In a tremendously moving and articulate interview with 20/20, Rihanna gave her first full-length statements about her assault by Chris Brown in February. Describing the beating she suffered in a car with Brown, the singer said that when he beat her, “He had no soul in his eyes… It was almost like he had nothing to lose.” Speaking to Diane Sawyer, Rihanna said of Brown’s remorse afterward, “He’d say, ‘You hate me, don’t you?’ and I would lie and say, ‘No.’” That was a chilling moment, one among many. Sawyer showed Rihanna online videos of people — fans? — saying that she must have provoked Brown. Sawyer paraphrased their sentiments: “They say, ‘Did she bait him? Rile him?’” Rihanna said bluntly of such questions, “It’s ignorance.” Demonstrating a maturity and thoughtfulness about her experience, Rihanna noted, “With fame comes a lot of things, and the most dangerous is freedom… no boundaries.” At the same time, she said that when she’s shown the pictures of her battered face from that night, “I get very ashamed, angry… embarrassed… You start lying to yourself, blaming yourself… I didn’t want people looking at me. I felt really lonely.” She claimed never to have heard the song Brown supposedly recorded for her called “Changed Man.” When Sawyer showed her the internet apology Brown issued and asked the singer’s reaction, Rihanna said simply, “It sounds like he might be reading off a teleprompter… I don’t know if he understood the extent of what he did.” Rihanna explained the fight’s source: ”I caught him in a lie,” when she saw a text message from another woman. “I wouldn’t drop it, and he couldn’t take that.” She described their love as “dangerous… It was a bit of an obsession.” The awful pressure that is placed upon celebrities to be role models was made clear when she said, “My selfish desire for love could result in some young girl getting killed. I could not be easy with that, responsible for that.” How terrible that this woman should have to bear that weight in addition to what happened to her. That’s one of the biggest flaws of current pop culture — the notion that celebrities must set an example for others. Rihanna went so far as to say to Sawyer, “I’m glad it happened to me, because now I can help young girls when it happens to them.” Sawyer asked if she “hated” Brown. She replied, “I want him to do well, to have a good career… and to grow up.”
I cannot even express how impressed I was with Rihanna’s interview last night … she was thoughtful, sure, honest and bold in her statements. You could tell how uncomfortable she was talking about certain aspects of her ordeal but you could also tell how confident she was that she was doing the right thing. I am so glad that ABC decided to air portions of Rihanna’s interview over two days and one night … the wider her story is spread, the more likely that her message will reach those who desperately need to hear it. After the jump, watch Rihanna’s entire 20/20 interview online …
Last night Bravo TV aired part 2 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta reunion special and not only were we made privy to some pretty horrifying information …
ie. that NeNe Leakes’s main gay Dwight Eubanks confessed to getting a penile enlargement implant!!! (Um, Yikes!) but we were also made to bear witness to an even more horrifying live performance … which I now want to share with all y’all. Here is Real HousewifeKim Zolciak “performing” her “hit” song Tardy for the Party “live” on last night’s Real Housewives of Atlanta reunion special:
Yes, I think the looks on the faces of the other Atltanta Housewives during Kim’s performance says it all … but to quote Mr. Penile Implant Dwight Eubanks, How dreadful! The song may be catchy but … OY! this performance is a hot mess … don’tcha think?
Tori Amos’ first ever seasonal album, Midwinter Graces, is an album that has been in the making for the past 40 years. Raised in the Baltimore area under the watchful eye of her Methodist minister father, Tori grew up playing holiday carols at Sunday services and Christmas Day celebrations in her father’s church. These were the songs that gave a young Tori her first taste of music, and now, almost 40 years later, Tori gets her own chance to re-imagine classics like “What Child, Nowell” and “Star of Wonder.” Tori will also add her own bittersweet bliss to the season with original tracks like “Pink and Glitter” and “Our New Year.” Amos has teamed up again with longtime collaborators Matt Chamberlain (drums), Jon Evans (bass), and Mac Aladdin (guitar.) Tori has also enlisted the help of a big band and an orchestra, with stunning John Philip Shenale arrangements to create her new seasonal classics.
You may recall that last month we got to listen to snippets from Midwinter Graces but now we can hear all 12 songs in full. After the jump, enjoy your first listen of Tori’s first ever holiday album …
Okay, so mebbe this isn’t really a “porn’stache” per se as much as it is just a sad attempt at facial hair … but at least it’s something! Something tells me that Elijah decided to jump on the porn’stache bandwagon in order to appear more grown up and sexy … but I’m afraid that not even a full beard would be able to achieve either … not that Elijah has the ability to grow anything other than spotty facial hair. I suppose you can’t blame the young man for trying … mebbe there’s a cougar out there who’ll give his attempt at facial hair a second look.
Earlier I mentioned that David and I attended the LA premiere of the new film Dare, which stars Emmy Rossum, Zach Gilford and Ashley Springer, last night and now we get to see some photos from the red carpet arrivals from last night’s event. Here are a few pics from the Dare LA premiere which was held at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, CA sponsored by Gen Art and Bing:
As with any indie film, promotion is hard to come by … and I liked this movie so much that I want to do what I can to spread the word. As I mentioned in my brief review earlier, Dare tells a teenage love story that isn’t usually told in mainstream film. I was so impressed with Zach Gilford (who you may know from Friday Night Lights) in this film that I really want as many people as possible to see his amazing performance. See this movie if you can … I really think you will love it as much as I do :)
Last night David and I were invited by our good friend David Brind to the LA premiere of the new movie Dare which he wrote! The film has been screening at film festivals all year long (starting out with Sundance back in January) and finally premiered here in Hollywood:
The movie is a very poignant and frank look at the complexities of teenage sexuality which focuses on a group of high school kids who yearn for and find love from one another. Emmy Rossum (who plays Alexa Walker), Zach Gilford (who plays Johnny Drake) and Ashley Springer (who plays Ben Burger) bring this unconventional love story to life with an awkward honesty that is extremely refreshing to see on the big screen. Alexa has feelings for Johnny character … as does her best friend Ben. Johnny has feelings for both Alexa and Ben … and therein lies the complexity. The character development is really fantastic … I urge y’all to see this film. Be on the look out for Ana Gasteyer and Alan Cumming who are fantastic in their roles … and for Rooney Mara who is a total scene stealer. Dare opens in NY and LA next weekend and, depending on the demand, should open in wide release afterward.
After the premiere, we made our way to the Stone Rose for the after party. We got to hang out with some of the Dare stars and take some fun photobooth pics. Check ‘em out after the jump …
Emma Stone is 21, Rebecca Romijn is 37, Ethan Hawke is 39 and Sally Field is 63 years old today. Click HERE to see who else is celebrating a birthday today.
RSS
Feedburner
