Archive for June, 2009

Royal cuteness!

Here's Princess RiRi, making her way into her hotel on a muggy Monday afternoon in NYC.

Even when Ri keeps it casual with denim shorts and a boxy button-down, she looks as stylish as evs.

Work it!

[Image via JDH/WENN.]

In a famous scene from Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal music video, the pop singer and his dancers leaned forward at a 45-degree angle - much to the confusion of all of us watching.

Well, now the cat is out of the bag!!!

Wires and harnesses were used during the filming of the video, but when performing live they had assistance from special shoes.

The shoes, which were patented in 1993, contain anklets which give the footwear the rigidity of ski boots along with ability to latch on to pegs that rise out of the floor, thereby allowing Jackson to defy gravity.

We want a pair!

Watch Parton's vlog on Jackson (above)!

This has been one hellaciously bad year for the Chuck E. Cheese brand!

2009 started with some fights breaking out at a Chuck E. Cheese in Pennsylvania.

Then, more fights took place at another Chuck E. Cheese in Pennsylvania. A toddler was even found abandoned at a Chuck E. Cheese in Maryland, followed by more incidents of fighting at another joint.

Then, again with more reports of fighting elsewhere in the country and one spot in Illinois was even shut down for a bit after they were discovered to have been selling liquor to minors.

After a few more fights were reported in April, it seemed the chaos related to the "kid friendly" spot was over.

Not so fast!

Bad news for one Chuck E. Cheese in Kennesaw, Georgia. The joint was robbed at gunpoint early Sunday morning by two men at around 1am.

As the employees were getting ready to leave, the burglars ordered them back in to open the safe and handover the cash.

Luckily, no one was hurt, but the douchebags did manage to take off in a small sedan with police still on the lookout.

Poor Chuck E.!

If you were hoping to catch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in IMAX on its opening weekend, you better live in NY, LA, or Chicago. Otherwise, you're shit outta luck!

The smarty-pants over at the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen distribution office have worked a deal that has Transformers booked in IMAX theaters across the country for an entire month, effectively ruining any chance to release Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on the big, big screen until July 29, 2 weeks following its initial release. (July 17)

However, there are three very specific locations that are exempt from this burnout of Potter, so if you are hell-bent on seeing the flick in IMAX, grab a pen.

The locations are: NYC’s AMC Loews Lincoln Square, LA’s Century City IMAX, and Chicago’s Henry Crown Space Center at the Museum of Science and Industry, which is also currently displaying a Harry Potter exhibit.

We don't really see the necessity to see Harry Potter on an IMAX screen, but for avid fans, we guess it is important.

Will U wait to see it in IMAX or tough it out and see Harry Potter on the regular size screen?

“The Michael Jackson I will remember was smart, articulate and made me laugh. His death was a huge shock but it brought back so many happy memories."

Such are thoughts of David Gest, the sexually ambiguous ex-husband of Liza Minnelli turned British reality TV "star". Like many of Michael's famous comrades, Gest has come out in support of his friend, revering the man he once knew and openly discussing the musician as he once knew him.

Their life-long friendship, starting in their young teens, resulted in Gest getting to know a side of Jackson rarely seen and reveals some interesting facts about the artist.

For example, Gest recalls that out of his magnificent body of work, Michael's favorite songs were Man In The Mirror and Heal The World. He also reveals that some of Michael's favorite contemporary artists were Beyonce, Eminem and Dr Dre,.

But his biggest reveal was the pairs shared passion for plastic surgery, beginning in the early 80s. While Gest grew out of the fascination, he explains that Michael did not, always insisting he could look better and falling prey to the sales pitches of a plastic surgeon.

“I begged him not to have any more, I said, ‘Your nose is perfect’, but the plastic surgeon we were using kept encouraging him to have more procedures. I believe he was just trying to keep the relationship going with Michael, but he wasn’t being honest with him. Even his family tried to say enough is enough. This guy made a fortune on my nose, Michael’s nose, Janet’s nose and La Toya’s nose. Tito and Jackie were smart, they left their noses alone.”

Gest also recalls the troubled relationship between Michael and his father, Joe Jackson:

“Michael was scared of Joe. Michael and I would take trips just to get away from him. Joe was always demanding but he wasn’t a bad man — he perhaps went about things the wrong way but what he truly wanted was more for his kids than he had. Joe eventually mellowed and Michael didn’t resent him like people think he did. Later in life, they got to know each other and made peace.”

But what Gest mostly remembers is a caring and giving man he was privileged enough to call his friend:

“There will never be another Michael Jackson — he was a musical innovator, a great dancer and you know what else? He was one hell of a friend."

[Image via WENN.]

Rihanna's rumored boyfriend, Drake, just scored big with a record deal with Young Money and Universal Republic.

Drake's debut album, Thank Me Later, is slated for a late 2009 release and features collaborations with Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Jay-Z.

Drake will be supporting Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy and Soulja Boy this summer on their Young Money Presents: Americas Most Wanted Music Festival tour.

All the labels were trying to sign him and he ended up going with Wayne's label for a cool $3 mill.

Nice!

[Image via WENN.]