It’s been an ice age since we’ve seen Benjamin McKenzie on the small screen (when last we saw him on TV he was the bad boy from The OC) but NEVER FEAR … he’s back. The struggling network NBC is premiering a new series called Southland which features Ben in the role of Ben Sherman, mall cop police officer. McKenzie is paired up with character actor Michael Cudlitz who you may recognize as the “douchey” guy from Beverly Hills, 90210 … among other “douchey” roles he’s played on other shows. My guess is that he plays a “douchey” cop in this series but that is unimportant right now. Here are a few photos of Ben and Michael standing around and posing in their police uniforms on the SoCal set of Southland this week:

Lawd … I could really get into seeing Benjamin in a cop uniform from week to week but I fear that this show won’t be able to keep my interests beyond that to keep me coming back week after week. Nothing that NBC has put on the air in recent weeks and months has really grabbed my attention. Kath & Kim just had its season finale and I was so blah about the whole season. Mya Rudolph was a great mid-season addition but, overall, the show just doesn’t entertain me. Heroes, I’m sorry to say, hasn’t been interesting to me for months. I still have the last 5 eps saved on my DVR but just can’t be arsed to watch them … I don’t care any more. David and I watched Kings on Sunday night … didn’t do a thing for me. There is so much other interesting stuff to watch that I don’t even think about NBC anymore. I’m willing to give Southland a try but … I’m not holding my breath. What do y’all think … is the sight of Benjamin McKenzie in a cute little cop uniform enough to get you to tune in? Any OC old-skoolers in the hiz?

[Photo credit: X17]

Mandy Moore, who just recently got hitched to alt rocker Ryan Adams, has unveiled the new look of her official website and, in the process, unveiled the new cover artwork for her new album Amanda Leigh. Last month, Mandy announced that her new disc would be released on May 26 … and today we get to see what the album’s artwork will look like:

Very pretty, great cover. While I’m still having a bit of a hard time seeing Mandy as a married woman (and to Ryan Adams, no less), I am seeing her as a mature woman on this album cover. I really enjoyed her last album, Wild Hope, and I’m guessing that Amanda Leigh (her full name) will be a continuation of that album. Her music has grown so much from the sugar-pop she gave us back in the day … she’s deffo grown into a Little Woman ;) The album is available for presale on iTunes already … I know I can’t wait to hear it for myself. What do y’all think … do you like this coverphoto?

[Source]

Apparently, actress Kristen Stewart is interested in more than just lurvin’ up on hot vampires these days … as is evident from her new movie, Adventureland, she’s also into hangin’ out with interesting folks at local amusement parks. Here are a few photos from last night’s LA premiere at Mann’s Chinese 6 Theater here in Hollywood, CA of K. Stew, Ryan Reynolds, SNL’s Bill Hader and the very pale pallored Kat Dennings on the red carpet:

I *just* saw the trailer for this film for the first time this week and really had zero interest in seeing it … until I found out that Kristen Stewart is in it. Honestly, it’s not so much that I think her acting skills will make the film but I’m really interested in seeing her in a comedy. As you may also know, I’m also interested in seeing Robert Pattinson’s new film Little Ashes (mainly for the man-on-man nekkidness) to compare his performance in that film to his performance in Twilight. I’m not really sure why but I am really intrigued by seeing these young actors in other movies. It’s a good thing that Ryan Reynolds is in the film cuz now they can count on my $12 at the box office for sure. Does this film hold any fascination for any of y’all?

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]

In January, we got our latest look at the protagonist heroine of Disney’s new animated feature The Princess and the Frog which, as you all should know by now, is Disney’s first Black princess. Today, we get our first look at her prince in the movie … he’s the guy that she saves (a la Belle in Beauty and the Beast) in the upcoming animated feature:

While some short-sighted people may take issue with Princess Tiana and her handsome Prince Naveen, I absolutely applaud Disney’s decision to pair these two characters together in a romantic relationship. After the jump, check out what Prince Naveen looks like, er, when he’s not a frog …

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Golden Globe winning actor Mickey Rourke, who has just signed on to play the role of Iron Man villain Whiplash in the upcoming sequel, made his way to Russia last week to tour the grounds of the Butyrka Prison in Moscow in order to prepare for his comic book role. Here are a few photos of Mickey inside Butyrka Prison getting a feel for what it must be like to be a prisoner in Russia:

Less than a month after he capped a remarkable comeback with an appearance at the Oscars, Mickey Rourke spent three hours in a high security Russian prison. The American actor, who was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award for his turn in The Wrestler, visited the Butyrka prison in Moscow to research his latest role. Rourke has signed up to play Russian villain Whiplash in the upcoming sequel to comic book movie Iron Man, in which he’ll star alongside Robert Downey, Jr. In a bid to understand his character’s experiences, Rourke was given a guided tour around Butyrka prison on Friday. He was accompanied by guards during his visit and spent some time in the cells to get a feel for how the inmates live. Rourke even ate a prison meal and played table tennis with a guard. At one point when he lay down on an inmate’s bed, Rourke quipped: “My sofa seems much stiffer.” Butyrka prison was notorious during Stalinist times for its brutal conditions and thousands are believed to have been killed by firing squad there. The Iron Man sequel will also star Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle and Scarlett Johansson. It will be directed by actor-turned-filmmaker Jon Favreau.

HMMM … I somehow doubt that the Russian guards allow prisoners to wear bright blue designer loafers and sunglasses but, overall, it looks like he got the gist of being a Russian inmate. I have to say, I’m very glad that the rumors about Mickey getting the Whiplash role in the sequel turned out to be true … I think we all know at this point that he is a superb actor and will deffo bring much to the character. I’m less excited about the news that Scarlett Johansson will be appearing in the movie as well. In my estimation, Emily Blunt would’ve been a much better pick … but, sadly, that rumor did not pan out. In any event, we know that production has officially begun on Iron Man 2 and now that we know that Mickey has begun his movie prep things should be coming along very quickly from here on out. Woot!

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

No big news from yesterday … David and I spent most of the day working and I was waiting for a package from Amazon to arrive (which never did cuz it was sent to my old address … blah … now I have to truck my cookies out to Van Nuys to pick it up … but that is neither here nor there) but we did manage to get out of the house last night to have a nice, quiet dinner alone at Rambutan Thai in Silver Lake. Seriously, that place is my fave Thai restaurant ever … I can’t get enough. The duck curry is TO DIE FOR … okay, I have to stop talking about it cuz I’m craving it all over again ;)

That was pretty much our night … later this evening, I board my plane for Texas as I will be at SXSW for the rest of the week. I’m bummed to be leaving David behind but I am really, freakin’ excited to see Tori Amos on Thursday night. While I’m excited to see a bunch of other bands, Tori is the highlight for me. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll be going big at SXSW this time … it’s my first trip so I’m not sure what to expect. I want to continue working every day as usual so I’m prolly only gonna do one or two shows per night. It’d be really fun to to go to all the shows I’d like to but there’s no way I can do that and work every day. Mebbe I’ll find a happy medium. In any event, I ask for your patience for the rest of the week. I’m not sure how things are gonna go down once I get to Austin but I’m very excited to find out. Hopefully I’ll get to meet a few Pink readers along the way … should be fun!!

• Sad news: Time Out New York reports that actress Natasha Richardson is “brain dead” after suffering an injury on the ski slopes yesterday Time Out is apparently wrong, Richardson is reportedly not “brain dead” but is in critical condition.
• DJ AM is suing for $20 million in the wake of the deadly plane accident he survived last year.
• More plastic surgery for Michael Jackson?
• Rihanna’s people deny that she is appearing in a remake of The Bodyguard.
• Click HERE to read the transcript of George Stephanopoulos’s Twitter interview with Senator John McCain.
• Oh George Clooney, why you so funny?
• Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by gawking at hawt, semi-nekkid Irish guys.
• Rugby players like it on top.
• An Oklahoma teacher was reportedly fired after she showed The Laramie Project in her classroom.
• Kate Moss lets an entire boob slip out of her dress.
• Anna Faris gets sexy in GQ magazine.
• Beyoncé does Vogue magazine.
• Eva Longoria admits that she did not enjoy kissing Teri Hatcher.
• Melissa Auf der Maur (Smashing Pumpkins, Hole) is 37, Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins is 42, Gary Sinise is 54 and Patrick Duffy is 60 years old today. Click HERE to see who else is celebrating a birthday today.
• Fanboys aren’t really fans of the new SyFy.
• Fall Out Boy to tour with … 50 Cent?
• Click HERE to watch a sexy, sign language music video for Britney Spears’s single Womanizer. It’s hawt!! [thanks David]