Pink reader Renee gave me the head’s up that the folks at Sesame Street launched SesameStreet.org today and sends along a link to a video of Grey’s Anatomy’s TR Knight making a little cameo for the children’s TV series:
LOL! This is so great. Click HERE to check out what other celeb guests will be making appearances on Sesame Street. The list is pretty extensive … but it’s not all inclusive … who else would you like to see on Sesame Street? Anyone from The Hills perhaps?
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Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor sat down for a little one-on-one with Rolling Stone magazine a few weeks ago in Inglewood, CA (the site of secret NIN rehearsals for their Lights in the Sky tour) to talk about the band’s summer tour plans and the future of the recording industry. Here are a few pics posted on the official NIN Flickr page of the band’s recent live performances in Chicago, IL and Toronto, ON:
Trent Reznor has some modest goals for Nine Inch Nails’ summer tour: “I want you to leave feeling like your head exploded,” he says backstage at the Forum in Inglewood, California, where his band is rehearsing. It’s a fitting goal for a guy who has spent the past year blowing up many of the standard practices of the modern music business. After completing his contract with Interscope Records, Reznor released Ghosts I-IV, a double instrumental record, in packages ranging from a $5 download to a $300 deluxe set. With no advance warning, he followed up in May with The Slip, an album free for download from his Website. Reznor’s giveaway of The Slip went smoothly — more than a million people downloaded it — but he has some misgivings, worrying that he’s contributing to an environment that devalues music and exploits musicians. “People feel it’s their right to get stuff free,” he says. “I don’t agree with it, but I understand it. I think that’s a fight you can’t win. So then how can you treat fans with respect and treat yourself with respect? By experimenting.” Reznor rejected the Radiohead scheme of letting fans decide what to pay for the album. “It gives them too much power,” he says. “I’m not saying that you have to pay for it, but don’t tell me that it’s worth 50 cents.” The Slip is now also available as a CD-DVD package, in a limited edition of 250,000, and it debuted at Number 13 when it was released in July. “People who want something physical at a reasonable price, they can get something that has value to them,” he says. Reznor is talking during a break from rehearsals at the Forum; he’s wearing a black T-shirt and drinking a Diet Hansen’s Soda. While his music is full of howling battles between the id and the superego, offstage he’s calm with a sharp sense of humor. “I’m just an actor playing me,” he jokes. “Puff Daddy and the real me are on a yacht somewhere.” The show’s production was complicated enough to require weeks of rehearsal, which meant Reznor had to wrangle teams of technicians. “I didn’t go to leadership class,” he says. “But I’m having to transform from being an asshole to being a full-on dick.” When problems arise, Reznor doesn’t throw tantrums; he just wields his wit like a knife. “Are the smoke machines here?” he asks the techie manning the light board. “Yes!” shouts the techie. “Why, may I ask, is it completely smoke-free in here, then?” Reznor is joined on this tour by four other musicians: drummer Josh Freese, multi-instrumentalist Alessandro Cortini, bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen (formerly with Beck) and guitarist Robin Finck, who has returned to NIN after a decade with Guns n’ Roses. Reznor remembers telling a previous guitarist that it didn’t matter how he played “Terrible Lie” as long as he got across the message “Fuck you.” Now, in what Reznor thinks might be a sign of growing older (he’s 43), he prefers to work with musicians who can play their instruments. As an experiment, Reznor gave away a pair of tickets for the tour’s dress rehearsal by hiding an envelope under a rock in Burbank. Using a Google Earth link on his Website, Reznor indicated the tickets’ location with a question mark. Fans quickly found the envelope. “Well, we couldn’t leave that alone,” Reznor says. “We hid another 30, in places from Watts Towers to behind a mirror in a strip-club restroom to a Home Depot.” One envelope was hidden in a graveyard; the location was announced after it had closed for the day: “We wanted to see if anyone would break in, because I would’ve. And someone did.” Reznor contemplated providing the location of Axl Rose’s house and encouraging people to dig in his yard for tickets, “just to see how many people got arrested on his front lawn.” On opening night at Seattle’s Key Arena on July 26th, Reznor delivers on his head-exploding ambitions. After an opening half-hour played under bright white lights, the band is sandwiched between video screens upstage and downstage. The screens create optical