a happy end. Michel Hazanvicius has not been able to repeat the international success of The Artist, but he’s going to try again with Le redoubtable, a biopic of Jean-Luc Godard. Is there a more Cannes-friendly topic? And the opening night film is Arnaud Desplechin’s film, Ismaels’ Ghosts, which will bring [Marion Cotillard]( AND Charlotte Gainsbourg to the same red carpet. Also, Roman Polanski has a new film, Based on a True Story, because he will never run out of chances. A clutch of lady films Besides Sofia Coppola, the competition slate includes new films from Lynne Ramsey (You Were Never Really Here), and Naomi Kawase (Radiance). And out of competition, Jane Campion is joined by Vanessa Redgrave, directing the documentary Sea Sorrow, about the refugee crisis, and Kristen Stewart, supporting a short film she directed, Come Swim. Though women are represented in almost every category at the festival, the [stats]( for women directors at Cannes aren’t much better than last year’s, and parity remains a distant not-reality, so there’s still a lot of work to be done. Maybe worry less about Netflix and more about whether or not latent sexism is hindering your festival, Cannes. Attached - Marion Cotillard, Jessica Chastain, Julianne Moore, Lily-Rose Depp, Susan Sarandon, and Monica Belluci arriving in France ahead of the festival. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 4:16 PM [Late Night Brad Pitt]( [Brad Pitt]( [Brad Pitt]( is promoting War Machine on Netflix premiering next Friday May 26th, in time for Memorial Day in the United States. He’s already [covered GQ]( and talked about his “self-inflicted” drama while making matcha green tea. He wants us to know that he’s working out his emotions through his sculptures these days. And that he’s quit drinking but, f-ck no, he [didn’t go to rehab]( but sought help through therapy, because that’s how we class substance abuse. Last week on [Show Your Work]( Duana and I talked about Brad Pitt’s current media game, Make Brad Pitt Great Again, and who it appeals to. This week Brad spoke to [The Associated Press]( and talked about how he’s not hiding, that he has no secrets, that he’s working on the “new configuration” of his family. And about hubris: “Hubris is a trap and it’s the trap of every great nation that has been number one for too long. You start to believe your own stink. Anytime I’ve gotten in trouble, it’s because of my own hubris.” The antidote to hubris, of course, is humility. To be humble. So, in acknowledging his own hubris, Brad Pitt is humbling himself. And it’s the key to this new era of Brad Pitt’s celebrity. Because what makes a celebrity attractive? You hear it all the time. “X is such a big star! But what I love about him is that he’s humble!” That’s what Brad’s showing you: his humble, a noun. It’s become a proper presence. Will we see Brad’s humble tonight? He’s expected on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. BREAKING NEWS! Brad Pitt will be on The Late Show tomorrow night to —wait, what? Trump already leaked that, too? — Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) [May 16, 2017]( As you know, Brad doesn’t do a lot of late night TV and it’s been a while since he’s been on late night TV. I remember him promoting Moneyball on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart a few years ago but it’s not a familiar image, Brad Pitt on a couch on television after midnight. Colbert is an interesting choice too because Brad has made edited sketch bit appearances on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon – they yodeled at each other and there was also a breakdance. But Colbert has been gaining hard on Fallon. Last week he beat Fallon [in the 18-49 demo](. And while Brad Pitt’s not, say, Beyoncé, for Colbert this is still a pretty major get. But what are we getting from a Pitt-Colbert interview? Colbert has been aiming for Donald Trump every single night. Will Brad Pitt participate? Or will it just end up being a boring “tell me about your character” conversation? [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 3:41 PM [Taylor found]( [Taylor Swift ]( As you’ve seen and heard, [Taylor Swift]( has kept a very low profile all year. She performed Super Bowl weekend as part of her deal with AT&T but since then been pretty quiet on social media and the paps haven’t been able to find her. To her advantage though, even in her absence, it’s like she’s still around, because everyone’s wondering what she’s doing, what she’s planning, when she’ll be back. Which doesn’t suck where she’s concerned – to not be forgotten, to have confirmation that you can’t be forgotten? It’s good publicity. And it’s free. It’s also why, sometimes, it’s good work to NOT show your work. Taylor, it turns out, was in Nashville this weekend visiting her ma, Andrea, for Mother’s Day. TMZ has [the exclusive photos](. Fans who’ve tracked the tail number of the plane have observed that she flew in from LA on Saturday. Not that this tells us much of anything. Taylor spending time with family on Mother’s Day isn’t much of a revelation. Her hair looks to be the same length it was in February. She’s dressed super casually so I’m assuming they didn’t have any guests over. Other than that, everything else is still a question mark. Which is great. Mysteries are great. Taylor Swift is learning how to be a mystery. To be a mystery though, you need buy-in from everyone else. And few people have that influence. Taylor Swift has managed it so far within her circle. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 2:15 PM [Blake Lively, Cage Fighting Mom]( [Blake Lively attends the 'Paint It Black' New York premiere at The Museum of Modern Art on May 15, 2017 in New York City]( Today in This Year Is Complete Nonsense News: [Blake Lively]( will star in a movie about a woman who turns to cage fighting in order to keep her son. That’s right, Blake Lively, the self-appointed second coming of Martha Stewart, is going to play a cage fighter. The movie is called Bruised and it will be directed by Nick Cassavetes, who is best known for The Notebook. It’s being shopped around the Cannes film market right now, because 2017 is bonkers and anything is possible, up to and including Blake Lively starring in a mixed martial arts movie. Everyone is pointing to The Shallows, a sleeper hit last year, as proof that Lively can carry a movie, but Lively didn’t carry that movie—the shark did. The movie Lively did have to carry was The Age of Adaline and it didn’t exactly [bowl people over](. Lainey thinks that maybe, given the success of The Shallows, Lively is looking to remake herself as a B-movie queen, but she also gets roles in Woody Allen movies (and has another romantic drama due out later this year, in which she plays a blind woman who regains her sight. Sadly, it is not called Reverse At First Sight). So the generous view on the last few years of Lively’s acting career is that it’s a mixed bag, with some hits, some misses, a little prestige and a bit of summer flare. To me it looks less like a plan and more like throwing darts until something sticks. Her peers include Alicia Vikander, Emma Stone, Kristen Stewart, Anna Kendrick, Zoe Kravitz, and Jennifer Lawrence, which doesn’t leave a lot of operating room for Lively, and it looks like she’s trying to find her level, given that she isn’t seeing that top tier of scripts, but she hasn’t quite found her niche yet. (Lively is exactly the kind of actress who misses the romantic comedy the most—twenty years ago, she’s a rom-com queen.) With her borderline mocktress side projects, you know who Blake Lively reminds me of? Jessica Biel. Except Lively isn’t married to a twerp. [Source]( Attached - Blake Lively at the New York premiere of Paint It Black last night. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 2:01 PM [Privacy Policy]( - [Unsubscribe](