Vintage Playboy Interview: George Clooney

threekingsIt’s no secret that Playboy has the best interviews in history, and as a tribute to the revolutionary magazine, I’ve decided to share an anecdote from a George Clooney interview, because it confirms what a great guy he is.  Clooney revealed his on set war with director David O. Russell while shooting the 1999 film, Three Kings.  Clooney said Russell yelled at everyone on the set, including a camera car driver.  Clooney confronted Russell, saying, “You can yell and scream and even fire him, but what you can’t do is humiliate him in front of people. Not on my set, if I have any say about it.”  Russell then screamed at a second assistant director, who quit on the spot.  Clooney addressed him again, saying, “you can’t shove, push or humiliate people who aren’t allowed to defend themselves.”  Russell responded to Clooney’s criticism by challenging him to a fist fight, and the two men came to blows.  Clooney “had him by the throat,” confessing that he was “going to kill him.”  Though they finally finished the movie, Clooney said it was “without exception, the worst experience of [his] life.”  My favorite part of this story is the idea that George Clooney stuck up for the little guy at the very beginning of his career before he really became the star he is today.  It’s no secret that directors can be demeaning assholes, but it’s up to the power players to put a stop to it.  To add to this story, Lily Tomlin later worked with David O. Russell on I Heart Huckabees, and a tape was released of a fight between Russell and Tomlin.  Many accused Clooney of circulating the tape, which he later denied.  Watch below to see Russell lose it half-way in.

It’s Time for Richard Simmons to Get a New Outfit

Remember my previous post about branding your image in Hollywood? I officially take that back. Richard Simmons has been wearing the same workout outfit for a gazillion years, and his appearance on Wendy Williams was no exception. He’s a bit of a cartoon character, and since I’ve seen him actually make some good points in interviews, I find it off-putting that he is perpetuating this goof-ball shtick. I’m not advising him to act like Dan Rather, but it’s just getting old. Plus, whenever I see any man (no matter how good looking) in running shorts, I seriously want to vomit. Is there any outfit less flattering?

Dina Lohan Needs to Lighten Up — Pissed at Glee

The first thing Lindsay Lohan needs to do when she exits rehab is fire her mother, Dina Lohan, as her manager.  She perpetuates Lindsay’s negative image in the press, by continually discussing her daughter’s issues.  Lindsay would have a much better chance of rehabilitating (no pun intended) her career if her mother would zip-it.  On this week’s Glee, Gwyneth Paltrow’s character discussed Lindsay’s rehab stints while teaching her Spanish class.  The bit was funny, and Lohan’s camp should laugh it off.  Unfortunately for Lindsay, her camp includes her horrendous mother, who is threatening to sue Glee for defamation.  Allow me to put this esquire thing to use for just one second — it’s not defamation to call someone “loca.”  So get over it Dina. Watch the clip below to see what all the fuss is about.

Gwyneth Paltrow on Glee — I’m Officially a Lesbian

Gwyneth Paltrow’s performance on Glee was a defining moment in her career (and no, I’m not exaggerating). She’s a respected film actress that demands major Hollywood bucks, and yet this is my favorite role of her entire career. Why? Because she sang, she danced, and most importantly, she let her hair down. Paltrow has always come across in the press as guarded and frigid, almost bordering on curmudgeon. After last night, I’ve officially changed that classification. She stole the show, and proved an incredible range of talent. Her presence was so striking, I would even say that she might have stolen the show for good. Where do you go from here? Do you snag her as a series regular, and keep her story-line going? Though I’d say yes (and apparently Ryan Murphy is working that out as we speak), she’s definitely upped the ante to a point of no return. Watch her sing Cee-Lo’s Forget You below. It’s already number one on Itunes — she’s blowing up the charts!

Amazon Launches Movie Studio — Next Stop — Aviation

Can’t a company just stick to what they’re good at?  I understand expansion keeps things interesting, but I draw the line at a book retailer becoming a movie studio.  What’s next? — Aviation?  Instead of Amazon Studios it will be Amazon Airlines.  It’s bad enough that Google expanded from search engine to internet stalker, when they started taking photographs of my house to post online.  But now Amazon will soil the movie industry.  Actually — internet stalking seems worse than the movie studio thing — but I’m still angry.  Imagine that.

Brandy and Maksim Eliminated From DWTS — I’m not Surprised

Bristol Palin is inhaling a shit-storm of criticism for staying on Dancing With the Stars despite more successful dancers getting eliminated.  Many blame the tea party for inflating votes, but I actually think voters got it right.  If the competition was based solely on dancing ability, I could understand the outrage.  But it’s not.  It’s based on dancing ability, improvement, and personality.  Brandy and Maksim both lacked the third element.  Maksim is excessively arrogant, often talking back to the judges.  For goodness sakes, he even defended slapping Brandy on the ass as part of his incredible teaching ability!  You can’t win a voter-based competition and act like an ass. So congratulations Bristol — you deserve to be there.

Howard Stern Interviews Billy Joel — Magic Ensues

Howard Stern was at his best today — and so was Billy Joel. Stern asked Joel to come in for an interview about a month ago, and Joel agreed. The dynamic was particularly interesting, considering Stern and Joel are good friends off the air, and yet Stern was still mesmerized when Joel performed his songs in the studio, saying, “Billy, I’m not a woman but I want to blow you after listening to that.” At one point Stern even compared Joel to Beethoven, and Joel quickly brushed it off, saying, “don’t lay it on too thick.” Joel randomly played songs on the spot while discussing them. He explained his song-writing process, in a song-by-song format. My favorite question of the interview was when Stern asked Joel if he likes the piano, and Joel said he either loves it or detests it. He said that when he’s writing a song, and it’s going well, he loves the piano. But when the song isn’t turning into what he imagined, the piano is a gigantic beast that he has to conquer. I love Billy Joel and I love Howard Stern — does it get better? Listen to New York State of Mind below.

Update: Some of the songs discussed in the interview include: Uptown Girl; Allentown; Dear Mr. Fantasy (Steve Winwood); Vienna Waits For You; Miami 2017; Just the Way You Are; The Downeaster Alexa; Big Shot; and Goodnight Saigon.

Billy Joel – New York State of Mind by conorplaskitt2

Derek Hough & Jennifer Grey — The Best DWTS Partnership Ever

Every time I watch Dancing With the Stars I’m reminded that Derek Hough is an incredible dancer, who is way more talented than any of the other professional dancers on the show.  Tonight was no exception.  I looked up his history, and the most interesting thing I found is that all four of his grandparents were dancers, which leads me to believe he was dancing in the womb.  His performance tonight with Jennifer Grey might have been his best ever.  Watch below.


jennifer2 4 @ Yahoo! Video