illusions, assault the audience with strobes and even deliberately hide the musicians’ images behind a wall of static. The two-hour show careens through Reznor’s catalog, including a set of chilled-out Ghosts material featuring Reznor on marimba. “Hurt” is apocalyptic, and during his savage attack on “March of the Pigs,” Reznor throws his mike stand like a javelin. There are still a few technical glitches, including one point where the show grinds to a halt. “Somebody’s supposed to press a button to turn on the lights,” Reznor tells the crowd. “Things fuck up.” Reznor is girding himself for the rest of the tour, which crisscrosses the U.S. through September before moving on to South America and Mexico. A lot of the Nineties are a blur to Reznor, who was an alcoholic and a heroin addict; he’s been sober since 2001. “I’ve learned how to stay sane on the road,” he says. “One of the great things about being fucked up on the road is that it’s not as boring. There’s a lot of hours in the day. ‘Have I jacked off to that movie yet?’ Yes, I have. Again. Finally, I realized I can get work done — I’ve got three hours before soundcheck, let’s see if I can get a song written in that time.” He still relishes the moment when he hits the stage. “That’s the ultimate — you walk out, and you feel cool. Having good lighting and a cool stage is like having a nice outfit on.” Has he ever wished he had that lighting offstage? Reznor laughs. “Yeah, and have it follow me around, playing ‘Closer’ the whole time.” He beatboxes his song’s famous rhythm and adopts a faux-smug expression: “That’s me.”
Okay, how is it possible to not love the man? While I may be marginally interested to find out what movie he’s referring to when he talks about, um, the “jacking”, I think I like it best when I know as little as possible about the man when he’s working behind the scenes. I know it sounds weird, since I love being in everybody’s biz, but on the NIN tip, I like not knowing how things get done behind the scenes. I’m very much looking forward to seeing the band in Toledo, OH in a couple of weeks and then again here in LA a week after that. Man, it is just really great having Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails back on the scene again. Time to dust off my combat boots.
How’s about a bit o’ cuteness this afternoon … with the 2008 Olympic Games underway in Beijing, China I thought it would be nice to introduce the official mascots of the 29th Olympic Games. This year, a collection of 5 mascots collectively called Fuwa will serve as the messengers of peace, sportsmanship and goodwill to all the children of the world. Here are pics and an overall description of the 5 mascots that make up Fuwa — Nini, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Beibei:
Like the Five Olympic Rings from which they draw their color and inspiration, Fuwa will serve as the Official Mascots of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, carrying a message of friendship and peace — and good wishes from China — to children all over the world. Designed to express the playful qualities of five little children who form an intimate circle of friends, Fuwa also embody the natural characteristics of four of China’s most popular animals — the Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan Antelope, the Swallow — and the Olympic Flame. Each of Fuwa has a rhyming two-syllable name — a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow. When you put their names together — Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni — they say “Welcome to Beijing,” offering a warm invitation that reflects the mission of Fuwa as young ambassadors for the Olympic Games. Fuwa also embody both the landscape and the dreams and aspirations of people from every part of the vast country of China. In their origins and their headpieces, you can see the five elements of nature — the sea, forest, fire, earth and sky — all stylistically rendered in ways that represent the deep traditional influences of Chinese folk art and ornamentation. In the ancient culture of China, there is a grand tradition of spreading good wishes through signs and symbols. Each of Fuwa symbolizes a different blessing — and will honor this tradition by carrying their good wishes to the children of the world. Prosperity, happiness, passion, health and good luck will be spread to every continent as Fuwa carry their invitation to Beijing 2008 to every part of the globe. At the heart of their mission — and through all of their work — Fuwa will seek to unite the world in peace and friendship through the Olympic spirit. Dedicated to helping Beijing 2008 spread its theme of One World, One Dream to every continent, Fuwa reflect the deep desire of the Chinese people to reach out to the world in friendship through the Games — and to invite every man, woman and child to take part in the great celebration of human solidarity that China will host in the light of the flame in 2008.
Aww, this is so cute. And I love that by saying their names together you get the greeting, Welcome to Beijing — clever idea. I’m curious to know what Fuwa’s stance on human rights and environmental issues is … er, just kidding ;)
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Here are a few pics from Samantha Ronson’s 31st birthday celebration here in SoCal this week that included trips to three different nightclubs all in the same night … People magazine reports that her BFF Lindsay Lohan was close-boy her side all night long and even presented her with what is described as a “lingering kiss” after a rousing song of Happy Birthday:
Samantha Ronson had to work on her birthday Wednesday, but it wasn’t all bad – she had Lindsay Lohan by her side! Seeming inseparable, DJ Ronson, now 31, lit up the turntables while Lohan, 22, stayed close, whispering to her, smoking and holding court at a table of friends inside Los Angeles’s Crown Bar. At promptly five past midnight, the music was silenced and Lohan led the club in a rendition of “Happy Birthday” while presenting Ronson a cake and a lingering kiss. Between handing out cake to their friends, the gals got cozy in the deejay both and snapped photos of themselves. Lohan spent most of the early morning dancing back-to-back with Ronson, who closed out her set around 1:30 a.m.
It must have been after her DJ gig that Lindsay had this pimped out ice cream truck come out for some late night fun. I love seeing pics of L. Ron together … they always look so happy together, whatever is going on, it’s a good thing. Happy Birthday, Sam!!!
[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]
ABC News has managed to orchestrate a sit down interview with Senator and former Vice Presidential nominee John Edwards today in Chapel Hill, North Carolina where the man finally comes clean about rumors concerning an extramarital affair that have been plaguing him for the past couple of months. Excerpts from this interview will air tonight on ABC on World News with Charles Gibson and in full on Nightline at 11:35PM ET. Um, wow:
John Edwards repeatedly lied during his Presidential campaign about an extramarital affair with a novice filmmaker, the former Senator admitted to ABC News today. n an interview for broadcast tonight on Nightline, Edwards told ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff he did have an affair with 44-year old Rielle Hunter, but said that he did not love her. Edwards also denied he was the father of Hunter’s baby girl, Frances Quinn, although the one-time Democratic Presidential candidate said he has not taken a paternity test. Edwards said he knew he was not the father based on timing of the baby’s birth on February 27, 2008. He said his affair ended too soon for him to have been the father. A former campaign aide, Andrew Young, has said he was the father of the child. According to friends of Hunter, Edwards met her at a New York city bar in 2006. His political action committee later paid her $114,000 to produce campaign website documentaries despite her lack of experience. Edwards said the affair began during the campaign after she was hired. Hunter traveled with Edwards around the country and to Africa. Edwards said his wife, Elizabeth, and others in his family became aware of the affair in 2006. Edwards made a point of telling Woodruff that his wife’s cancer was in remission when he began the affair with Hunter. Elizabeth Edwards has since been diagnosed with an incurable form of the disease. When the National Enquirer first reported the alleged Edwards-Hunter affair last October 11, Edwards, his campaign staff and Hunter vociferously denounced the report. “The story is false, it’s completely untrue, it’s ridiculous,” Edwards told reporters then. He repeated his denials just two weeks ago. Edwards today admitted the National Enquirer was correct when it reported he had visited Hunter at the Beverly Hills Hilton last month. The former Senator said his wife had not known about the meeting.
Well, I guess score one for The National Enquirer. And isn’t this just the crappiest news? I mean, you know that people aren’t perfect (and politicians are among the most imperfect people on Earth) but sometimes you just want to believe the best in people. This deffo changes my perspectives on John Edwards. And without a paternity test, how can he really be sure that he’s not the father? Blah. This is one confessional interview that I’m really not all that interested in watching … I think I’ve heard enough :(
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Not much to report on the personal front … I did get my haircut yesterday but Josh wasn’t keen on shaving my head just yet. We took it short and it’s a bit different but still … we have a plan to do something really drastic next time around. I have a wedding to attend in Jackson Hole, WY next weekend so I’m saving the drasticness until after the nuptials.
After my appt. I met up with Darion at The Grove for dinner and hanging out … nothing big, just catching up with one another. This afternoon I’m hanging with Tony for a late lunch and I’ll prolly be seeing Mike tonight. Life may be quiet again, but it feels real good right now :)
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